Adrian College Dean of Academic Affairs named American Council on Education Fellow
Posted Monday, April 04, 2022
Author: Mickey Alvarado
Adrian College Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Andrea Milner, Ph.D., has been selected to be a prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 46 Fellows were selected this year. Milner said Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking has expressed his full and unwavering support of the fellowship and the college’s senior staff team has been nothing but supportive.
“I am so deeply honored and profoundly grateful for this incredible opportunity,” Milner said. “This moment is a direct result of so many amazing mentors in my life who have supported me throughout my academic and professional journey. I am thoroughly excited to be granted the occasion to learn alongside other leaders looking to advance, and, most importantly, to learn from other professionals who have diverse and relevant experiences to share with me.”
The ACE Fellows 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. The institution Milner attends will be decided in a few weeks.
“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.”
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.
“I look forward to the opportunity to learn from and work with other leaders and mentors as we all work together to solve difficult problems,” Milner said. “I am most excited about the chance to meet national and global leaders with diverse experiences and backgrounds. These experiences will provide me with the occasion to broaden my knowledge base.”
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. Milner will be off campus for just one semester and attend additional meetings throughout the year. In her absence, Dr. Christine Knaggs, Adrian College Dean of Graduate Studies and Institutional Effectiveness, will take the lead for Academic Affairs.
“My interest in this professional development opportunity lies first and foremost in my desire and passion to use what I learn to further support, enhance, and provide opportunities to students that will enable them to improve their own life and the lives of their loved ones, and, as a result, the local as well as the global community,” Milner said.
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. Approximately 2,500 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities.
