Henry T. Yang

Chancellor Henry T. Yang has been elected chair of the Association of American Universities, a nonprofit organization representing 60 leading public and private research universities in the United States and two major Canadian institutions.

Yang, who has served on the association’s executive committee since 2005, assumed his new role at the conclusion of the organization’s fall membership meeting, held at McGill University in Montreal. He succeeds Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman in the one-year post.

Founded in 1900 to advance the international standing of U.S. research universities, the Association of American Universities (AAU) focuses today on issues that are important to research-intensive institutions, such as funding for research, research policy issues, graduate and undergraduate education, federal government relations, policy studies, and public affairs. Universities selected for membership in the prestigious association are national leaders in research and education as well as in innovation, scholarship, and solutions that contribute to the country’s economy, security, and well-being.

The 60 AAU members in the United States award more than half of all U.S. doctoral degrees and 55 percent of those in the sciences and engineering.

Membership in the AAU is by invitation, and UCSB became a member in 1995, during Yang’s tenure as chancellor. In addition to his membership on the association’s executive committee, his various roles in the organization have included service on the Graduate Education Committee and Cost of Research Committee.