UERU Membership

About

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities is a member-driven, dues-supported national consortium of R1/2 universities, all of which are dedicated to innovation and excellence in undergraduate education.

Annual institutional membership is $5,000.

Want to learn more?

To learn more or to start the membership process, please contact Steven P. Dandaneau, PhD, Executive Director of UERU and Associate Provost of Colorado State University.

Request Membership

Why UERU Matters: Insights from University Leaders

Strengthen Your University's Impact with UERU Membership

UERU unites research university leaders committed to strengthening undergraduate education. Our members work to advance equity and excellence, creating lasting positive impact for students and our democratic society. Through UERU, Undergraduate Vice Provosts/Presidents (UVPs) and other university change makers are developing innovative solutions to common challenges.

Direct Member Benefits

Collaborative Forums

  • Bi-weekly drop-in "Hot Topics" conversations, where UVPs can connect on urgent issues of the day and discuss solutions to emerging challenges.

  • Learn from transformational leaders during monthly "Town Halls" featuring expert speakers, such as Rich Reddick (UT Austin) and Nobel laureate Carl Wieman (Stanford).

  • Biannual UVP meetings for candid conversations among peers, hosted in-person at UERU member campuses. Scheduled meetings: MIT/Harvard University (Spring 2025), UT San Antionio (Fall 2025), The Ohio State University (Spring 2026), University of Miami (Fall 2026), University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (Spring 2027), Washington University in St. Louis/Sanit Louis University (Fall 2027).

  • Discounted rates for the Lamborn-Hughes Institute, a 3-day faculty-led gathering at Colorado State University for university teams who, in collaboration with other teams, work on self-determined undergraduate education initiatives.
  • Reduced registration for the UERU National Conference, held annually in partnership with AAC&U (Washington D.C. in 2026, Seattle in 2027).

Professional Communities

Long Term Value and Impact

UERU membership provides a significant return on investment when sustained year over year. Our members are undergraduate education leaders who are empowered to drive meaningful change on their campuses, resulting in substantive gains for students and the university's bottom line. For example, UERU provides:

  • Collaborative research opportunities, often accompanied by grant funding
  • Shared expertise leading to improved processes and operational efficiencies
  • Evidence-based approaches for enhancing enrollment, retention, and graduation outcomes
  • National influence and impact through UERU's communication channels
  • Connections to mission-aligned partners and funding opportunities

Impact Examples

A member institution partnered with UERU on a $30,000 grant to develop a tool for improving transfer credit mobility. Their initial success led to negotiations with the funder for an additional implementation grant worth $750,000 -- ultimately generating $20 in value for every dollar invested in UERU membership (assuming ~20% of the return can be attributed to collaboration with UERU).

Through participation in the Lamborn-Hughes Institute (LHI), a member university re-imagined their advising system to better serve students. Research indicates this improvement could generate over $1.1 million in retained tuition revenue through enhanced student success. Assuming ~5% of this return could be attributed to the LHI, this institution would reap nearly $6 in value for every membership dollar.



Testimonials

The work of the [Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities] has never been more important to research universities than it is TODAY.

— Michael T. Brown, former Provost & Executive Vice President, University of California System (October 16, 2019)

I have participated in the [Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities] National Meeting since 2008 and have found them to be thought-provoking and well aligned with my work in undergraduate academic affairs. [UERU], and the UVP Network, is the single best organization for me to interact with others doing the same work, resulting in new ideas and new collaborations.

— Anonymous

Who's the Bono of higher education? It's UERU.

--Richard J. Reddick, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Undergraduate College, University of Texas, Austin (January 2024).

The 2018 UVP Network meeting of [UERU] at UT Austin was the first one that I attended and I was impressed with the engaging and thought-provoking discussions on ways to advance undergraduate education and student success. I had the opportunity to network with peers and exchange ideas on innovative strategies that have been shown to improve student retention and persistence. I believe [UERU] is an invaluable resource network that provides, via a supportive environment, a wealth of knowledge on best practices on matters related to strengthening the undergraduate student experience and success at research universities. It is also a network where new ideas can be formed and explored.

— Nikos Varelas, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Programs, University of Illinois at Chicago. 2018 UVP 101 participant.

Current Members & International Affliates