The origins of the Association of College and University Offices (ACUO) go back to 1968. In that year, Flora Harper opened the Washington Office of the East Central College consortium, a group of  seven liberal arts colleges in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The Consortium instituted the Washington Office to provide member colleges with information about federal programs and regulations relating to higher education, and to help them in proposal development.

Also in 1968, Julia Jacobsen was appointed Director of Government Relations and Sponsored Programs for Sweet Briar College. Two years later she assumed added responsibilities as Coordinator of Government Relations for the Tri-College Center of Virginia, and then as Special Assistant, Grants and Contracts, for the University of Southern California and as the Washington Representative for New Jersey Institute of Technology.

For the next ten years, Harper and Jacobsen expanded their individual offices to include additional colleges and, in l977, decided to merge and create ACUO. They also expanded their partnership by adding Allen Sinisgalli and Richard Rossi, both administrators of Princeton University. Sinisgalli and Rossi stayed with ACUO until 1987, when J. Timothy Hanson joined the Association.  In 1989, Hanson became the president.

Through the 1990s, the work of ACUO expanded to include services to private secondary schools, environmental organizations, state & local governments, and museums. To reflect this broadening mission, the name was changed to ACUO Washington Office in 1996.

ACUO has provided consultation to over 100 colleges, universities, and other non-profits.  In addition, ACUO has presented workshops which have been attended by over 4,000 faculty, administrators, and development staff. 

Although no longer responsible for day-to-day operations, ACUO’s founders, Flora Harper and Julia Jacobsen, remain active in the organization.

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