ACE has selected 45 emerging college and university leaders for the 2018-19 class of the ACE Fellows Program, the longest-running leadership development program in the United States.
Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows
Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by
identifying and preparing nearly 1,900 faculty, staff, and
administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership
through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based
mentorship model. Of the Fellows who have participated to date,
more than 80 percent have gone on to serve as chief executive officers,
chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans
following their fellowship.
“For more than a half-century, the ACE
Fellows Program has been a powerful engine fueling the expansion of a
talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE
President Ted Mitchell. “We are excited to welcome this new class of
Fellows and look forward to each enjoying a transformative experience
that will help advance individual leadership readiness while also
enriching the capacity of institutions to innovate and thrive.”
The 2018-19 Fellows Class represents the
diversity of U.S. higher education by gender, race/ethnicity,
institution type, and disciplinary background. Half the members are
women and 17 identify as minorities.
The class also signifies a wide array of
geographies and institutional missions, including colleges and
universities from Maine to Hawaii, and community colleges, military
academies, regional public universities, private liberal arts colleges,
and state flagship universities. It also includes Fellows from three
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, two Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, three faith-based institutions, seven land-grant
institutions, and one international institution.
"The members of the 2018-19 class of ACE
Fellows have a rich and diverse background of experience in higher
education and have served their institutions with distinction,” said
Sherri Lind Hughes, assistant vice president, ACE Leadership. “I am
eager to give them the opportunity to work beside accomplished
presidents and engage with scholars and experts in higher education
leadership so they can return to their campuses better prepared to help
their institutions in these challenging times.”
Six members of the class are partially
sponsored by Council of Fellows Fund for the Future grants. This
financial support from the ACE Fellows alumni organization provides
stipends to defray costs for institutions unable to afford the cost of
sponsoring a Fellow. Two Fellows will also be supported by Fidelity
Investments Fellowship for Leadership Development Institutional grants.
The program combines retreats, interactive
learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher
education-related organizations, and placement at another higher
education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and
skills development into a single year.
During the placement, Fellows observe and
work with the president and other senior officers at their host
institution, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of
interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their
home institution and seek to implement their findings upon completion of
the fellowship placement. Projects have included developing an
internationalization process, designing a post-tenure review policy,
creating a teaching-learning center, and crafting an initiative to
support the academic success of first-generation college students.
At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home
institution with new knowledge and skills that contribute to
capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the
country and abroad.