April

A pair of ACEs

Zsuzsa Balogh and Loretta P. Martinez named to prestigious American Council on Education Fellows Program.

By Dan Vaccaro

April 27, 2017

Earlier this month, the American Council on Education announced that Zsuzsu Balogh, Ph.D., professor and program coordinator in civil engineering technology, and Loretta P. Martinez, general counsel and secretary to the Board of Trustees, were named ACE Fellows for the 2017-18 academic year.

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in university administration. Nominated by their institutions, 46 fellows were selected this year following a rigorous application process.

“I am honored and excited about the new horizons that the ACE fellowship will open up in my academic career,” said Balogh. “I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the processes of another higher education institution, learning from senior leadership about decision-making strategies nationwide and building a strong peer-network in higher education.”

Over the past five decades, nearly 1,900 higher education leaders have participated in the program, with more than 80 percent of fellows going on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities.

The program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institution and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.

“I think that each member of the senior leadership team at MSU Denver should be multidimensional and knowledgeable of all key operational areas within the University regardless of their primary role,” said Martinez. “I hope that the ACE fellowship will allow me to gain more knowledge and insight into higher education and that such experience will result in my making a more valuable contribution on MSU Denver’s senior leadership team.”

The 2017-18 Fellows class will kick off its work this fall as ACE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018.

“It is quite an honor to have two members of our community selected for this prestigious program,” said President Stephen M. Jordan, Ph.D. “I’ve worked closely with both Loretta and Zsuzsa for many years and believe that they will contribute so much to their cohort’s learning and use the skills they develop to benefit MSU Denver.”