Grand Valley President invited to serve on ACE commission

ALLENDALE, Mich. — Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas will serve on the American Council of Education’s Commission on Effective Leadership. The commission provides guidance for the Center for Effective Leadership’s programs and directs new initiatives to foster institutional effectiveness.

“Years ago I had an opportunity to serve an ACE Fellowship at Western Michigan University under the mentorship of President Diether Haenicke and Provost Nancy Barrett,” said Haas. “To observe leaders and leadership styles provided a foundation for me in my future service in higher education. I hope that as a commissioner, and representing Grand Valley, I can serve others who will have their own impacts in our state and nation as future leaders.”

The commission serves as a forum for member presidents to explore issues and share insights and personal experiences in leadership, leadership development, and institutional effectiveness as they advice ACE about its programs and direction.

Haas’ three-year appointment begins July 1, with the first meeting scheduled for October 30 in Washington, D.C.

The American Council on Education seeks to provide a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. The council focuses on access, success, equity and diversity, institutional effectiveness, lifelong learning, and internationalism.

Thomas J. Haas was appointed Grand Valley State University’s fourth president in July 2006. He had been president of the State University of New York campus at Cobleskill since 2003.
He is a 1973 honors graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and served two years on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Acacia in Port Huron. He holds a master’s degree in chemistry and another in environmental health sciences from the University of Michigan. Haas also holds a master’s degree in human resource management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Connecticut. Haas is an internationally recognized expert in hazardous material transportation and has published more than 70 articles in a variety of journals.

Grand Valley State University attracts more than 23,000 students with high quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley is the comprehensive regional university for the state’s second largest metropolitan area and offers 70 undergraduate and 26 graduate degree programs. It has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids, and Holland and centers in Muskegon and Traverse City. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships.