RAGSDALE NAMED AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FELLOW – April 02, 2009
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. Thirty-six Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year in a national competition.
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 1,500 participants in the first 44 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 incoming class,” McDade said. “The individuals selected have demonstrated strong leadership. 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.”
Ragsdale, an academy professor, has been the vice dean for education since 2006 and holds both a doctorate and master’s degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M and the Naval Postgraduate School, respectively. He is also a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.
From 1999 through 2005, he served as the director for the Information Technology Program; as the director for the Information Technology and Operations Center and as a senior research scientist for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Over the past 28 years Ragsdale has served in a wide array of assignments in the operational force and in academic settings. As Vice Dean for Education he is the principal deputy to the Dean of the Academic Board and his primary responsibility is the development and refinement of strategic plans and policies for the academic program at West Point. Ragsdale’s operational assignments include 15 months of deployments while participating in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Urgent Fury (Grenada). In April 2006 Ragsdale returned from a nine-month deployment to Iraq where he served as the Deputy Commander of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade.
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 seminars, 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 West Point.
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 seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
About West Point
West Point, The U.S. Military Academy, is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering. Its mission remains constant-to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu