Janet Ward, senior associate vice president for research and partnerships at the University of Oklahoma, has been named a Fellow of the American Council on Education for academic year 2022-23. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 46 Fellows were selected this year (click here for the full list).
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in U.S. higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model. About 2,500 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80% of Fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities.
“The ACE Fellows program embodies ACE’s goal of enriching the capacity of agile leaders to problem-solve and innovate, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “Fellows continue to excel in prominent leadership roles, and the potential of this new cohort to bring strong leadership to institutions across America greatly excites me.”
Ward is the Brammer Presidential Professor of History and currently serves as president of the German Studies Association. A strong advocate of OU’s research engagement in our society on local, regional, national and global levels, and with particular focus on the humanities, social sciences and arts, Ward builds purposeful collaborations across multiple fields of study.
“I am honored to have been nominated by Provost André-Denis Wright and to be invited to serve as an ACE Fellow for 2022-2023. It’s a wonderful chance to explore in depth some of the key issues for higher education leadership today,” said Ward. “I am truly looking forward to this opportunity where I can help advance the mission of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships and introduce the new comparative perspectives gained during my fellowship year to various leadership units across our institution. In particular, I look forward to helping our campus build an integrated internationalization framework for OU, in tandem with the goals for convergence research and inclusive equity that underpin our ‘Lead On’ Strategic Plan.”
The ACE program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and periodic placement throughout the year at one or two higher education institutions. As a result, Fellows condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.
During the placement, ACE Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institution and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.
At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows work closely with their home institution after gaining new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of ACE peers across the country and abroad.
For more information, please click here.
About ACE
ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, ACE represents more than 1,700 college and university presidents and related associations. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.
