David Ward, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), has announced that John Ramsay, the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies at Carleton College, has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2003-2004.
The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising faculty and senior administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration. Thirty-eight Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year in a national competition.
Dr. Marlene Ross, director of the Fellows Program, noted that most previous Fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration. Of the nearly 1,400 participants in the first 38 years of the program, more than 250 have become chief executive officers and nearly 1,000 have become provosts, vice presidents, or deans. "We're extremely pleased with the incoming class," Ross said. "The individuals selected have demonstrated strong leadership ability. The Fellows Program will sharpen and enhance their leadership skills and prepare them to address issues of concern to the higher education community."
Ramsay received his B.A. in history from Bucknell University and his Ph.D. in educational studies from SUNY-Buffalo. He is currently president of the Carleton faculty. He serves on the Board of Directors of Admission Possible, a non-profit organization that provides test preparation and financial counseling for first-generation college goers. His professional publications have appeared in Change, The American Council of Learned Societies' Occasional Paper Series, Liberal Education, The Journal of General Education, Ruminator Review, Urban Education, Review of Higher Education, The Review of Education, and Education Week, among others. His most recent publication is "Meritocracy at Middle Age: Skewed Views and Selective Admissions" in Imagining the Academy (Routledge, 2003). He served for seven years on Northfield School Board. He and his wife Michele are the parents of three boys, twins Nicholas and Jacob, and Luke.
Each ACE Fellow will focus on an issue of concern to the nominating institution while spending the next academic year (or semester or some other time frame) working with a college or university president and other senior officers at a host institution. The Fellow will be included in the highest level of decision making while participating in administrative activities and contributing to a Leadership Team exploring a project to benefit (name of nominating institution). During the program, Fellows will attend three week-long seminars on higher education issues organized by ACE, read extensively in the field, and engage in other activities to enhance their knowledge about the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education today and in the next century.
With more than 1,800 member institutions, the American Council on Education is the major coordinating body for higher education in the United States. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
