ASG is a forum for a discussion about needs and trends in continuing and professional education, setting benchmarks and identifying best practices in the field. Its main objective: to combine resources and expertise of member institutions to create innovative educational programs difficult for one university to develop on its own.

ASG member institutions are:

• Considered leaders in the field of continuing, professional and adult education
• Defined by similar interests, scope, and scale to facilitate discussion of common issues
• Chosen for a wide geographic representation across North America
• Limited to a relatively small group: membership is, and will remain limited to, approximately a dozen continuing education organizations

Individuals representing their institutions in ASG are:

• Experienced leaders of continuing education units (five years or more), reporting to the president or provost of their institution
• Possessed of an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness and pre-disposition to partner with one another
• Empowered to make decisions on behalf of their institutions with regard to ASG initiatives
• Visionary in identifying and developing future-oriented educational programs and committed to providing cutting-edge learning opportunities
• Action oriented: their participation in ASG results in new initiatives and concrete partnerships
• Committed to attending one of three consecutive yearly or biannual ASG meetings in person

The Sierra Club released its list of "America's Coolest Schools" for 2012. This list of the nation's greenest universities included four ASG member schools:

1 - University of California, Davis
2 - Georgia Tech
4 - University of Washington
9 - University of California, Irvine

The complete rankings can be seen at the Sierra Club "Cool Schools" page.