Pharmacy Dean Named Fellow of American Council on Education
| LITTLE ROCK – Stephanie F. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., dean of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for academic year 2012-13.
The prestigious ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration.
Gardner, who has served on the UAMS faculty for more than 20 years, is in an elite group of 57 Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, who were selected this year following a rigorous application process.
“Serving as an ACE Fellow will provide me with opportunities to visit other campuses, work closely with a president at another institution, and bring these experiences back in a way that benefits my work at UAMS,” Gardner said. “I will focus on identifying best practices in inter-professional education and will work with Dr. Jeanne Heard, vice chancellor for academic affairs, and the deans in each college to foster the further development of inter-professional education at UAMS.”
Sharon A. McDade, Ed.D., director of the ACE Fellows Program, said that most previous Fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration. Of the more than 1,700 participants in the first 47 years of the program, more than 300 have become chief executive officers and more than 1,100 have become provosts, vice presidents or deans.
“We’re extremely pleased with the strength of the incoming class,” McDade said. “The Fellows Program will sharpen and enhance their leadership skills and their network, and prepare them to address issues of concern to the higher education community.”
Each ACE Fellow will identify an area of concentration at his or her institution while spending significant time during the year working with a college or university president and other senior officers at a host institution. 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 semester or year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision making while participating in administrative activities and learning about an issue that will ultimately benefit UAMS.
Fellows attend three week-long retreats on higher education issues organized by ACE, read extensively in the field and engage in other activities to enhance their knowledge about the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education today.
Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.