Created in 2004, the AEMS Alliance Presidents Advisory Council reviews research and recommendations of the AEMS Higher Education in the Arts Task (HEAT) Force.

The HEAT Force analyzes the ways higher education can impact K-12 arts education through the development of model K-16 partnership programs, including those focused on collaborative research, teacher training and certification, professional development for arts teachers as well as general classroom teachers, and the transition of students from K-12 to higher education.

The Presidents Advisory Council offers guidance and support for the implementation of promising initiatives. Members of this council are as follows:

• Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland Baltimore County
• Reginald S. Avery, President, Coppin State University
• Robert Caret, President, Towson University
• Jonathan Gibralter, President, Frostburg State University
• William Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland
• Fred Lazarus, President, Maryland Institute College of Art
• Dan Mote, President, University of Maryland, College Park
• Jeffrey Sharkey, Director, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
• Sandy Unger, President, Goucher College