Washington, D.C. — The American Council on Education (ACE) has announced that Georgia State University College of the Arts Dean Wade Weast has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2023-24. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 36 Fellows were selected this year.

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.”

Weast became dean of the College of the Arts on July 1, 2016. He holds a doctorate from Stony Brook University and has performed with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, American Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, on Broadway and with the rock group YES. He can be heard on 10 recordings for labels such as Delos and Newport Classics, and has produced eight recordings for the International Trumpet Guild. Prior to his arrival at Georgia State, he was dean of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and director of the School of Music at the University of South Florida.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to study how other leaders are addressing current issues in higher education,” Weast said. “I want to learn from leaders who are using innovative ways to create and maintain value in their degree programs, so students can see a clear connection between attending college and having a successful career. I want to learn how to use the arts as a conduit to better connect the university with its community. I am grateful to Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard — a former ACE Fellow herself — for the nomination and for her guidance and mentorship. I am also grateful to Georgia State for the support and for encouraging me to pursue this leadership development opportunity.”

“I believe that leaders have a responsibility to encourage, guide and support the growth of their team, and I proudly nominated Wade for this program,” Parsons-Pollard said. “I am grateful for his appointment as an ACE Fellow. I am confident that his experiences and development as a Fellow will prove vital for his continued leadership in higher education.”

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.

Click here for more information about the ACE Fellows Program.

Originally published at https://news.gsu.edu/2023/02/23/college-of-the-arts-dean-wade-weast-named-american-council-on-education-fellow/.