Mehrzad Boroujerdi, professor and chair of political science at the Maxwell School and a Provost Faculty Fellow for internationalization, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2017-18 academic year.

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen colleges and universities by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in higher education administration. Boroujerdi, who was nominated by Provost Michele Wheatly, was one of 46 Fellows to be selected for the 2017-18 cohort through an intensive nomination and application process.

“To be selected as an ACE Fellow is a significant achievement, and Mehrzad is more than deserving of this distinction,” Wheatly says. “It is a reflection not only of his talent as a teacher and scholar but also of his tremendous promise as a higher education leader. The ACE Fellows program historically has served as a leadership pipeline for higher education institutions, and I am delighted the selection committee recognized this potential in Mehrzad.”

Nearly 1,900 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities.

“It is both a great honor and a humbling experience to be selected as an ACE Fellow,” Boroujerdi says. “I thank the University leadership for nominating me, and I look forward to learning new skills during my fellowship year.”

In 2014 Boroujerdi was named by the Maxwell School as an O’Hanley Faculty Scholar, and in 2015 he was appointed Provost Faculty Fellow for Internationalization. He currently serves as co-chair of the University’s Internationalization Council, formed last fall on a recommendation of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan. He also served as the founding director of the University’s Middle Eastern Studies Program and is a past president of the International Society for Iranian Studies.

As an ACE Fellow, Boroujerdi will participate in retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution for intensive on-the-job skills development.

During the placement period, 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. They also conduct projects of particular concern to their home institution and seek to implement their findings upon their return to their university at the end of the fellowship placement.