The USC Pullias Center for Higher Education is proud to announce a landmark partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE). Through it, the Pullias Center will administer the ACE Fellows program, the nation's most prestigious and longstanding executive leadership development experience in higher education. Beginning with the 2026–27 cohort, the Center will deliver and reimagine the curriculum that continues to shape the careers of more than 2,500 higher education leaders since its founding in 1965.
The ACE Fellows program has an unmatched track record of launching careers at the highest levels of American higher education. The program annually selects a cohort of mid- and senior-level higher education administrators who aspire to the presidency and other leadership roles. Fellows spend a year in an immersive, experiential placement, shadowing a sitting college or university president and their cabinet, as well as participating in three in-person leadership retreats, and receiving one-on-one mentorship from former presidents.
According to ACE President Dr. Ted Mitchell, "The Pullias Center brings the leadership expertise, research depth and commitment to equity that the ACE Fellows program deserves. This partnership reflects exactly the kind of evidence-informed, mission-driven collaboration that moves our sector forward." "ACE is excited to have the Pullias Center as the critical partner of this flagship program," said Dr. Hironao Okhana, Managing Researcher and Chief of Planning & Impact at ACE. “The depth of leadership, scholarship and the genuine commitment to equity that defines the Pullias team make them the ideal partner to carry this program forward."
"The ACE Fellows Program has been transforming higher education leadership for six decades, and we are honored to help steward its next chapter," said Dr. Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center, Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education and Dean's Professor of Leadership at USC Rossier. "This partnership is a natural extension of our Center's mission and strengths." An internationally-recognized expert on change, leadership, governance, faculty and equity, Kezar will shepherd the collective effort, along with a key team of leadership and professional development experts from the Pullias Center. Kezar has written six books and dozens of articles on leadership and heads the Shared Equity Leadership and Change Leadership Toolkit projects at Pullias. She is also the Executive Editor for Change magazine.
One of the world’s leading research centers on higher education, the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the USC Rossier School of Education advances innovative, scalable solutions to improve college outcomes for all students and to enhance the performance of postsecondary institutions. The mission of the Pullias Center is to bring an equity-focused, multidisciplinary perspective to complex social, political and economic issues in higher education. The Center is currently engaged in research projects to improve access, admissions and outcomes for all students, improve the performance of postsecondary institutions, assess the role of contingent/VITAL faculty, understand how colleges can undergo reform to increase their effectiveness, and assess the educational trajectories of community college students.
The Pullias Center is located within the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. For more information, visit pullias.usc.edu or follow the Center on X, Linkedin, Bluesky and Facebook.
ACE is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future, galvanizing our members to make change and collaborating across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of about 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X, Bluesky, andLinkedIn.
