ACE Fellow Rashmi Assudani chooses UofL as host institution

The University of Louisville is hosting ACE Fellow Rashmi Assudani, professor of management and entrepreneurship at Xavier University, for the 2019-20 academic year. 

The American Council on Education (ACE) fellowship, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutional and leadership capacity in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration. Thirty-eight Fellows, nominated by the senior administration of their institutions, comprise the 2019-20 cohort at colleges and universities across the nation.

“Selection as a host institution is a sign of the outstanding reputation and commitment to excellence at the university,” said Sherri Lind Hughes, director of ACE Leadership and a 2002-03 ACE Fellow. “An ACE Fellow chooses an institution not only for its rigorous academic environment and high-quality efforts to educate students but also its strong desire to invest in the future of higher education senior leadership as well.”

The ACE Fellows Program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single academic year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision-making while participating in administrative activities at their host institutions. Time is also spent investigating a specified issue of benefit to their nominating institutions for implementation upon the Fellows’ return to campus at the conclusion of the Fellowship placement.

During her time at UofL, Assudani will work alongside President Neeli Bendapudi and Provost Beth Boehm on projects related to the strategic plan. In partnership with Gail DePuy, associate dean for academic and student affairs, she will offer expert opinions on the plan’s implementation in the coming months.

Assudani has earned graduate degrees in both the Netherlands and India, as well as her doctorate in strategy and organizations from McGill University in Montreal. She also was selected for a leadership program through the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition to her expansive education, she has published and presented on numerous topics related to her field.

Over 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows having served as senior leaders of colleges and universities.