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. Forty-six Fellows, nominated by the senior administration of their institutions, were selected this year following a rigorous application process.

“I am joyful that I have this rich opportunity to study higher education with a diverse group of higher education leaders from a variety of colleges and universities across the U.S. and other nations that also have multifarious missions,” Webster said. “I look forward to the potential, the possibilities and the promise that this opportunity affords.”

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.

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.

Webster completed her doctorate in educational psychology and research from the University of Memphis. She is a PreK-12 licensed school administrator through the Tennessee Department of Education. She has also received seven years of training in coaching from Coaching for Results Global.

In K-12 education, Webster served as founding principal of two independent schools, designer of a public charter school, an executive coach for public schools and a board member of a public charter school. In higher education, she has served at several institutions, including a women’s university in Saudi Arabia, an art university and a historically black college/university.

Webster also serves as associate professor in Leadership Studies and as a member of several university committees. In addition, she received a 2016 National Role Model Administrator Award through Minority Access, Inc. and the President’s Award at the 2014 Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting.

Nearly 1,900 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 2017-18 class will kick off its work this fall as ACE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018.

“Fulfilling higher education’s 21st-century mission depends upon a visionary, bold and diverse global community of institutional leaders, and the ACE Fellows Program plays a key role in cultivating these leaders,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. “The diverse and talented 2017-18 Fellows class demonstrates why the program has made such a vital contribution for more than a half-century to expanding the leadership pipeline for our colleges and universities.”

About ACE
Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing nearly 1,800 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit their or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.

Eligibility for this prestigious award requires at least 15 years of consecutive membership in the Association, documentation of outstanding contributions to the Association and its affiliated state and regional units, outstanding contributions to the field of teacher education, and recognition by peers as upholding high standards of professionalism. She will be honored at the 2018 ATE Conference in Las Vegas where the Association will celebrate its 98th annual meeting.

Barnes has been a member of ATE since 1994. She is recognized by her peers for her commitment to servant leadership. She has served on several national planning committees, including service as co-chair for the 2003 Summer Conference in Sante Fe and 2007 Summer Conference in Milwaukee. She served on the Nominations and Elections Committee for six years and was the first chair of the Honors and Awards Committee, serving for six years. Barnes was co-chair of the ATE Strategic Planning

Committee for three years. She was elected by her peers to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for a three-year term, and she was a member of the Teacher Reflectivity Commission/Task Force, formed in 2004, and served until 2016. That group has published several manuscripts resulting from their work. She is currently serving on the ATE Task Force of Field Experience Standards. She has received the ATE President’s Service Award on three occasions.

Barnes’ recognition is based partially on her service to the Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators (ArATE) and the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE). She served as President of ArATE in 2001-2002 and President of SRATE in 2002-2003. Her contributions to SRATE were recognized when she received the Roy L. Lauter Distinguished Service Award in 2011.

As a member of the 51ÇŕÂĄ College of Education, Barnes has served as Assistant Dean, chaired multiple search committees, chaired or served on numerous Professional Education Committees, and provided extensive professional development for K-12 teachers. She has served as a consultant both in-state and out of state for institutions seeking national accreditation in teacher education. Her scholarship has been recognized by her peers with dozens of presentations and several publications. Barnes’ recognition continues the rich tradition of UCA’s history as a normal school and its commitment to teacher education. She is one of three faculty members from UCA to receive this award. Terry James, Professor and Chair of Leadership Studies received this award in 2012 and Nancy P. Gallavan received the award in 2014. UCA joins Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as institutions with three Distinguished Members in ATE.

They recently received a grant for more than $120,000 to support STEM teachers in Arkansas.

Alumni Association members receive a 50% discount!

Online courses are also offered. Test prep (ACT/SAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, Praxis, etc), real estate licensing and courses that provide continuing education units (CEUs) are just a few examples of the online catalog.

At this event, students who will be participating in the new 1:1 iPad initiative in upper level College of Education courses received their iPads and learned how they will be able to transform the classroom through mobile technology.

There were be three launches to accommodate students during Welcome Week and each event started at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

There was also an additional launch on Thursday, August 18 during x-period.