Philip L. Dubois Named Winner of ACE Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award
September 10, 2020

​ACE today announced that Philip L. Dubois, retired chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), is the winner of the ACE Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award.

The Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award is bestowed annually to acknowledge the substantial role of mentors in the success of ACE Fellows Program participants. Throughout the past three decades, Dubois has mentored seven ACE Fellows and nominated two.


Philip L. Dubois, retired chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions and leadership in American postsecondary education by identifying and preparing nearly 1,900 faculty and administrators for senior positions in higher education leadership. More than 80 percent of Fellows have gone on to serve as chief executive officers of colleges or universities, provosts, vice presidents, and deans.

“Philip Dubois has been a friend to the ACE Fellows Program for so long and contributed in so many ways to the success of the program and the growth and professional development of the Fellows he has engaged with,” said Sherri Hughes, assistant vice president for professional learning at ACE. “I am delighted to honor his commitment and generosity with this year’s Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award.”

At the time of his retirement on June 30, 2020, Dubois was the senior chancellor in the University of North Carolina system. During his tenure, he focused his efforts on building the university's visibility and support in the Charlotte region; long-range planning for an expected enrollment of 35,000 students; completion of key capital construction and renovation projects in excess of $1.2 billion; improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of critical business processes; and implementation of an intercollegiate football program starting in the fall of 2013. Applications among freshmen and transfer students grew by 91 percent, while overall enrollment rose by 38 percent.

Prior to UNC Charlotte, Dubois served as president of the University of Wyoming. In that role, he led the development of comprehensive academic support services and capital construction plans for the campus; stimulated a growing volume of new capital construction projects and building renovations; expanded the university's role in statewide economic development; and improved the recruitment and retention of students.

Dubois attended the University of California, Davis, where he graduated in 1972 with an undergraduate degree in political science. He then earned master's and doctoral degrees in the field from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Mentors play a key role in the success of ACE Fellows Program participants and are an important part of the professional development of the next generation of academic leaders,” said Debra Frey, vice president of Analytics and Marketing, Fidelity Investments. “We are proud to support ACE’s Council of Fellows Mentor Award and congratulate Dr. Dubois on his vast accomplishments at UNC Charlotte over the past 15 years, as well as his significant contributions to developing tomorrow’s leaders in the higher education community.”

Since 2008, Fidelity Investments has been a generous supporter of the ACE Fellows Program, enabling the Council of Fellows to provide support for the discretionary fund of the Mentor Award winner's institution as well as the Fellows Fund for the Future, which provides stipends to defray costs of sponsoring a Fellow for qualified institutions.

*ACE and Fidelity Investments® are independent entities and are not legally affiliated. The recipients of the Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award are selected solely by the Executive Committee of the Council of Fellows. Fidelity employees are not involved, in any way, in determining, selecting, or approving the recipient or amount of any award. The selection criteria and guidelines for the award may be obtained directly from ACE.​