The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area Names Andrew Flagel President and CEO

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area announces Andrew Flagel, Ph.D. as its new president and CEO. Flagel will begin his appointment on July 13, 2020. The Consortium is a nonprofit educational association of 17 member colleges and universities advancing innovation and collaboration across the National Capital area. Consortium members serve nearly 300,000 students each year, more than 25% Pell Grant recipients, are the largest non-government employers and some of the largest health care providers in the region.

"I am deeply honored and excited to join the Consortium as president and CEO, and I look forward to working with our colleges and universities to navigate a safe pathway forward for our students, faculty, and staff," said Flagel. "Our institutions are crucial to safely restarting our economy, increasing economic equity, and preparing our future workforce."

Flagel most recently served as vice president for Advancement and Member Engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, an organization dedicated to making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in higher education. In this role, he successfully developed a broad range of innovative partnerships with non-profit organizations, foundations, and private companies to provide new support for the association's mission, while expanding outreach to more diverse membership.

"The Consortium is delighted to have Dr. Andrew Flagel join us as the new president and CEO," said Chairman Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, president of Howard University. "Most people don't think about Washington D.C. as a college town because of the federal government, but our colleges and universities are collectively the second largest employer in this city. As we plan for what the fall will look like, we know that the local ecosystem will be hurt or helped by the decisions we make collectively. Therefore, Dr. Flagel's years of training and career experience in academia, especially at consortium member institutions, will serve us well to hone our collective intellectual capacity and research to create a stronger association during this critical time."

"Amid the many challenges of this era in the Washington region, the collective intellectual resources of the Consortium of Universities have never been more important to address the scientific, medical, political, economic and social demands of our communities," said Trinity College President Patricia McGuire.  "With his educational and professional roots in Washington, Dr. Flagel brings the broad experience necessary to be an effective leader for the Consortium at this critical time.  Beyond promoting inter-institutional academic and research exchange, with Dr. Flagel's leadership the Consortium can make powerful contributions to mitigating the effects of the pandemic, promoting greater racial and social equity throughout the region, and supporting public and private initiatives for economic growth."

Flagel received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Consortium member institution George Washington University, where he served as a regional director of admissions before being appointed as director of admissions for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council.  He later received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University's prestigious program in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education while serving as a director in Flint for the University of Michigan, focusing his research on access and inclusion.

As the former dean of Enrollment for more than a decade at George Mason University, another Consortium member institution, Flagel created ground-breaking new programs for military personnel, veterans, and transfer students, founded and led the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment and the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, and spearheaded the Pathways partnership with Northern Virginia Community College and Fairfax County Public Schools. He left Mason to become senior vice president at Brandeis University, serving as both their chief student affairs and chief enrollment officer, and joined the AAC&U leadership team in 2018.

In addition to Consortium president and CEO, Flagel has also been appointed a senior visiting scholar at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

The Consortium has one of the oldest and most robust course-sharing collaborations in the country. It provides a unified voice on behalf of its members to local and regional governments, as well as to business/industry and other organizations by serving as a single point of contact, by participating on boards and as members of organizations, and through convenings. The Consortium provides numerous services to its members, including government relations and organizational liaison functions, and fostering opportunities for new areas of collaboration ranging from grants to degree programs.

Consortium member universities are interconnected in numerous ways that bring direct benefits to students as well as the District and region. Students receive an enhanced educational experience because they may cross-register for courses at other Consortium member institutions. Faculty research collaborations across member universities bring hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants and contracts annually (which result in hiring and spending) into the District and region that would otherwise not have occurred. Above all, Consortium institutions focus on three overarching goals: creating an educated populace; creating and promoting a dynamic, innovative atmosphere; and creating the future economy.

Media Contact: Alonda Thomas, [email protected]

SOURCE Howard University

Related Links

http://www.howard.edu