Higher Education Leader Nancy Zimpher to Keynote ACE2018 Atwell Plenary
December 20, 2017

​Nancy L. Zimpher, SUNY chancellor emeritus, senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, and faculty member at the University at Albany (NY), will keynote the Robert H. Atwell Plenary at ACE2018, ACE’s 100th Annual Meeting.

ACE will celebrate 100 years of leadership and advocacy at ACE2018. Register now for the meeting, scheduled for March 10-13, 2018, in Washington, DC. 

Zimpher will deliver the Atwell address—named by the ACE Board of Directors for the former ACE president who served from 1984 to 1996—on Sunday, March 11, from 5-6 pm. 

From 2009 to 2017, Zimpher served as the 12th chancellor of The State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. In Dr. Zimpher’s eight years at the helm of SUNY, she developed and led a diverse set of initiatives that transformed the vast institution from a loose constellation of 64 campuses into a focused, cohesive whole. Through the disciplined cultivation of the university’s “systemness” under Zimpher’s vision and leadership, SUNY implemented groundbreaking new policies that expand college access and affordability, improve completion, promote diversity, ensure equity, and support world-class teaching, research, and innovation. 

Prior to SUNY, she served as president of the University of Cincinnati, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and executive dean of the Professional Colleges and dean of the College of Education at The Ohio State University. 

Zimpher’s professional practice at the Rockefeller Institute of Government remains focused on creating policy that revolutionizes teacher education and builds seamless education pipelines in underserved communities.

Last year’s Atwell address was delivered by University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan, who discussed campus free speech.

The Atwell Plenary focuses on the theme of higher education leadership, generously sponsored by Fidelity Investments. Other ACE2018 plenaries and concurrent sessions also will explore a variety of important higher education issues, such as advocacy and public policy, higher education governance, innovation, equity, and student access, success and learning.

ACE2018 is the most country’s distinguished higher education event, convening nearly 2,000 leaders from deans to presidents and chancellors. It will enable institutional leaders to generate fresh perspectives for practical solutions, network with top leaders across all higher education sectors, and bring data-driven insights back to campus.

Visit the ACE2018​ website for additional information and to register. Join the conversation on Twitter at #ACE2018DC.