AAG Past President Sarah Witham Bednarz will explore the evolving role, nature, and relevance of geography education as viewed by former presidents of the AAG from 1910 to the present. AAG presidential addresses have, at times, commented directly on education issues; at other times the topic has been avoided, if not ignored. What changes have occurred over time in how geography education is perceived and valued? What persistent educational concerns has the discipline wrestled with? How has the discipline, represented by its leaders, addressed broader social, cultural, and political factors that affect the production of new geographic knowledge and the reproduction of geographers?

At the close of the plenary, Bednarz will present Roger M. Downs, professor of geography at Pennsylvania State University, with the 2017 AAG Presidential Achievement Award, for his long-term, major contributions to the discipline.

The session will take place 11:50 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. on Friday, April 7, 2017. More details will follow as they become available.