Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder Elected ACE Board Chair

March 12, 2018

​Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State University, elected vice chair

Barbara R. Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University (OH), has been elected chair of the Board of Directors of ACE, the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities.

Snyder became board chair during ACE2018​, ACE's 100th Annual Meeting, in Washington, DC. She succeeds Judy C. Miner, chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District (CA), and will serve for one year. Before assuming the role of ACE Board chair, Snyder served as vice chair.

ACE's membership also elected Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State University, vice chair; and Paul J. LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University, secretary.

“As a membership organization whose mission is to mobilize the entire higher education community, ACE relies on strong and committed leaders from across the diverse landscape of American colleges and universities to help us chart an effective course,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “I deeply appreciate the willingness of Barbara, Mark, and Paul, along with the entire ACE Board of Directors, to serve in this role, and thank Judy for her dedication.”

“During these challenging and often tumultuous times, the American Council on Education’s historic role of convening and mobilizing the higher education community is ever more vital,” Snyder said. “It is an honor to serve as chair of ACE in the midst of its centennial year, and I look forward to collaborating with colleagues throughout higher education as we work to turn challenges into opportunities and demonstrate the vital contributions that colleges and universities—and their students, faculty, and staff—make to the public good.”

Snyder has been president of Case Western Reserve since 2007. Since her arrival, she has encouraged interdisciplinary excellence, catalyzed institutional collaboration, and reinvigorated alumni engagement and fundraising.

During her tenure, the university has tripled the number of undergraduate applications, become twice as selective, and dramatically improved the academic credentials of the entering class.

Case Western Reserve reached the $1 billion goal of Forward Thinking, the university’s capital campaign, two and a half years ahead of schedule. The Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to expand the campaign, whose highlights include dramatic increases in the number of endowed professorships and student support to $1.5 billion, a figure that was topped last July.

Snyder began her academic career as an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve’s School of Law, then joined the faculty of the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University (OSU). After serving in several leadership positions at Moritz and within the central university, Snyder became OSU’s interim executive vice president and provost in 2003 before securing the permanent position the following year.

Since beginning his tenure as Georgia State University’s seventh president in January 2009, Becker has led the university into an unparalleled period of growth and advancement. Reflecting his vision of the modern public research university, Georgia State adopted a dynamic 10-year strategic plan that has fueled its emergence as one of the nation’s premier urban research universities.

A first-generation college student who began his educational career at a community college, he is personally and professionally committed to ensuring that students of all economic backgrounds succeed.

In a 10-year period, the university’s graduation rates have increased by 22 percentage points. The university has become a widely recognized national leader in the introduction of innovative programs and initiatives to foster student success. It leads the nation in eliminating disparities in graduation rates based on race, ethnicity, or income, and, as one of the most diverse universities in America, is first in the nation among nonprofit institutions in graduating African-American students.

Becker also has placed a high priority on ensuring financial support for students, and need- and merit-based scholarship funds distributed by the university have tripled since his arrival. Under his leadership, Georgia State has set fundraising records.