Giardina named ACE Fellow

GVSU: Nancy Giardina named American Council on Education Fellow
Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), announced today that Nancy Giardina, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs at Grand Valley State University, has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2009-10.

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. Thirty-eight fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year in a national competition.

Sharon A. McDade, Ed.D., director of the ACE Fellows Program, noted that most 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. "We're extremely pleased with the incoming class," McDade said. "The individuals selected have demonstrated strong leadership. The Fellows Program will sharpen and enhance their leadership skills and their network, and prepare them to address issues of concern to the higher education community."

Giardina is assistant vice president for Academic and Student Affairs and professor of Movement Science at Grand Valley State University. She has been at Grand Valley since 1999 and served as a faculty member in Movement Science and was department chair from 2000-2005. Giardina earned a doctorate from Columbia University, a master's degree from Montclair State University and a bachelor's degree from University of Rhode Island.

“Being awarded an ACE Fellow is an honor and the highest level of professional development in higher education leadership that is well timed for me at this point in my higher education career," Giardina said. "I am grateful to Grand Valley's Provost, Gayle R. Davis, for nominating me and President Thomas J. Haas for supporting the nomination. I am extremely excited and look forward to fully engaging in all the ACE Fellow has to offer.”

Each ACE Fellow focuses on an issue of concern to the nominating institution. Giardina will focus on student success initiatives to facilitate undergraduate student integration of a strong liberal education preparation with engagement in community service and service learning experiences to better help students transition into the work force or on to graduate school.

The ACE Fellows 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. Fellows attend three week-long retreats on higher education issues organized by ACE, read extensively in the field and engage in other activities to enhance their knowledge about the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education today.

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. Grand Valley has a long history with ACE. Two Grand Valley faculty members — Mary Seeger and Tony Travis — as well as current president Thomas Haas, have participated in the ACE Fellows Program.  The university also has connections with ACE’s Office of Women in Higher Education. A system of institutional representatives at 45 Michigan colleges is coordinated by a board that includes Marlene Kowalski-Braun as state coordinator-elect, Mary Seeger as treasurer, and Wendy Wenner as a member. Grand Valley also hosted the MI-ACE state conference in 2006 and 2007.