ACE Fellows Program: How to Participate and Apply

Individuals and institutions can participate in the ACE Fellows Program in three ways: as a fellow, as a nominator, and as a mentor. Each option affords valuable opportunities for professional and institutional development.

Participate as an ACE Fellow

In seeking a broad representation from across the higher education community, ACE encourages candidates from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, functional areas, and institutional sectors to apply. Nominees must demonstrate a record of leadership in an institution-wide context. Successful candidates have held positions such as vice president, dean, department chair, or program director; others have served as unit leaders in student affairs, advancement, or admissions. Senior faculty who have successfully chaired a major committee or faculty senate are also eligible to apply.

Benefits to the Fellow

This intensive Program develops knowledge and skills for leaders committed to shaping the effectiveness and future direction of higher education.

Fellows will:

Observe and participate in key meetings and events, and take on special projects and assignments while under the mentorship of a team of experienced campus or system leaders.
Participate in three multi-day seminars, engage in team-based projects and case studies, visit other campuses, and attend national meetings.
Develop a network of higher education leaders across the U.S. and abroad.

Mentoring and Experiential Learning

The Fellowship year is uniquely structured to allow Fellows to spend an extended period of time on another campus, working with the president and senior leadership team. This extended learning experience enables Fellows to observe firsthand how another institution and its senior administrators lead the institution and deal with change. Fellows are mentored by a team of experienced institutional leaders, usually the president and vice presidents. The ACE Fellows Program is the only national, individualized, long-term professional development program in higher education to provide on-the job learning. Institutions must be ACE member institutions to serve as placement institutions.

The placement can take three forms:

Academic year placement - This placement options enables Fellows to immerse themselves in the events and culture of a placement institution for the full arc of the academic year.
Semester placement - This option enables Fellows to immerse themselves completely for one semester in the placement institution. During the semester at the nominating institution, in addition to participating in the Fellows retreats, campus visits, and other Fellowship learning activities, Fellows also undertake Fellowship-related learning through specially designed opportunities.
Flexible schedule of periodic visits (totaling at least 12 weeks) - The flexible schedule enables Fellows to spend brief but intense periods at the placement institution, while enabling the Fellow to remain at their nominating institution for most of the year. The schedule of visits to the placement campus is designed in consultation with the nominator and the mentor, and may range from a week or two per month to a full month three times over the course of the year. In all cases, Fellows on periodic visits should seek to immerse themselves at their nominating institution for key events and the activities that surround them. As with the semester placement, while Fellows are at their nominating institution, they are expected to make room in their schedules to engage in learning opportunities that are consistent with the goals of the Fellows Program.

Fellows Program Meetings

The Fellows Program retreats are designed to broaden and deepen the Fellows’ knowledge of leadership, strategy and the world of higher education. These face-to-face gatherings of several days each also afford Fellows to develop collegial and working relationships.

These retreats and events, which take place at various locations throughout the United States, incorporate active learning (case studies, simulations, problem-solving workshops, small group discussions, et al) and pre-seminar readings and multimedia resources. Free-flowing dialogues among Fellows, national leaders, former college and university presidents, and other experts enrich the unique learning experiences at the retreats. The approximate schedule for events is:

Orientation: Mid April
Opening Retreat: Early August
Mid-year Retreat: Early January
ACE Annual Meeting: Mid March
Closing Retreat: Early June

Nominate an ACE Fellow

The president or chief academic officer from any ACE member institution may submit nomination forms for up to two candidates annually for the ACE Fellows Program. Nominations are also accepted from nonmember institutions; however, upon the candidate’s acceptance into the Program, the institution must become a member of ACE. Institutions must be ACE member institutions to nominate a Fellow.

Benefits to the Nominating Institution

The ACE Fellows Program provides the nominating institution with numerous immediate and long-term benefits, including:

The opportunity to identify an important issue that will be the focus of the Fellow's learning experience.
The opportunity to enhance the leadership and management skills of a faculty or staff member who returns to their nominating institution with new ideas, perspectives, knowledge, and skills in critical areas.
The development of campus leaders who can implement special initiatives or critical projects and are better prepared to assume a variety of positions.
Access to a national network of other institutions and to seasoned colleagues who are willing to share their best practices and approaches to institutional challenges.

Expectations

Every Fellow is expected to:

Engage in a Mentor/Fellow relationship with a college or university president and/or other senior administrators.
Participate in senior-level decision-making meetings at the placement institution.
Take part in the Fellows Program events and activities.
Attend national conferences and workshops, and visit other campuses.
Respect the confidentiality of all information learned at the placement institution, at other institutions visited, at the Fellows Program retreats, and in all Fellowship-related activities.
Study organizational structure and governance patterns.
Observe how decisions are made, who makes them, and how leaders communicate their decisions.
The focus is on the decision-making process, rather than the content under consideration.
Observe the leadership styles of the individuals in each major administrative division, their effectiveness, and how they interact with one another.
Schedule regular meetings with the mentor to discuss specific questions, issues, or concerns.
Fellows who provide their mentors with an agenda in advance of a meeting help make effective use of valuable time.
Complete individual and team assignments and projects in a timely manner.
Return to the nominating institution for at least one year following completion of the Fellowship year.

Through this program, Fellows experience a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the day-to-day activities of their placement institutions, develop sustained relationships with Mentor(s) and other administrators and faculty, and maximize learning opportunities.

Fellowship Components

Learning Contract Fellows design an individualized Learning Contract that articulates their plans for the year. This Contract identifies issues jointly highlighted by the nominating institution and the Fellow.

Some of the issues that Fellows have addressed in recent years include:

Internationalizing the campus
Recruitment and retention of faculty of color
Establishing and improving teaching and learning centers
Establishing policy and procedures for post-tenure review

In addition to working on the issue(s) identified with the nominating institution, the plan includes immersing oneself in the opportunities available at the placement institution, reading professional literature, visiting colleges and universities throughout the country and abroad, attending national meetings, and other activities that provide learning opportunities to further the Fellowship goals.

The contract includes immersing oneself in the off-campus experience, working on the issue(s) identified with the nominating institution, reading professional literature, visiting colleges and universities throughout the country and abroad, attending national meetings, and other activities.

Program Retreats

The ACE Fellows Program staff organizes four meetings to address critical leadership issues in higher education; to inform and draw on the experiential learning from the Fellows' placements, campus visits and other fellowship experiences; and to foster collegial exchange and shared learning opportunities among the Fellows.

The Orientation, which introduces Fellows to the flow of the Fellowship year, takes place in April.

The Opening Retreat, which prepares the Fellows for their placements, takes place in August.

The Mid-Year Retreat, addresses issues of diversity, leadership and change, takes place in January.

The Closing Retreat, looks at higher education beyond our campuses, takes place in June.

To broaden and deepen the Fellows' perspectives on higher education, the retreats include topics such as:

Leadership and institutional change
Planning processes
Financial management and resource allocation
Academic programs and policies, including faculty, curricular, and student issues
Diversity on campus
Technology issues
Personal and interpersonal dimensions of leadership
Higher education policy

These week-long sessions, which take place at various locations throughout the United States, incorporate active-learning opportunities (e.g., case studies, simulations, problem-solving workshops, role-playing, lectures/small-group discussions) and pre-seminar readings and multimedia resources. Free-flowing dialogues among Fellows, national leaders, former college and university presidents, and other experts enrich the unique learning experiences at the seminars.

The Off-Campus Learning Experience

Fellows work with their nominating institutions to design an off-campus learning experience built upon a placement of up to a year at a placement institution(s). This aspect of the program is intentionally designed to help the Fellow enhance concrete skills and acquire information that they can then take back to their nominating institution upon completion of the Fellowship.

This extended learning experience enables Fellows to observe firsthand how another institution and its senior administrators lead the institution and deal with change. The Fellows are mentored by a team of experienced administrators—usually the president and vice presidents. The ACE Fellows Program is the only national, individualized, long-term professional development program in higher education to provide on-the-job learning.

Academic Year Placement: This component requires one academic year of off-campus placement at another institution.

Semester Placement: This component requires one semester of off-campus placement at another institution. During the semester at the nominating institution, Fellows also engage in fellowship-related learning through specially designed opportunities at the nominating institution, in addition to participation in the Fellows’ Retreats, campus visits, and other fellowship learning experiences.

Flexible Schedule of Periodic Visits to Another Institution: These brief but intense visits enable the Fellow to remain on the nominating campus for most of the year. Ideally, visits to the placement institution last for one month, three times per year. As with the semester placements, while on the nominating campus, Fellows are expected to engage in learning opportunities that are consistent with the goals of the Fellowship.

Council of Fellows: The Alumni of the ACE Fellows Program

ACE Fellows become part of a prestigious network of highly talented and motivated individuals working in senior positions at public and private institutions across the country and internationally. This network gives the Fellows access to professional colleagues—presidents, provosts, vice presidents, and academic deans—who are willing to share their best ideas and perspectives, and to help former Fellows seek new career opportunities and challenges. Most importantly, the network enables Fellows to advance their leadership objectives in higher education.

National association meetings: Based on the belief that effective local leadership depends on knowledge of the national and international environments, ACE urges Fellows to attend national meetings, particularly the ACE Annual Meeting. At this meeting, Fellows learn how federal policy affects day-to-day campus life, and they gather information that helps their institutions strengthen campus policies and practices.

Other visits: ACE encourages Fellows to visit other campuses to enhance their learning about particular strategic issues of interest and to broaden their perspectives. ACE also encourages Fellows to spend time in a corporate setting and/or a university abroad. These experiences offer unparalleled opportunities for Fellows to learn about different models of leadership and decision-making, and to explore potential partnerships for the nominating institution.

Costs and Placement Options

Program Fees

$16,000 program fee paid to ACE. This covers fixed costs including curriculum delivery, distance learning support, program retreat expenses, and instructional support materials. Nominating and placement institutions must be ACE members. The membership fee is not included in the program fee paid to ACE. Please contact membership@acenet.edu for additional information.

Professional Development Budget

$10,000 minimum professional development budget, made available to the ACE Fellow. This supports travel, lodging, and other related costs for the three required program retreats and the ACE Annual Meeting. The professional development budget can also be used to support institutional visits and attendance at higher education conferences.

Depending upon the placement option selected by the ACE Fellow and his/her Nominator, these fees are paid in combination by the nominating and placement institutions. While the application asks for a preliminary indication of placement option, the final decision is typically made by the ACE Fellow and Nominator after ACE Fellowship selection.

Placement Options

Academic-Year Placement

Placement is nine to 11 months, typically mid-August through mid-June, spent in learning through a placement at another institution. The Nominator is responsible for overall guidance of the learning experience with a Mentor at the placement institution guiding learning during the placement period.

If this option is selected, the placement institution pays all fees ($16,000 Program Fee to ACE and a $10,000 minimum professional development budget made available to the ACE Fellow).

One-Semester Placement

Placement is a minimum of 12 weeks spent in learning through the guidance of a Mentor during placement at another institution. The Nominator is responsible for overall guidance of the learning experience and serves in the Mentor role when the ACE Fellow is at the nominating institution in the non-placement semester.

The nominating and placement institutions split the fees. Each pays half ($8,000) of the Program Fee to ACE and allocates a $5,000 minimum professional development budget made available to the ACE Fellow.

Flexible Schedule of Periodic Visits

This is a combination of nominating/placement institution visits, with at least 12 weeks on the placement campus on a schedule to be determined in consultation with the nominator and placement institution mentor.

The nominating institution covers all fees ($16,000 Program Fee to ACE and a $10,000 minimum professional development budget made available to the Fellow). The host institution has no financial responsibilities in this model.

Nominating institutions may apply for grants intended to help defray costs for nominating an ACE Fellow. A request for grant support should be made by the president or chief academic officer through the Nomination of Candidate form.

Application Process

A complete application packet for the ACE Fellows Program includes the nomination, three confidential references, and an official transcript from the institution where the applicant acquired their highest terminal degree.

Nomination Form

The Nominator must either be the president/chancellor/CEO of the nominating institution or organization, OR the cabinet-level senior officer relating to the candidate's function area. If the Nominator is not the organization/institution's president/chancellor/CEO, a signature from that person is required to indicate institutional commitment. The Nominator’s institution must currently be an ACE member and remain in good standing throughout the duration of the Fellowship year.

The nomination form is a web-based form that is initiated by the applicant from within his/her applicant account. The nomination must be completed through the web portal. No external letters of support will be accepted.

Confidential References

Applicants should identify three individuals who can attest to their leadership skills and abilities. At least two of the references should be from present or former supervisors. The Nominator cannot be included as one of the confidential referees. 

The confidential reference forms are web-based forms initiated to the referees by the applicant from within his/her applicant account. The confidential references must be completed through the web portal. No external letters of support will be accepted.

Transcript

Transcripts should be emailed directly to fellowsprogapp@acenet.edu from the institution where the highest terminal degree was acquired. If electronic transcripts are not available from that institution, have a paper transcript sent to:

ACE Fellows Program
American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle NW
Washington, DC 20036

Applicant Form

Applications include a professional resume or curriculum vitae (CV) of no more than five pages and answers to essay questions.

CVs of no more than five pages should include the following information:

Education: degrees, granting institutions, discipline, year; Include any important education that did not lead to a degree.
Academic positions: Titles (please provide in full), institutions, years of service, date of tenure (where applicable), professional status. For your current position, note the range of responsibilities and leadership accomplishments.
Administrative positions: Titles, institutions, years of service, date of tenure. For your current position, note the range of responsibilities and leadership accomplishments.
Summary of scholarship, including publications, presentations, creative works, etc.
Summary of teaching.
Service to the college/university, profession, or community:

Summary of international visibility and service
Summary of leadership development (programs attended, experiences created by/for you)
Summary of honors and awards received

Motivation & Goals
Please limit your response to no more than 500 words. Text longer than 500 words will not be considered.

a. Why did you apply to the ACE Fellows Program at this point in your career?

b. What leadership skill(s) do you hope to develop/strengthen during the fellowship and why?

c. What attributes do you believe are necessary to be a leader in today’s changing higher education landscape and why?

d. The Fellows Program uses the Korn Ferry Leadership Architect assessment as a curricular element. Please identify five leadership competencies that you would like to strengthen/develop if you are selected as an ACE Fellow?

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Institutional Impact

Nominating Institution:
If selected to join the ACE Fellows Program, you will be asked to complete a real-world project that focuses on improving the outcomes of an institution and/or the sector.

a. What topic/issue/challenge are you interested in pursuing for this real-world project and why?

b. Please provide a brief description of the methodology you might use to execute the project.

Please limit your response to each question to no more than 500 words. Text longer than 500 words will not be considered.

Host/Placement Institution:

Please limit your response to each question to no more than 500 words. Text longer than 500 words will not be considered.

Describe your high-level leadership skills/abilities and how they could serve the needs of a potential host/placement institution.

CV Upload
Please submit a five-page CV (maximum) that contains the following information: 

Education: Degrees, granting institutions, discipline, year; Include any important education that did not lead to a degree
Academic positions: Titles (please provide in full), institutions, years of service, date of tenure (where applicable), professional status. For your current position, note the range of responsibilities and leadership accomplishments
Administrative positions: Titles, institutions, years of service, date of tenure. For your current position, note the range of responsibilities and leadership accomplishments
Summary of scholarship, including publications, presentations, creative works, etc
Summary of teaching
Service to the college/university, profession, or community:

Summary of civic and/or international visibility and service 
Summary of leadership development (programs attended, experiences created by/for you)  
Summary of honors and awards received

CVs longer than five pages will be discarded.