Shaily Menon named American Council on Education Fellow

Shaily Menon, associate dean for professional development and administration in Grand Valley's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2015-16 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.

The ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing emerging leaders for senior positions in college and university administration.

During her time as one of 47 ACE Fellows, Menon will take part in various retreats, interactive learning opportunities and campus visits. She will also be placed at another higher education institution to observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institution, attend decision-making meetings and focus on issues of interest. Additionally, Menon will conduct a project intertwining design thinking and community engagement aimed at benefiting campus-wide initiatives at Grand Valley, such as internationalization, diversity, sustainability and big data analytics.

Menon said she hopes to leave her fellowship with a better understanding of the larger landscape of higher education and issues facing higher education.

“Universities are being called upon to address issues of access and equity, and to innovate in order to prepare students for a changing world and the ever-increasingly complex local and global problems they will face,” Menon said. “I hope to learn about and gain insights into innovative strategies that can bring together various constituencies of higher education institutions and community stakeholders.”

Grand Valley Provost Gayle Davis said she nominated Menon for the honor because she has distinguished herself in every role she has taken at the university.

“I know of her successes as a department chair and associate dean in all aspects of the work and know that she will apply those same attributes to be successful in future leadership roles,” Davis said. “Shaily will return to Grand Valley having grown through this experience and be even more prepared to help Grand Valley excel in the future.”

In the past 50 years of the ACE Fellows Program, nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated, with more than 300 Fellows having served as chief executive officers of colleges or universities and more than 1,300 having served as provosts, vice presidents and deans. With this appointment, Menon joins the ranks of President Thomas J. Haas and Nancy Giardina, vice provost for Student Success, who have previously participated in the program.

For more information about the ACE Fellows Program, visit http://www.acenet.edu/leadership/programs/Pages/ACE-Fellows-Program.aspx.