SF State professor Wanda M. L. Lee named ACE Fellow

SAN FRANCISCO, August 9, 2011 – Wanda M. L. Lee, professor of counseling at San Francisco State University, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2011-12 academic year. Lee is one of 50 higher education professionals selected this year for the prestigious international leadership development program.

The ACE Fellows program is designed to strengthen institutional capacity and build leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for leadership roles. The one-year fellowship allows each participant to focus on projects involving issues of concern to their institution. Lee’s primary project over the next year will focus on structural reorganization in higher education due to unprecedented budget cuts. 

“I’m interested in finding the right balance between maintaining educational quality, giving voice to the students, faculty, staff and administrators who are most impacted and what we must do to meet the urgent demands of recurring financial crises,” said Lee. “While there are significant differences between how restructuring is undertaken in public education and the corporate sector, it’s worth examining both private and public sector approaches across the nation to determine best practices and minimize negative repercussions.”

Lee has served as dean of faculty affairs and professional development for the past three years. A licensed psychologist, she became interested in administration while serving as the chair of the counseling department and associate dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Her research has focused on ethnic and gender issues in higher education, faculty recruitment and student counseling. Her textbook, “Introduction to Multicultural Counseling for Helping Professionals,” is currently in its second edition. Lee has served on a number of boards and review committees in the psychology field. The Los Altos resident earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from the University of Oregon.

The ACE Fellows program has selected more than 1,600 participants since it was founded in 1965. More than 300 Fellows have become chief executive officers and more than 1,000 have become university provosts, vice presidents and deans.

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 provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy.

San Francisco State University is the only master's-level public university serving the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. The University enrolls more than 30,000 students each year. With nationally acclaimed programs in a range of fields -- from creative writing, cinema and biology to history, broadcast and electronic communication arts, theatre arts and ethnic studies -- the University's more than 205,000 alumni have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.

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