Higher education leaders from across the country and the world will converge in Washington, DC, next week for the ACE Experience 2025 (ACEx2025), the premier higher education gathering that will bring together visionary leaders from diverse fields to explore higher education's role in society, both now and in the future.
ACEx2025, which will be held at the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts* in Washington, DC, on Feb. 12–13, will feature engaging plenary sessions on higher education's most pressing issues, topic-driven smaller group sessions, and energizing receptions where attendees can connect with peers. The opening day of ACEx2025 will feature events on free speech, global perspectives, and the state of U.S. higher education, and the closing day includes sessions on democracy, demographic changes, and the Carnegie Classifications.
The Experience will also include dozens of inspiring speakers who are experts in a variety of critical fields impacting higher education. Some speakers and plenary events include:
Tressie McMillan Cottom, a renowned sociologist, 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and New York Times opinion columnist, and ACE President Ted Mitchell participating in a fireside chat on the evolving higher education landscape.
Tony Bennett, former Dean and Markel Families Men's Head Basketball Coach at the University of Virginia, exploring the evolving landscape of college athletics with Christine Brennan, award-winning national sports columnist at USA Today.
Deborah N. Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Laura Meckler, national education writer with The Washington Post, and Michael S. Roth, Wesleyan University president, examining the evolution and challenges regarding free speech in higher education.
Attendees will also have the chance to attend a variety of concurrent sessions, such as a session on reimagining education with augmented and virtual reality storytelling led by Walter Parkes, chairman and co-founder of Dreamscape Learn, and a session on accreditation that features Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation president and chief executive officer.
The ACEx2025 Schedule at a Glance showcases what attendees can anticipate, and the ACEx2025 Sessions and Events page offers more details on specific sessions. Click here to see all speakers.
ACE will also bring together member presidents and chancellors from across the country for its inaugural Capitol Hill advocacy day on Feb. 11 to engage directly with policymakers and advocate for higher education. The morning on Capitol Hill will feature panel discussions with congressional staff and remarks from members of Congress, followed by meetings with congressional delegations in the afternoon.
That same week, the ACE Fellows and ACE Women's Network will host annual convenings in Washington, DC. ACE hold will the Fellows Program 60th Anniversary Celebration on Feb. 12 followed by the Council of Fellows Gathering on Feb. 13-14. The Women's Network Leadership Conference will also be Feb. 13-14, with the ACE Women's Leadership Dinner, featuring Belle S. Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, happening the night of Feb. 13.
ACEx2025 is open to leaders at every level who are influencing the future of higher education. Register now to ensure you can participate in this year's foremost higher education convening.
*The ACE Experience 2025 is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.