News Release
SF State administrator Eugene Chelberg named an ACE Fellow
Associate vice president for student affairs selected for prestigious leadership development program
SAN FRANCISCO, April 6, 2009 -- The American Council on Education (ACE) has announced the selection of Eugene Chelberg, associate vice president for student affairs at San Francisco State University, as a Fellow for the 2009-10 academic year. Chelberg is one of 38 promising higher education professionals selected this year for this prestigious leadership development program. He is the first ACE Fellow to be nominated while at SF State.
The ACE Fellows Program prepares college administrators for senior leadership positions in higher education. It condenses years of on-the-job experience into a year-long program that includes a placement at a host institution where Fellows focus on an issue of strategic importance to their home campus. Chelberg's fellowship will focus on two issues: re-envisioning the role of Student Affairs, exploring how it can support student retention and academic progress toward graduation, and strategic planning for how SF State can make more effective use of campus-based student fees.
"I hope to bring back to SF State a larger perspective on the national issues and challenges facing higher education today," Chelberg said. "The ACE program will help me develop an expanded skill set to serve the University better."
Chelberg joined SF State in 2001 as director of the Disability Programs and Resource Center and the campus' compliance officer for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Chelberg says his perspective as "a blind, gay senior administrator" helps him more fully understand the obstacles faced by students on campus. Since coming to SF State, he has built cross-campus partnerships to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of campus life. He became associate vice president for Student Affairs in September 2007.
Previously, Chelberg was assistant director of Disability Services at his alma mater the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where he also spent time leading the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Programs Office. He holds an executive master's of management and disability services from the University of San Francisco.
"Gene Chelberg is an exceptional leader who stands to both benefit from and contribute to the ACE Fellows Program," said President Robert A. Corrigan. "His leadership and capacity to inspire others has forged a strong institutional commitment to universal access at SF State. The fellowship will give him an excellent opportunity to explore new ways that Student Affairs can support students' successful academic experience."
There have been more than 1,500 participants in the ACE Fellows Program since it was established in 1965, more than 300 of which have become chief executive officers and more than 1,000 have become provosts, vice presidents or deans.
ACE is the major coordinating body for U.S. higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents and more than 200 related associations nationwide.
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