Rutgers-Newark Hosts ACE Fellow Gary B. Crosby

Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N) welcomes Gary B. Crosby as a 2019-20 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. Crosby comes to RU-N from Alabama A&M University where he serves as vice president for student affairs. While at Rutgers-Newark through July 2020, he will work primarily in the Office of the Chancellor to learn more about RU-N’s programs and policies that promote student success and study the influence of RU-N’s anchor institution mission on campus and community organizations and stakeholders. 
 
“We’re thrilled to have Gary here for the academic year,” said RU-N Chancellor Nancy Cantor. “The ACE Fellowship program is designed to be a two-way street, so we look forward to sharing our ideas about the many things that make Rutgers-Newark and the city of Newark so special, but we also are eager to learn from his combination of administrative experience and work as a scholar of student success at institutions like Alabama A&M and previously at Jackson State University.”

 
Crosby, whose background is in urban and regional planning, received his doctoral and master’s degrees from Jackson State University. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.
 
“Within 10 minutes of my Fellowship Placement Interview with Chancellor Cantor and her leadership team, I knew RU-N was a perfect fit. The university’s commitment to education and its anchor mission is most impressive; in fact, this resonated with me as an urban planner and higher education administrator,” Crosby said. “I look forward to spending this fellowship learning more about student success, the significant work of an anchor institution, and building leadership capacity. I want to thank Chancellor Cantor, Executive Vice Chancellor Butterfield, and Senior Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Chief of Staff Peter Englot for offering their mentorship.”
 
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program 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, will comprise the 2019-20 cohort at colleges and universities across the nation.
 
More than 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.
 
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.
 
“Through the inclusion of Fellows and hosts from a variety of institution types, the program is helping to develop a climate of collaboration across sectors and regions. I am confident this diverse and talented group of higher education professionals will help build the leadership capacity necessary to solve complex problems and thrive in a changing landscape,” said Sherri Lind Hughes, director of ACE Leadership and a 2002-03 ACE Fellow.