Natalia Sidorovskaia shares her experience as an ACE Fellow

Natalia Sidorovskaia, Coca-Cola/Board of Regents Endowed Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Physics, is the first UL Lafayette nominated faculty,  who was awarded the prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) leadership development fellowship in early 2020, right before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing about 2,500 faculty, staff, and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model. Of the Fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on after their fellowship to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans (www.acenet.edu). “The ACE Fellows program and its career-enriching developmental opportunities offer institutions and its participants the unique opportunity to learn from one another," said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “These Fellows engage in immersive learning experiences before they return to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook, prepared to address whatever challenges lie ahead.”

As the world slowly returns to normality, this spring Natalia finally had an opportunity to embark on the key fellowship journey, a one-semester placement at the University of Pittsburgh, where she closely observes and works with Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd and her cabinet and is engaged in professional development  conversations with Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and his leadership team. The initiatives Natalia learns about range from Strategic Enrollment Management, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion projects, community-engaged scholarship, cluster and academic leaders hiring to transition to RCM (Responsibility Center Management) budget model, preserving academic freedom, and building a backbone research infrastructure. 

“It is a truly amazing and intense experience to step away from my 22-year home institution and be privileged to learn about the operations of a highly-ranked research university from the Provost’s office perspective,” said Natalia. “I call it a Provost-office boot camp. My day usually parallels the one of the Provost: I attend various decision-making meetings and observe leadership in action. Provost Cudd is an extraordinary and visionary leader, extremely hard-working, effective, collaborative, and focused on Pitt’s vision and strategic priorities. I am so fortunate and privileged to learn from such an inspirational leader;  in this stage of my career it is certainly a unique and one-time opportunity”.

Natalia will return to UL Lafayette equipped with new skills, knowledge, and ideas that will contribute to our efforts building a prominent and sustainable future for UL Lafayette and addressing ongoing and emerging challenges faced by our and other academic institutions. “I am very grateful to President Joseph Savoie, Provost Jaimie Hebert, and Dean Azmy Ackleh for their nomination and support; and I hope many more UL Lafayette emerging leaders will have an opportunity to have the ACE Fellowship experience, “ Natalia said.

Photo collage caption: Cathedral of Learning, the University of Pittsburgh main campus, the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere and the second-tallest university building in the world; Natalia Sidorovskaia with her mentor, Ann E Cudd (on the left), the University of Pittsburgh Provost.