With a grant from the Carnegie Corporation in 1977, ACE’s Office of
Women in Higher Education founded the ACE National
Identification Program (NIP), which is now known as the ACE Women’s
Network. The purpose of the NIP was to address issues relating to
women’s advancement in higher education leadership. It is a mission that
is still relevant today, and one that is supported by our state
networks across the nation. In 1977, California, New York, and Florida
became the first states to create an ACE National Identification
Program. Within a year, they were joined by Wisconsin, Texas,
Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
Indiana. New Jersey followed shortly thereafter.
Five years
later, the ACE Women’s Network became a state-based national program.
The initial grant proposed creating state planning boards with
representation reflecting the state’s higher education structure. A
woman holding a senior-level administrative position at a college or
university would lead the planning committee as the state chair. Working
with a panel of advisors of men and women leaders within the state, the
planning committee and state chair were expected to create effective
strategies to identify and advance women into senior leadership
positions within the state’s colleges and universities.
Over
time, the state networks have developed organizational structures that
best fit their particular state and their specific needs. Nonetheless,
the structure of a planning board, a state chair, institutional
representatives, and the support of college presidents remain the
hallmarks of the ACE Women’s Network. The state networks are linked to
one another through their affinity with the Inclusive Excellence Group
and a national executive council composed of women executives who serve
as both mentors to the state chairs and advisors to the staff.
Today,
the ACE Women’s Network Executive Council (WNEC) uses geographic locations
to divide mentoring responsibilities for individual state networks among
its members. The chair of the WNEC works directly with ACE to coordinate activities. State chairs are also advised
by college and university presidents who have agreed to serve as
presidential sponsors for specific states.
In 1997, NIP was
renamed the ACE National Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education.
The office was renamed ACE Women’s Network in 2002.
Expand the interactive timeline below to explore this rich history. Once open, press the red play button below the title to listen to an audio narration of this exciting story.