David Bristol Named American Council on Education Fellow

Dr. David Bristol, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Affairs at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has been named an American Council on Education Fellow for the academic year 2012-13.

Molly Corbett Broad, president of the Washington D.C.-based American Council on Education (ACE), made the announcement.  

 The 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. Fifty-seven Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year following a rigorous application process.

Sharon A. McDade, Ed.D., director of the ACE Fellows Program, noted 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.”

Dr. Bristol has been a faculty member at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) since 1984, and served as Associate Dean or Senior Associate Dean and Director of Academic Affairs since 1995. 

Dr. Bristol recently finished an almost three year term as interim dean of the CVM.  He was named “Veterinarian of the Year” by the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association in 2010 and was interim dean in 2011 when U.S. News & World Report ranked the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine third among the nation’s 28 veterinary programs.

Each ACE Fellow will focus on an issue of concern to the nominating institution while spending the next academic 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 to benefit their home institution. 

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.

Posted March 28, 2012