ACE Names 39 Emerging Higher Education Leaders to ACE Fellows Program
March 27, 2019

ACE has selected 39 emerging college and university leaders for the 2019-20 class of the ACE Fellows Program, the longest-running leadership development program in the United States. Click here to see the members of the class, which will begin work this fall.

Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,000 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.

“The ACE Fellows Program epitomizes ACE’s goal of enriching the capacity of leaders to innovate and adapt, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “Each year I am impressed by how many former Fellows are named to prominent leadership roles, which makes it even more exciting to meet each new cohort. I’m left wondering, ‘Where will these Fellows end up?’”

The 2019-20 class represents the diversity of America’s higher education institutions by gender, race/ethnicity, institution type, and disciplinary background. More than half the members of the 2019-20 Fellows are women and nearly half are members of minority groups.

The class also has a rich array of geographies and institutional missions, including four Fellows from historically black colleges and universities, four from Hispanic-serving institutions, two from special focus institutions, three from community colleges, and nearly 20 from major research institutions.

“I am proud to announce another Fellows class of forward-thinking leaders with diverse backgrounds and experiences,” said Sherri Lind Hughes, assistant vice president, ACE Leadership. “By the end of their experience, these Fellows will be ready to take on real-world challenges and serve the capacity-building needs of their current and future institutions. I couldn’t be more honored to help facilitate that process.”

Eight 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 full cost of sponsoring a Fellow. Four Fellows also will 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, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad. 

For more information, please click here