Dr. Robert A. Schultz of The University of Toledo Judith Herb College of Education has been named a Fellow of the American Council on Education (ACE) for 2019-20.
Schultz
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 for senior positions in college and university administration through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model.
More than 2,000 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.
“The ACE Fellows Program epitomizes ACE’s goal of enriching the capacity of leaders to innovate and adapt, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” ACE President Ted Mitchell said. “Each year I am impressed by how many former Fellows are named to prominent leadership roles, which makes it even more exciting to meet each new cohort. I’m left wondering, ‘Where will these Fellows end up?’”
“I am honored to have been selected as an ACE Fellow and to serve The University of Toledo in this capacity,” Schultz said. “The program and training will provide a broad array of resources and experiences that are sure to be transformative in my growth and development as a leader.
“I want to thank President [Sharon L.] Gaber for her support and encouragement to pursue this unique and prestigious opportunity,” Schultz added.
Schultz has been a faculty member at the University since 2001. In addition to professor and chair, he serves as director of the Honors Program in the Judith Herb College of Education and is the assessment liaison for the University-wide Visual Literacy Consortium. He also is a member of The University of Toledo Leadership Institute class of 2018.
He was nominated to be an ACE Fellow by a senior administrator at the University and completed a rigorous application process.
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.
During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institutions and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the placement.
At the conclusion of the year, Fellows return to their home institutions with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from and broadly explore leadership with top officials at another college or university,” Schultz said. “This will be an exciting and transformative experience as I continue my career in higher education.”
He is an alumnus of the University of Akron, where he received bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in biology/chemistry and cytology, respectively, and a master of arts degree in education. Schultz also received master of art and doctoral degrees in gifted education and curriculum and instruction, respectively, from Kent State University.
