For 18 years, Dr. Cindy Kane has played a key role in coordinating student activities on campus. Now she has an opportunity to broaden her professional skills.
Dr. Kane, BSU’s director of student involvement and leadership, was recently named an American Council on Education Fellow.
The prestigious fellowship is designed to strengthen leadership in higher education institutions by identifying and preparing staff for senior positions in administration. Dr. Kane who was nominated by President Frederick W. Clark Jr., is among 33 Fellows selected for the 2016-17 academic year.
“I’m so excited and so grateful to BSU for the support to even pursue this fellowship in the first place,” Dr. Kane said. “I’m also thrilled at the opportunity to learn a lot more about higher education.”
As an ACE Fellow, Dr. Kane over the next year will participate in retreats, interactive learning, and campus visits. The fellowship will also entail spending next spring semester at another university. There, and at BSU this fall, she will work with senior leaders on strategic planning – her chosen focus – and such other key areas of interest as fundraising and academic leadership.
“It’s a great opportunity for my career,” Dr. Kane said, noting that the fellowship complements the academic work she undertook to obtain her PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014. She said it is also a chance to network with higher education leaders and to learn skills from another institution that she can apply at BSU.
Dr. Kane, meanwhile, was also recently recognized for her dissertation, “Finding a Place for Scholarship in Campus Activities.” The Association of College Unions International chose the work for its 2016 Dissertation of the Year award, which honors outstanding doctoral research that contributes new and important knowledge to the profession.
“After all the work it takes to do a dissertation, it’s great to have recognition from the professional community,” she said, adding that she is hopeful her doctoral paper “is useful in moving the profession forward.”
