CSU System welcomes Bronwyn Fees as an ACE Fellow this Fall; Fees is one of 52 emerging college and university leaders for the 2021-22 class of the ACE Fellows Program, the longest-running leadership development program in the United States.
Fees, a professor in Applied Human Sciences, serves as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Kansas State University, College of Health and Human Sciences. In her role she leads academic affairs, distance education initiatives, faculty engagement, as well as strategic planning and reporting. Fees is a member of the Board on Human Sciences (APLU) and past chair for both the Human Sciences board of GPIDEA and the executive board of CAFCS.
“We’re proud to welcome Dr. Fees as an ACE Fellow and hope this is a rewarding year for her,” Chancellor Tony Frank said. “We have hosted many ACE Fellows over the years who have continued on in important leadership roles in higher education – it’s an outstanding program. The CSU System benefits from every Fellow’s perspective and expertise, and they gain hands-on experience in many different aspects of the leadership role.”
Working with Dr. Frank and the leadership at the CSU System level is a unique opportunity to understand the decision-making processes of and the collaboration between multiple campuses, the Board, and other system initiatives, Fees said.
“The ACE fellowship provides an opportunity to study leadership in higher education through direct engagement with institutions’ administrative teams,” she added. “Each land-grant institution is responsive to the culture and citizens of its state and I look forward to understanding this relationship within Colorado.”
Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,000 faculty, staff, and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model. Of the Fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on after their fellowship to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans.
“ACE Fellows gain career-enriching experience in leadership, innovation, and problem-solving,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “These are just the kind of skillsets that will be absolutely essential for moving higher education forward during difficult times.”
Click here to see the members of the 2021-22 class of Fellows.
ACE, Lumina Foundation, and education and technology company Cengage have partnered to offer this unique learning experience and a generous grant to selected ACE Fellows who are interested in addressing educational quality and equity in student success as part of their Fellowship.
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. The year ahead will present many opportunities for ACE Fellows to gain an even closer view of leadership in action. Placement institutions will have the benefit of an experienced leader who can lend a fresh perspective to emerging or ongoing institutional challenges.
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.
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 the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.