It is not a surprise that presidents of American colleges formed an association. What is cause for wonder is why it took them so long. By 1869, there were 563 colleges in this nation. Yet not until 1914 did a handful of presidents feel the need to band together and found the Association of American Colleges (AAC). The Association of American Colleges came into being to provide a means for the besieged colleges to help themselves by taking counsel together about first things. Despite the vicissitudes of time and circumstance, AAC still exists to keep colleges and universities at the end of the twentieth century mindful of first things. This article provides a brief history of the AAC. [This article is reprinted from "Enhancing, Promoting, Extending Liberal Education: Association of American Colleges at Seventy-Five" (Washington, DC: AAC, 1988).]