By Kathy Johnson, Kelli Meyer
(April 27, 2016) — University of Kentucky Professor Andrew Hippisley has been selected to participate in the American Council on Education's (ACE) ACE Fellows Program, the longest running leadership development program in the United States. Hippisley, in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of English, is one of 33 emerging college and university leaders chosen for the 2016-17 class of ACE Fellows.
Hippisley joined the UK faculty in 2007 as an assistant professor of linguistics and became a full professor in 2012. He is director of the Linguistics Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and has served as chair of the UK Senate Council for the past two years. With linguistic research interests in morphology, including its interface with syntax and phonology, Hippisley has co-authored three books, with his most recent being "The Cambridge Handbook of Morphology" (Cambridge University Press. 2016).
Raised in the United Kingdom, Hippisley earned his doctorate in linguistics at the University of Surrey and his master's degree in Russian language and literature at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University of London.
“We’re very proud of Andrew Hippisley’s achievement,” said UK Provost Tim Tracy, who nominated Hippisley. “This fellowship will help him further hone his skills as a leader, collaborator, and one who empowers his colleagues to make progress on behalf of our most important mission: student success.”
“I am thrilled Andrew will serve as an ACE Fellow during the next academic year,” said Mark Kornbluh, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Andrew is active not only in the College of Arts and Sciences, but throughout the University of Kentucky, and this honor offers an incredible experience, which will build on his commitment to professional development.”
Hippisley is looking forward to this new opportunity.
“I am tremendously excited and honored to be participating in such a program that will help me learn about the multilayered roles and functions of a diverse range of higher education institutions, and apply these outside experiences to a student success based project here at UK," he said. "I am extremely grateful to UK's leadership for their commitment to support and mentor me throughout the program.”
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. Nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program since its inception, with more than 80 percent of fellows having served as chief executive officers of colleges or universities, provosts, vice presidents and deans.
"The ACE Fellows Program cultivates leaders prepared to meet the constantly evolving challenges of today’s higher education landscape,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. "The diverse and talented 2016-17 Fellows Class demonstrates why the program has been such a vital contributor for more than a half-century to expanding the leadership pipeline for our colleges and universities."
The 2016-17 fellows class represents the diversity of America’s higher education institutions by gender, race/ethnicity, institution type and disciplinary background. More than half the members of the 2016-17 fellows are women and 42 percent are of minority descent.
Seven members of the class are partially sponsored by Council of Fellows Fund for the Future grants. This financial support from the ACE Fellows alumni organization provides stipends to defray costs for institutions unable to afford the cost of sponsoring a fellow.
"The intensive and customized learning experience of the ACE Fellows Program will enable these future higher education leaders to immerse themselves in the culture, policies and decision-making processes of another institution and gain the insights and skills that will position them to make valuable contributions in the years ahead to their home institutions and the entire higher education community," said Lynn M. Gangone, vice president, ACE Leadership.
Click here to see the members of the 2016-17 class of fellows.
The 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 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. Projects have included developing an internationalization process, designing a post-tenure review policy, creating a teaching-learning center and crafting an initiative to support the academic success of first-generation college students.
At the conclusion of the fellowship year, ACE 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.