Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

ACE Fellow Does Valuable Work for USM

Holly Stadler is with the University System of Maryland for the 2004-2005 academic year as a Fellow of 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 members for senior positions in college and university administration. 

Throughout the year, Stadler has worked on a number of key USM initiatives, including the system's Efficiency and Effectiveness program and policies on distance learning and the drug-free workplace. With less than three months left in her tenure as an ACE Fellow, Stadler is still very involved in key University System of Maryland issues, including projects such as a grant proposal that would fund a new system-wide professional science master's degree. In addition, she has had the opportunity to meet with leaders of national higher education organizations and observe the workings of other university systems through site visits.

"I enjoy having the wide perspective that comes with working at the system level," says Stadler. "Working in a system office gives me the opportunity to deal with some of the most important issues in higher education and find solutions for the most pressing problems that colleges and universities face today."

Stadler, professor and head of the Department of Counseling and Counseling Psychology in the College of Education at Auburn University, arrived at USM with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education. She is the only one of the 34 2004-2005 ACE Fellows working in a system office. After leaving USM in mid-June, Stadler will return to Auburn for at least a year before looking for a position within a system office. Stadler will include all she's learned here in a project about the best practices used by university systems that she will present to Auburn's president upon her return.

"I have been very happy with my time at USM," says Stadler, reflecting on her experience. "Working here has given me a deeper appreciation of the value of a well-functioning university system where the leadership and staff have been quick to help me learn and the system's institutions are fully committed to the system's success as well as their own."

E-mail: mcmason@usmd.edu