Gwendolyn Deloach-Packnett, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMSL, has been selected to participate in the American Council on Education Fellows Program.
Gwendolyn Deloach-Packnett, who has served the University of Missouri–St. Louis for 14 years as the founding director of the Office of Multicultural Relations, has been selected to participate in the American Council on Education Fellows Program.
Packnett is currently assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMSL. As a member of the ACE Fellows Program, she will spend the 2011-12 academic year at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis observing and monitoring the administration.
“I’m eager to make the most of the learning experience during 2011-12 academic year,” said Packnett, a resident of Florissant, Mo. “Becoming intricately engaged in projects with top senior administrators from various institutions of higher education is appealing; I welcome the opportunity.”
Becoming an ACE Fellow requires completion of a 10-page application, a nomination by your home institution’s chief academic officer and a lengthy interview process.
“The application process was rather intense, as was the three-hour interview process with six college presidents,” Packnett said.
The ACE Fellows Program was established in 1965 and focuses on identifying and preparing senior administrators for the nation’s colleges and universities. Packnett is one of 50 college faculty and administrators chosen from across the United States and internationally to participate in the program.
Packnett will spend most of her time at her host institution, but the program will include meetings and visits to other campuses, including some overseas.
Glen Cope, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the ACE Fellows Program is a major stepping-stone for prospective university administrators.
“Dr. Packnett has served as director of the Office of Multicultural Relations for some time now,” Cope said. “She has expressed a desire to move into the upper levels of administrative work, and we felt this was a good way to help her prepare for that next step.”
Packnett holds two undergraduate degrees, in education and social work, from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a doctoral degree in education from UMSL.
“I value the level of confidence Chancellor (Tom) George and Provost Cope have demonstrated by nominating me,” Packnett said. “To have been nominated and chosen for such a coveted fellowship with the American Council of Education is quite gratifying. It’s clear, excellence is the hallmark and the expectation of each ACE Fellow.”
The American Council on Education is the major coordinating body for all of the nation’s higher education institutions. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research and program initiatives.
More information:
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/current/915/news5.htm
http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/current/894/oe4.htm
