ACE Fellows will dive deep into a dynamic curriculum, engage in hands-on learning, and collaborate on impactful activities. Throughout the fellowship year, Fellows will set specific learning goals and tackle a self-chosen topic or challenge in postsecondary education policy, allowing them to make a meaningful impact in their disciplines or the higher education sector at-large.
The ACE Fellows Program is thrilled to support those who are eager to explore pathways to senior leadership in higher education. In seeking broad representation from across the higher education community, ACE welcomes candidates from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, functional areas, and institutional sectors and especially encourages applicants from community colleges and minority serving institutions.
Candidates must demonstrate a record of leadership in an institution-wide context. Institutions must be ACE member institutions to sponsor a Fellow. The president or chief academic officer from any ACE member institution may submit the application materials for up to two ACE Fellows Program candidates per year.
Each retreat explores diverse topics such as public policy and federal relations, leadership competencies, and personal leadership narratives. Fellows will explore targeted topics such as shifting demographics, effective fundraising for higher education, student mobility trends, executive presence, and leadership skills as well as the complex challenges and rewards of senior leadership. Fellows will each explore a critical topic, issue, or challenge in postsecondary education policy and practice that aligns with their interests.
Through the fellowship project and experience, Fellows will have the opportunity to not only sharpen their leadership skills but also to expand their expertise in a way that directly contributes to the advancement of the higher education landscape.
