Bennett College selected to host American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow

Greensboro, N.C. (February 23, 2022) – Bennett College is pleased to welcome Dr. Tammi Vacha-Haase, a 2020-22 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, to campus. Vacha-Haase was one of 52 scholars nominated and selected for the prestigious ACE Fellows Program.

Bennett College’s rich history and contributions to social justice, combined with the commitment to students’ individual success drew Vacha-Haase to the college.

Vacha-Haase will spend the next five months shadowing President Suzanne Walsh, and meeting with constituent groups, including faculty, students, and the Board of Trustees.

Vacha-Haase will join her new colleagues working on the strategic plan and their efforts focused on business and finance, enrollment management, information technology infrastructure, and facilities. Later this spring, she and the president plan to host a group of other ACE Fellows from higher education institutions across the nation.

“Bennett College is proud to be a host,” said President Walsh. “Given Dr. Vacha-Haase’s wealth of knowledge and experience, we will equally benefit from her contributions.”

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutional and leadership capacity by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior college and university administration positions. Over the past five decades, nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program, with more than 80 percent of Fellows serving as senior leaders of colleges and universities.

“The ACE Fellows Program is one of the most effective, comprehensive leadership development programs in American higher education today. To be selected as an ACE Fellow, nominees must demonstrate a record of leadership in an institution-wide context,” said Dr. Ronald Carter, Presidential Sage, American Council on Education, 13th President of Johnson C. Smith University (2008-2018).

Vacha-Haase, Dean of the Boise State University Graduate College, provides oversight for all university graduate programs, policies, and initiatives for the largest graduate school in the state. Before joining Boise State, Vacha-Haase served as associate dean of the Graduate School at Colorado State University. Trained as a counseling psychologist, she was a tenured, full professor in the Department of Psychology at CSU for almost 20 years and currently holds the same distinction at Boise State.

Vacha-Haase has been committed to increasing student success and well-being for faculty, students, and staff throughout her career. She received an undergraduate and master’s degree from Arizona State University, earning her Ph.D. from Texas A&M. As a scholar, she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, co-authored a book, and received nationally funded grants. Vacha-Haase has been an invited speaker at regional and national conferences and served in multiple leadership positions in professional organizations.

About ACE

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 related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.