UD president honored by ACE Fellows Program

3:45 p.m., Feb. 15, 2005--University of Delaware President David Roselle and University of Rhode Island President Robert Carothers received the first Council of Fellows Mentor’s Award on Sunday, Feb. 13, at the opening session of the 87th annual meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, D.C.

“Leadership development is one of the most important roles of college and university leaders,” David Ward, ACE president, said. “The ACE Fellows
Program, our signature professional development activity, is a creative combination of learning through experience, observation, mentoring, seminars and peers. It would be impossible without the dedication and support of mentors such as Robert Carothers and David Roselle. We salute their contributions to the next generation of higher education leadership.”

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 members for senior positions in college and university administration.

More than 1,450 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program since its inception and more than 250 fellows have gone on to serve as chief executive officers of colleges or universities and another 1,000 have served as provosts, vice presidents and deans. The program is observing its 40th anniversary this year.

The Council of Fellows Mentor’s Award is presented to acknowledge the role of the mentors in the success of participants in the ACE Fellows Program. To be eligible, a nominee must have been a president or chancellor of an ACE member institution and have mentored four or more ACE Fellows. Selection is based on a range of factors, including a commitment to leadership development with evidence that the nominee worked to enhance the diversity and capacity of higher education leaders through mentoring.

President David P. Roselle, with Patricia Keir (left), chair of the ACE Council of Fellows and chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community College District, and Marlene Ross, director of the ACE Fellows Program and deputy director of the ACE Center for Institutional and International Initiatives. Lisa Helfert Photography

Roselle, who has mentored six ACE Fellows, became the 25th president of the University of Delaware in 1990.

“Mentoring ACE Fellows has been a priority for President Roselle,” Marlene Ross, director of the ACE Fellows Program, said. “The fellows report his dedication to mentoring translated into a priority for the entire administrative team at the university. He taught leadership by example.”

Roselle said working with ACE Fellows is a useful learning experience both for the fellow and UD administrators, with whom they interact throughout the year.

“We treat ACE Fellows at the University of Delaware as members of senior staff,” Roselle said. “They participate in meetings with the vice presidents, meet with the deans, attend Faculty Senate, board and committee meetings, and have projects assigned to them.”

Of the six ACE Fellows that Roselle mentored, three now serve as deans, one is a president, one is a vice chancellor and the other one works for the provost at his institution. Only two of them are still employed by the same institution where they worked when they became fellows, but both of them now have different responsibilities than they did prior to their fellowship year.

Roselle with former ACE Fellows at UD (from left) Elizabeth Dale, John Cavanaugh, Sara Jayne Steen and Anny Morrobel-Sosa. Lisa Helfert Photography.

Carothers, who has mentored nine ACE Fellows, joined the University of Rhode Island in 1991 as its 10th president.

“President Carothers has helped to expand the network of talented and diverse leaders in higher education by providing opportunities for learning and advancement to talented individuals of varying backgrounds,” Ross said.

ACE is a comprehensive association of the nation’s colleges and universities dedicated to higher education issues and advocacy on behalf of quality higher education programs. Counted among ACE’s members are more than 1,800 accredited degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education related associations, organizations, and corporations.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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