American Council on Education (ACE)

Adult learning and educational credentialsace Education futures drives transformative change in postsecondary Education through a range of measurable and impactful activities. By generating research and evidence to advance postsecondary transformation, developing innovative technological solutions that promote learner success, engaging institutions, employers, and partners to adopt these solutions, and creating new approaches to help learners succeed, Education futures addresses the evolving needs of diverse learners and the higher Education ecosystem. As part of Education futures, one dupont ventures (odv) learning evaluations demonstrates its commitment to improving postsecondary credential attainment and economic mobility for adult learners. Odv learning evaluations supports thousands of students by assisting colleges and universities in awarding academic credit for workplace learning and training. These efforts significantly enhance access to and success in postsecondary Education for underserved student populations, fostering opportunities for lifelong learning and career advancement.in collaboration with the department of defense, ace validates military training and occupational experiences, bridging the gap between professional military Education and postsecondary Education. This validation process enhances government and postsecondary data systems while integrating advanced virtual technologies to streamline these connections. Through these initiatives, ace provides critical support to service members and veterans, enabling them to obtain academic credit for their military Education and training, which facilitates smoother transitions to college and workforce opportunities.odv further demonstrates its commitment to non-traditional learners by validating a wide range of Education and training programs, including courses, certifications, and apprenticeship programs. These validations ensure the credibility of learning pathways outside of traditional academic settings, including programs in critical fields such as languages and technical skills, which are vital for academic and professional growth.additionally, ace actively engages institutions of higher Education and employers through various events and consultations. These efforts are designed to improve economic mobility for independent learners by connecting them with opportunities to gain academic credit for formal courses, training, and experiences completed outside conventional colleges and universities.the overarching goal of these initiatives is to provide equitable access to high-quality Education for diverse learners while fostering innovation and validating alternative pathways to success. In the long term, this work seeks to address systemic gaps in Education and the workforce, ensuring that learners of all backgrounds have the resources and opportunities needed to achieve their educational and professional goals.

Government relations & public affairsace's division of government relations and national engagement (grne) coordinates the efforts of the higher Education community in representing its concerns to the federal government. Staff members , engage with federal policy makers on proposed federal legislation and regulations, prepare testimony for congressional hearings and file amicus curiae briefs on court cases with important implications for higher Education, and create shared advocacy materials among other activities. For federal government policy makers, the division acts as the central source of information and counsel on issues important to the higher Education community. Division staff members also communicate information on relevant federal and state educational concerns and ace policy positions to the media, college and university officials, and the general public. Another means of dissemination of this information is the ace annual meeting, which is an ideal setting for networking with colleagues and addressing future challenges of higher Education, including in the public policy arena.the office of public affairs works to maintain the Council's presence as a top source for media on higher Education issues and policy, enhance public understanding of a wide range of higher Education topics, advocate on behalf of ace membership on key issues, and promote the important work of ace programs.

Professional development programsthe American Council on Education (ace) has a long history of providing learning and engagement opportunities for campus leaders, inclusive of programs, services, and research. Ace connect is the business unit dedicated to community strategy, engagement, and convenings. Annually, it leads the planning, execution, and assessment of ace's signature events, including the ace annual meeting and the presidents and chancellors summit. Additionally, ace connect fosters partnerships and engagement with key stakeholder communities, such as the ace women's network and the ace Council of fellows.the Council of fellows coordinates activities, events, and fundraising efforts for the ace fellows program alumni. Since its inception in 1965, over 2,000 individuals have participated in the ace fellows program. This diverse network of alumni provides ongoing expertise and support, helping each other navigate institutional challenges and advance higher Education's mission.the ace women's network, established in 1977, is a system of state-based networks aimed at supporting and advancing women leaders in higher Education. Annually, these networks reach thousands of women, contributing to the diversification of the higher Education leadership pipeline. Through various programs and initiatives, and with the support of ace staff, the state networks work together to identify, develop, encourage, advance, lead, and support women in higher Education careers.in addition to these legacy communities, ace connect develops and supports other communities, such as the ace commission on faith-based colleges and universities and leaders of dual-mission institutions. Ace connect collaborates closely with these communities to increase their visibility, identify shared issues and opportunities, and foster collaboration within and across the broader postsecondary landscape.ace connect and Education futures lab, along with other ace business units, utilize ace engage, ace's digital engagement tool, to enhance product dissemination and networking opportunities for higher Education leaders. Ace engage serves as a unifying platform that facilitates virtual peer-to-peer networking and learning, providing individual leaders with access to a variety of resources to support their needs.

Carnegie classificationfor the last 50 years, the carnegie classifications of institutions of higher Education have been the gold standard for organizing colleges and universities by a variety of characteristics, and they are used by researchers around the world to study the higher Education sector in america. Ace began a partnership with the carnegie foundation in february 2022 to redesign the carnegie classifications so they better reflect the diverse set of institutions and missions in higher Education today and to establish new classifications, including ones that are centered on students' social and economic mobility. In fy24, ace continued engagement with a large, diverse set of stakeholders, ultimately reaching more than 10,000 people in total since the project began, including 550 unique institutions. Ace released nine white papers focused on different aspects of the carnegie classifications, supported a variety of internal analyses on use-cases, and in may, the organization launched its framework for a new social and economic mobility classification, which outlined a way the carnegie classifications could visualize and measure access and outcomes for students. Ace continued meetings with core advisory groups, meeting with the technical review panel for a total of 15 times and the institutional roundtable for a total of seven times by the end of fy24, and moved forward with significant planning and finalization efforts to launch the 2025 carnegie classifications in fy25. Additionally, ace furthered work on the elective classifications, including announcing 40 colleges and universities received the 2024 elective classification for community engagement and 25 colleges and universities received the 2024 elective classification for leadership in public purpose. The elective classifications also moved forward with establishing community engagement classifications for australia and canada and developing an elective classification for sustainability, which will launch in fy25.

Policy analysis and researcheducation futures lab is the unit that conducts research and analysis that advance the Council's thought leadership areas, as well as delivers a suite of programs and services that enrich the capacity of institutions and individual leaders to innovate, adapt and promote high quality practice within higher Education. Broadly, the unit focuses on the thematic areas including but not limited to: (1) postsecondary leadership, (2) postsecondary learner success, and (3) systems dynamics in postsecondary Education. The unit produces major reports, topical research briefs, research-informed practice guides, blogs, and other products that provide college and university leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders with key insights to inform policy and practice. The unit also facilitates workshops that convene stakeholders and subject matter experts around questions/challenges of practice/policy and co-design solutions for the field. In addition, the unit offers leadership and capacity building services for individual leaders, institutions, and postsecondary systems by leveraging a suite of blended solutions that provides training and technical assistance support, including but not limited to ace's transformation labs and ace fellows.

Annual meeting and other programs: ace's annual meeting brings together higher Education leaders from all sectors. The annual meeting is an event to network with colleagues, hear about emerging trends from national thought leaders, and learn about new approaches to campus challenges.