ACE has selected 46 emerging college and university leaders for the 2017-18 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.
The 2017-18 class will kick off its work this fall as ACE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018.
"Fulfilling higher education’s 21st century mission depends upon a
visionary, bold and diverse global community of institutional leaders,
and the ACE Fellows Program plays a key role in cultivating these
leaders,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. "The diverse and
talented 2017-18 Fellows Class demonstrates why the program has made
such a vital contribution for more than a half century to expanding the
leadership pipeline for our colleges and universities."
The 2017-18 Fellows 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
2017-18 Fellows are women and half are minorities.
The class also has a rich array of geographies and institutional
missions, including five Fellows from Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, two from Hispanic-Serving Institutions, four from
faith-based institutions, three from community colleges and three from
international institutions.
Twelve 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. Two
Fellows also will be supported by Fidelity Investments Fellowship for
Leadership Development Institutional Grants.
"One of the strengths of the ACE Fellows Program experience is the
learning community created among class members,” said Sherri Lind
Hughes, director, ACE Leadership and a 2002-03 ACE Fellow. “The
intensive experience of the program will help this diverse group of
faculty and administrators strengthen their leadership skills, expand
their networks and prepare to successfully confront the many challenges
facing the entire higher education landscape today and in the years to
come.”
Click here to see the members of the 2017-18 Class of Fellows.
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.
ACE recently released a report, “Looking Back and Looking Forward: A Review of the ACE Fellows Program,”
which shares select findings from a comprehensive review of the program
to promote dialogue on the future of college and university leadership.