March 29, 2019

Frosch, Phillips named American Council on Education Fellows

Robert Frosch, senior associate dean of facilities and operations and professor of civil engineering, and Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Honors College, have been named ACE Fellows for academic year 2019-20 by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration.

Rhonda Phillips Rhonda Phillips
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Rhonda Phillips has served in several administrative appointments, including as a dean and interim dean for Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies, as school director and associate dean at Arizona State University, and as a research center director at the University of Florida. She joined Purdue in 2013 as inaugural dean of its new interdisciplinary academic residential college, the Honors College; she also holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Phillips received her doctorate and a master’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology, and has been inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2016. Her focus is on creating transformative and experiential programs of excellence for enhancing the student experience.

“I’ve long admired the ACE Fellows Program as an exceptional opportunity to grow as an academic leader,” Phillips said. “It is with much eagerness I look forward to this year as a Fellow, and to returning to Purdue to apply best practices and other insights gained.”

Robert Frosch Robert Frosch
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Robert J. Frosch has been with Purdue since 1997. His excellence in teaching, research, and service has been recognized by his students and colleagues through numerous awards including the Harold Munson Teaching Award, the Edmund M. Burke Outstanding Professor Award, the Roy E. and Myrna Wansik Civil Engineering Research Award, and the Ross Judson Buck Outstanding Counselor Award. He received his BSE from Tulane University and his MSE and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. His research, which focuses on the design and behavior of structural concrete, has resulted in changes in engineering practice and changes to the building codes for both buildings and bridges.

“I am extremely honored to have been selected to this class of Fellows,” Frosch said. “I am confident that the ACE Fellowship program will help me become a stronger leader helping guide Purdue and higher education into the future.”

The ACE program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.

During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institution, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institution and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.

At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home institution with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.

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