Book joins other higher education presidents and chancellors from across the country on the board of the American Council on Education, an organization with a membership of more than 1,600 colleges, universities and other higher education entities.
Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book has been selected to serve on the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), a leading higher education organization with a diverse membership of more than 1,600 colleges and universities. Book was selected for the board as the designee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), which she has served as chair of the board of directors since 2023.
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“ACE plays a critical role in advocating for higher education institutions and supporting the transformative work that colleges and universities are doing day in and day out,” Book said. “It is an honor to join this esteemed group of leaders to undertake this important work.”
Book’s three-year term on the board will begin after the fall board meeting in September.
Book began her service as Elon’s ninth president in March 2018. In 2020, Book led the creation of the 10-year Boldly Elon strategic plan to continue enhancing and expanding the university’s mission to prepare ethical, resilient and agile graduates who shape the future. The number of full-time faculty positions has grown, and innovative new academic programs have been established in engineering, nursing, science and technology. Book has guided the university as it has built new partnerships and expanded existing ones with the surrounding community, with the university generating an economic impact statewide of close to $700 million each year.
In addition to leading Boldly Elon initiatives, Book oversaw the completion of the university’s Elon LEADS comprehensive campaign, which she kicked off in 2019 and which raised more than $260 million to support the university’s priorities.
Book joined Elon’s faculty as assistant professor of communications in 1999, teaching courses in new media, broadcast policy, news writing, research and production. She also served as department chair and associate dean of the School of Communications. In 2015, she accepted a groundbreaking role as the first female provost and chief academic officer at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, before returning to Elon in her current role in 2018.
In July 2023, Book began her term as chair of the board of directors of NAICU, a national membership organization that advocates on behalf of the 1,700 private nonprofit higher education institutions across the country on public policy issues in Washington, D.C. This year, Book was elected to a three-year term on the board of the Southern Association on Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Her board service has also included terms on the North Carolina Council of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Piedmont Triad Partnership, N.C. Campus Engagement, The Washington Center, Project Pericles and the Union Square Campus.
Book earned a doctorate from the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Northwestern State University in Louisiana and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University.
ACE is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future, galvanizing our members to make change and collaborating across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy.
As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, ACE’s strength lies in its diverse membership of more than 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities.