About MI-ACE

As an affiliate of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network, the Michigan ACE (MI-ACE) is the professional network for Michigan women in higher education. We work in concert with the ACE Office of Inclusive Excellence Group nationally to identify, develop, encourage, advance, link, and support (IDEALS) women in higher education.

The MI-ACE was formed in 1978, one year after the national program was inaugurated. Initially, a planning committee (now the Executive Board) was formed to represent all segments of higher education in the state, and a woman holding a senior-level administrative position was identified to lead the effort. A 16-member Executive Board, led by the State Chair, currently conducts the network’s activities along with Institutional Representatives.

MI-ACE is an award-winning network. The network was nationally recognized in 2005 by the ACE Office of Women in Higher Education and again in 2016 when it received the National ACE State Network Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education.

ACE Women’s Network

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The ACE Women's Network is a national system of networks within each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia with the goal of advancing and supporting women in higher education. Each state network is led by a state chair who works with institutional representatives and at least one presidential sponsor to develop programs that identify, develop, encourage, advance, link, and support (IDEALS) women in higher education careers within that state.

The state networks are linked to one another through their connection with the American Council on Education (ACE)​ and the ACE Women's Network Executive Council (WNEC), a group of senior women executives from across the country who serve as both mentors to the state chairs and as advisers to ACE on the overall functioning of the ACE Women’s Network. State chairs also benefit from the mentorship and advice from college and university presidents and chancellors who have agreed to serve as presidential sponsors.

We envision an open and just higher education environment in which women and men share their talents and voices equally in management and policy making to improve the quality of higher education. Therefore, we focus on building a substantial network of women in Michigan higher education by providing leadership, resources, and services such as professional development, networking, partnering with women’s networks in other professional fields, and engaging in public advocacy to empower our members to achieve career success and gain a greater voice.
The ACE Women's Network facilitates the networking of women interested in pursuing leadership opportunities in higher education. A four-part structure—the WNEC; independent, state-based networks with state chairs; presidential sponsors; and institutional representatives—facilitates these connections, allows for sharing of best practices, particularly at the ACE Women’s Network Leadership Conference, and enables local leadership training by the state networks. ​Learn more about the history of the ACE Women's Network.