About 100 ACE Fellows Program alumni convened in Washington, DC, for the annual Council of Fellows Weekend, a gathering comprised of professional development, networking opportunities, the presentation of annual awards, and more.
The Council of Fellows, which consists of all ACE Fellows alumni, is an organization that provides opportunities like the Council of Fellows Weekend for alumni to engage with ACE and their peers.
The three-day event kicked off Friday with a campus visit to the University of the District of Columbia, during which Fellows learned about the institution's history and evolution. The visit sparked broader discussions on administration and leadership, setting the tone for the weekend ahead. The day closed with an engaging session on positioning oneself for leadership positions in the current climate.
On Saturday and Sunday, Fellows engaged in roundtable sessions on an array of topics, such as leadership during times of political unrest, the impacts of recent Supreme Court decisions, and upcoming changes to the Carnegie Classifications. The sessions led to passionate discussion and brainstorming; for example, during a session on leadership and artificial intelligence (AI), attendees discussed the necessity in ensuring that equity remained front and center when making decisions regarding the use of AI.
Fellows had a variety of opportunities to connect with each other throughout the weekend, including a reception Saturday and a luncheon Sunday. During the conference, ACE presented two of its annual awards:
As the weekend came to a close, attendees were inspired to take lessons learned from the big- and small-group discussions back to their campuses. When accepting the Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award, Helldobler advised attendees to “listen to the worriers in your institutions but look to and follow the warriors." Fellows left the conference energized to be warriors on their campuses.
Since its creation in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,500 faculty, staff, and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive cohort-based mentorship model. More than 80 percent of the Fellows who have participated have gone on to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans.
In February, ACE announced the cohort of leaders selected to participate in the 2024-25 Fellows class. Applications for the next cohort will open later this year.