Today, President William Powers Jr. was elected chair of the Association of American Universities. His term begins immediately and lasts for one year. Powers will continue to serve in his capacity as UT’s president.

Powers just finished his term as vice chair for the association, a collective of 62 research institutions, which includes both private and public universities.

As chair of the association, Powers will advocate for higher education and research initiatives at the top schools across the nation and explain the value of such issues to the public, said Hunter Rawlings, president of the AAU in a statement.

Powers will continue to lead the AAU in discussing issues facing these institutions’ graduate and undergraduate programs, working to create policy for effective change and emphasizing the role of research in higher education conversations.

“It’s a great honor and opportunity to lead the AAU at a time when higher education is confronting tremendous transformation in everything from funding to technology,” Powers said in a statement. “AAU schools are working to embrace changes while always remaining true to their core values of providing a world-class education and cultivating world-class research.”