@NMSU
Robert Rhodes named an ACE Fellow
Robert Rhodes, interim dean of New Mexico State University's College of Health and Social Services, has been named an ACE Fellow for the 2009-10 academic year.
The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration. In a national competition, 38 Fellows were selected this year.
"Robert Rhodes is representative of the many outstanding NMSU administrators who are exceptionally capable and ready to accept greater degrees of responsibility," said Robert Moulton, NMSU's interim executive vice president and provost. "The ACE Fellowship is a singular honor for him and for this university and bodes well for their futures."
Previous Fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration. Of the more than 1,500 participants in the first 44 years of the program, more than 300 have become chief executive officers and more than 1,100 have become provosts, vice presidents or deans.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to spend time working with the leadership of another great institution," Rhodes said. "Being able to learn alongside the president and provost of an ACE partner university will be a tremendous growth experience personally. I am honored to be NMSU's nominee to this prestigious program and look forward to returning with new insights and ideas."
Rhodes has previously served NMSU as the College of Education's interim associate dean for students and programs, department head for the Department of Special Education/Communication Disorders, and co-director of the School Psychology Training Program. He received his doctoral degree in school psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and worked as a site-based school psychologist in a culturally diverse and economically challenged elementary school prior to his position at NMSU.
Each ACE Fellow will focus on an issue of concern to the nominating institution while spending the next academic year working with a college or university president and other senior officers at a host institution. The program combines seminars, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single semester or year.
Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
Written by Julie M. Hughes.