Enter SWT’s Beebe named ACE Fellow

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Steven Beebe, professor and chair of speech communication at Southwest Texas State University, has been named a fellow of the American Council on Education for the 2002-2003 academic year.

The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising faculty and senior administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration.

Beebe was among 37 fellows selected this year in a national competition.

Beebe is the author or co-author of eight books and has published in several national and international communication journals. He has been a visiting scholar at both Oxford and Cambridge universities. He was named Outstanding Communication Professor in America by the National Speaker’s Association. In addition to serving as department chair, Beebe is associate dean of the SWT College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Marlene Ross, director of the Fellows Program, said most previous fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration. Of the nearly 1,350 participants in the first 37 years of the program, more than 250 have become chief executive officers and nearly 1,000 have become provosts, vice presidents or deans.

During his ACE fellowship, Beebe will spend a year at a host institution and serve as part of a team examining a topic critical to higher education. He will serve at the highest level of decision making and participate in administrative activities at the host university. During the program, ACE fellows attend three week-long seminars on higher education issues and engage in other activities to increase their knowledge about the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education.

The American Council on Education is a comprehensive association of the nation’s colleges and universities dedicated to higher education issues and advocacy on behalf of quality higher education programs. The membership includes more than 1,800 accredited degree-granting public and private colleges and universities and higher education related associations, organizations and corporations.