ELON COLLEGE, N.C. — Paul Kotila, chair of the Natural Sciences Division at Franklin Pierce College, Rindge, N.H., will serve as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Elon College for the 2000-2001 academic year.
The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising faculty and senior administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration. Thirty-four Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year in a national competition.
Kotila will spend a semester working with Elon President Leo M. Lambert and Provost Gerald L. Francis. He will be included in administrative decision-making and contribute to a learning group exploring projects of benefit to Franklin Pierce College. He will also attend three week-long seminars on higher education issues organized by ACE, read extensively in the field, and engage in other activities to enhance his knowledge about the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education today and in the next century.
Kotila teaches in the biology and environmental sciences programs at Franklin Pierce College, a private, four-year liberal arts college with nearly 1,400 undergraduate students. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological sciences from Michigan Technological University and a doctorate in entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ace Fellows frequently advance into leadership positions in academic administration. Of the 1,248 participants in the first 34 years of the program, more than 250 have become chief executive officers and nearly 1,000 have become provosts, vice-presidents, or deans.
The American Council on Education is the umbrella association for the nation’s colleges and universities. ACE membership includes over 1,600 accredited, degree-granting institutions and more than 200 higher education associations and organizations. Through voluntary and cooperative action, ACE coordinates national public policy positions on higher education issues and provides comprehensive leadership for improving educational standards, policies, and procedures.