Dr. Santiba Campbell Named ACE Fellow For 2023-24 Academic Year

Bennett College is pleased to announce that Dr. Santiba Campbell, Director of Academic Special Initiatives and Associate Professor of Psychology, Bennett College, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for academic year 2023-24. Following nomination by President Suzanne Elise Walsh and a rigorous application process, Dr. Campbell was selected to join a cadre of 36 Fellows selected this year (click here for a full list). She will spend the 2023-2024 academic year at Odessa College in Odessa, TX, under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory D. Williams.

Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,500 faculty, staff, and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive cohort-based mentorship model. Of the Fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on after their fellowship to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans.

“The ACE Fellows Program has a proven track record of developing agile leaders, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “ACE Fellows engage in unique learning experiences before returning to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook and distinct skillset. I am excited to see all that this class accomplishes.”

As the Director of Academic Special Initiatives, Dr. Campbell works in tandem with the Senior Leadership team to plan and implement strategy across Business and Finance, Enrollment Management, Information Technology, and Facilities at Bennett College. This includes her active facilitation with other campuses and organizations to create cross-functional teams. Dr. Campbell received her BA in psychology from Winston-Salem State University. She earned her MA and Ph.D. in the field of social psychology from the University of Delaware.

“I am excited to engage with such a diverse group of educators and administrators! Having the support of President Walsh and Vice President Laura Colson, Vice President of Academic Affairs & Student Experience at Bennett College, intensifies my enthusiasm for this in-depth learning experience” said Campbell.

The program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.

During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institutions and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.

At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home institutions with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.

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