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Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

August 27, 2004

ACE fellow is ready to get started

by Anne Krapfl

Gersham Nelson, professor of history and chair of the department of history and philosophy at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, will spend the 2004-05 academic year at Iowa State as a fellow in the American Council on Education's (ACE) program for university faculty. He is one of 35 ACE fellows this year.

Nelson arrived on campus Aug. 18. His office is in the president's office, 1750 Beardshear.

ACE fellows generally spend a semester or academic year on another campus, work with the president and other senior leaders, and observe how they address strategic planning, resource allocation, policy development and challenges specific to that university. The program is designed to condense years of job experience and skill development into an academic year.

Nelson handpicked Iowa State for his fellowship. He said the school matched the characteristics he sought, including: a land-grant university, a student population comparable to Eastern Michigan's, a school "actively involved" in change processes, and an administrative team, and particularly a university president, with a good reputation for mentoring.

In addition to President Gregory Geoffroy, Nelson's mentors will be vice president for academic affairs and provost Benjamin Allen, associate provost David Holger and Mark Chidister, assistant to the president for budget planning and analysis. Nelson will be involved in the campus self-study that is part of the North Central Association accreditation, and the strategic planning process, particularly as they relate to budget planning.

Prior to joining the Eastern Michigan faculty in 1997, Nelson spent 10 years at Frostburg State University, Maryland, where he founded an African American studies program. Born and raised in Jamaica, Nelson has a B.A. in history and psychology (1977) from the University of Manitoba; and an M.A. in African history (1980) and Ph.D. in Latin American history (1987) from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Gersham Nelson

Gersham Nelson

Summary

Prior to joining the Eastern Michigan faculty in 1997, Nelson spent 10 years at Frostburg State University, Maryland, where he founded an African American studies program.