Wisconsin Geographer to Lead Education Lobby

David Ward, a renowned urban geographer and the former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has been appointed president of the nation’s premier higher education lobby, the American Council on Education.

“He is superbly equipped to give higher education the strong, clear voice it will require in the years ahead,” said Stanley O. Ikenberry, who will step down after five years as president of the council.

A native of Manchester, England, Ward, 62, received two degrees at the University of Leeds before coming to America to earn a doctorate from Wisconsin in 1963.

The Washington, D.C.,-based council represents the nation’s top 1,800 colleges and universities, as well as other educational groups. It has mounted major campaigns in recent years to keep college affordable and accessible to Americans of all races, ethnicities and income levels.