Lane College VP Named American Council on Education Fellow
Jackson, Tenn (August 15, 2017) - Lane College is pleased to announce that Michelle Curtain Stewart, Vice President of Academic Affairs, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2017-18 academic year. Stewart will spend the academic year at the University of Minnesota, Morris, under the mentorship of Chancellor Michelle Behr.
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American 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. Forty-six fellows, nominated by the senior administration of their institutions, were selected this year following a rigorous application process.
Nearly 1,900 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 2017-18 class will kick off its work this fall as ACE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018.
"Fulfilling higher education’s 21st century mission depends upon a visionary, bold and diverse global community of institutional leaders, and the ACE Fellows Program plays a key role in cultivating these leaders,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. "The diverse and talented 2017-18 Fellows class demonstrates why the program has made such a vital contribution for more than a half-century to expanding the leadership pipeline for our colleges and universities."
Stewart was hired at Lane College in 2007 as an Assistant Professor of Sociology and has served in the role of Vice President of Academic Affairs for three years.
President Logan Hampton, who nominated Stewart for the ACE Fellows Program said, “She is a talented faculty member and administrator with a promising future. Extending her network, enhancing her leadership portfolio, observing and interacting with the nation’s top leaders in higher education and spending concerted time reflecting on herself will greatly benefit Lane College, in particular, and higher education, in general.”
The program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year. During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institution, 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 return to their home institution with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.
About ACE
Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing nearly 1,800 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.