A group of eight Fellows from the American Council on Education will be visiting the Durban University of Technology today, to engage with South African Higher Education leaders on various issues similarly facing universities in both South Africa and the USA.

The planned visit includes a tour of the DUT City Campus and a panel discussion on issues like University tuition, student activism and the role of higher education in regional economic development. These are among a range of issues that the current crop of ACE Fellows saw as currently facing universities in both countries, in addition to their effort to strengthen international partnerships, designed to enhance research and learning.

The ACE Fellows programme is a platform to provide a comprehensive, professional development opportunity for emerging higher education administrators through placement and mentorship at another institution of higher learning. The fellows participate in a series of structured seminars as well as visits to other University campuses, systems and organisations linked to the operations of post-secondary education.
Beyond the shared concerns, ACE has a history of partnership with Universities South Africa, formerly Higher

Education South Africa. Between 2003 and 2008, 22 senior South African leaders in higher education participated in the HESA/ACE Exchange programme including DUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Nomthandazo Gwele, Prof Darren Lortan and DUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Thandwa Mthembu, who said that the experience remains invaluable to him and that to some extent it contributed to his training as a VC.

Ace Programme: ACE Program

Bongani Gema