American Jewish University chief academic officer Robbie Totten was one of 36 fellows selected to serve on the American Council on Education for the 2023-24 academic 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 cohort-based mentorship model. Of the fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers 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,” ACE President Ted Mitchell said. “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.”

Totten has been with AJU since 2014, when he joined as an assistant professor of Politics and Global Studies. He has since been appointed as vice president of Academic Affairs and chief academic officer, where he oversees the administration of AJU’s degree-granting academic programs.

“I am excited to be part of the ACE Fellows Program and learn from its seminars and the opportunities that it provides for me to work with experienced presidents, academic vice presidents and leaders at other universities,” Totten said. “The ACE program is an unrivaled experience for me to enhance my acumen in higher education administration and utilize the skills that I gain from it in my job at American Jewish University, notably serving AJU’s degree-granting academic programs.”

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.

During the placement, fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions. Fellows also conduct projects 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.

For information, visit acenet.edu/Programs-Services /Pages/professional-learning/ACE-Fellows-Program.aspx.