Few academic leaders have faced a humanitarian crisis or braved a violent extremist group.
The keynote speaker at ACE2018’s Women’s
Leadership Dinner has done both, even as she was tasked with building a
sustainable strategic plan and securing funding for a transforming
institution.
Margee Ensign, president of Dickinson College
(PA), will speak to leading in the face of opposition during her
address at ACE’s 100th Annual Meeting, March 10-13 in Washington, DC.
The Women’s Leadership Dinner is scheduled
for Saturday, March 10 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Those who wish to attend the
dinner may purchase tickets here.
Before being named Dickinson’s 29th president last year,
Ensign served for seven years as president of the American University
of Nigeria (AUN), a private university founded on the U.S. model of
university education. AUN is located in one of three Nigerian states
that have been under a state of emergency because of the Islamist
militant group Boko Haram. To deal with the crisis, Ensign co-founded
and led a response to the escalating violence, which successfully
promoted peace in the area through education, empowerment, and community
development while feeding 300,000 refugees fleeing the fighting. Ensign
also offered aid to the girls who escaped the infamous Chibok kidnappings, bringing them to the university and facilitating a scholarship for them and others who would eventually also escape Boko Haram.
Widely lauded for her expertise in
international higher education—including its role in economic and social
development and as an agent of social change—Ensign presented at the
World Economic Forum in 2014. She is also an extensively published
scholar.
Prior to AUN, she served in various roles at
the University of the Pacific in California, Columbia University (NY),
and Tulane University (LA) and has taught as a visiting professor at
Georgetown University and American University in Washington, DC She
earned her B.A. from New College in Florida and her Ph.D. in
international political economy from the University of Maryland.
The Women’s Leadership Dinner also will feature the presentation of the Donna Shavlik Award,
an annual honor that recognizes sustained and continuing commitment to
women's advancement in higher education, either in colleges and
universities or in national positions.
ACE2018, the country’s premier higher
education event, offers an environment of open dialogue where hundreds
of senior higher education leaders will network, hear from newsmakers,
and share ideas for tackling common issues in practical ways.
The Women’s Leadership Dinner is sponsored by TIAA.
Visit the ACE2018 website for additional information and to register. Join the conversation on Twitter at #ACE2018DC.