2006 ACE Annual Report
Letter from the President
This report of the 2006 initiatives and accomplishments of the
American Council on Education (ACE) reveals our commitment to the
diverse interests of higher education. ACE had remarkable success in
this area in 2006, particularly in the face of growing demands for
better access, greater affordability, and improved accountability in
higher education.
American higher education is confronting a rapidly changing
environment, and the public perception of our collective enterprise is
mixed. The individual benefits of higher education are widely known but
we need to continue to stress its broad societal benefits. To
communicate the contributions of higher education more directly to the
public, ACE launched the Solutions for Our Future campaign in early 2006, and
I am grateful that so many of you have chosen to participate in this
important effort.
In addition, the activities and findings of the Spellings Commission
on the Future of Higher Education challenged us to respond and
effectively communicate our point of view. As you may remember, I was
the only member of the Commission who declined to sign the final report,
a decision I made after much thought and consideration. I concluded that
while the Commission had identified many of the critical issues
affecting higher education, the report failed to acknowledge fully the
diversity of missions within higher education, and the countless ways
that higher education is working to solve many of society's most
pressing problems.
In September, ACE and the five other presidential associations sent
colleges and universities a letter outlining specific steps we believe
will help engage our campuses in the larger policy dialogue that seeks
to address the unfulfilled promise of American democracy and to boost
our national competitiveness through change and investment in higher
education. I have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the statement, and
hope you will continue to address the concerns we have raised.
Another important issue that ACE focused on in 2006—and will
continue to explore in the future—is the likely presidential
retirement wave in higher education, with a large number of presidents
over the age of 60. As I announced earlier this year, I myself will step
down as president of ACE early next year. But as with other presidents,
"retirement" might not be the best description of my active future!
Still, we need to prepare the next generation of higher education
leaders. And to better manage this effort, in early 2006, ACE moved all
of its leadership programs, including the ACE Fellows Program
and Institute
for New Chief Academic Officers, under its new Center for
Effective Leadership.
ACE also has responded to many requests to engage visitors from
higher education associations abroad and we have consolidated our
efforts to keep connected with the world of higher education at large.
We have made great efforts to invite foreign guests to our Annual
Meeting, and I thank many of you for your assistance in this
successful venture.
During 2006, we stressed solutions to numerous challenges through
innovation and local and global partnerships, addressed issues of cost
containment, and increased our focus on accountability. As we progress
into 2007, I look forward to continuing to work with you to find
solutions to the many issues facing our nation's colleges and
universities.
David Ward
President, American Council on Education
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