ACEx2025 Sessions and Events

Join us for the inaugural ACE on the Hill event, where ACE Member presidents and chancellors from across the nation will unite to champion the future of higher education. This Hill Day offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with policymakers, share insights, and drive impactful change. Don't miss this chance to amplify your voice, uplift your institution before Congressional leaders, and influence the direction of our educational landscape.

Registering for ACEx2025 does not guarantee registration for ACE on the Hill 2025. Separate registration is required. 

Kick off ACEx2025 with an evening of networking and camaraderie on the beautiful International Terrace at the Washington Hilton. This reception is the perfect chance to connect with college presidents, senior leaders, and industry experts. Enjoy light refreshments and stunning views as you share insights, engage in conversations, explore opportunities, and build collaborative partnerships. Don’t miss this exciting start to ACEx2025!

Join us for a compelling opening session that will set the stage for ACEx2025. Ted Mitchell, president of ACE, will begin with keynote remarks that address the most pressing challenges in higher education today, such as mounting external pressures on campus policies and practices and declining public trust. His insights will frame the urgent need for leadership, innovation, and action in this pivotal moment.

Following his remarks, Mitchell will engage in an inspiring fireside chat with Tressie McMillian Cottom, a renowned sociologist, 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and New York Times opinion columnist known for her incisive critiques and transformative ideas. Together, Mitchell and McMillan Cottom will explore the evolving landscape and discuss strategies to rebuild trust, adapt to change, and shape a more sustainable future. This session will provide a critical, thought-provoking examination of the current state of the field and offer bold ideas for the future of higher education.

Experts will explore how Congress and the new Trump administration will tackle pressing questions about the cost of college and graduate education as well as the value of earning a degree. This debate, which is crucial to the public perception of colleges and universities, has become increasingly prominent in recent years and drives discussions about college affordability and student debt relief. The outcomes of these discussions could significantly influence the 2025 legislative and executive agendas for higher education.

Join a thought-provoking discussion on the future of accreditation and institutional accountability in this forward-looking session. Gain valuable insights into how accrediting bodies are adapting to ensure academic quality, equity, and innovation that will meet the needs of today’s diverse student populations. Attendees will gain insights into ways accreditation processes can balance regulatory rigor with flexibility to drive both institutional improvement and student success. 

With each generation, higher education wrestles anew with this question: What is college truly for? Is the primary purpose of postsecondary education to prepare students for the workforce? Or is it to achieve a loftier goal of setting up graduates for lives that are full of meaning, happiness, and intellectual curiosity? While many educators say there’s a place for both, recent research and student testimonials raise serious doubts about whether higher education—at least on a national scale—is delivering either its pragmatic or romantic objectives.

For myriad reasons, such as economic anxiety and broader skepticism about the state of the world, students are now approaching college as a transactional endeavor in which the more aspirational benefits of education, including self-discovery, may seem like luxuries. Yet many young people say they are searching for  meaning and purpose that they are struggling to derive from college. How can colleges better provide what is currently lacking? And what does the future look like if they are unable to do so?

This illuminating session on the evolving landscape of free speech within U.S. higher education features Deborah N. Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, who will explore significant shifts and current challenges that affect free speech on campuses. Historical perspectives, recent developments, and unique conditions that shape today’s discourse—such as digital communications, campus diversity, and political polarization—will be considered.

Archer will provide expert insights into the current legal and social dynamics that influence academic freedom and expression. This session is designed to equip administrators and policymakers with comprehensive understanding and strategies to effectively address free speech issues in their educational environments.

In addition to this dynamic discussion, the session will include the presentation of the prestigious TIAA Institute Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence in Higher Education, named in honor of the late Theodore M. Hesburgh, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame (IN), esteemed leader in higher education, and former member of the TIAA and CREF Boards of Overseers for 28 years. This award recognizes a current college or university president/chancellor who embodies the spirit of the late Reverend Hesburgh, his commitment to higher education, and his contributions to the greater good.

In this exclusive session for presidents and chancellors, a former university president will discuss lessons learned from her time in and out of office. 

In this dynamic session, Tony Bennett—former Dean and Markel Families Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Virginia and three-time National Coach of the Year—will explore the rapidly changing world of college athletics and its impact on higher education institutions. With shifts in name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies, conference realignments, and the growing influence of student-athlete advocacy, the landscape is more complex than ever. This session will provide university leaders with key insights on navigating these changes, fostering a culture of integrity, and ensuring that athletic programs remain aligned with institutional values. Attendees will gain valuable understanding to use in supporting their athletic departments while maintaining academic and community priorities during this transformative era.

The outbreak of war in Gaza and Israel in October 2023 sent shockwaves through the world and reverberated across U.S. campuses. College and university leaders navigated vigils, demonstrations, encampments, occupations, arrests, and more. Many worried about rising antisemitism, anti-Arab hate, and tensions over free speech and campus safety. The distinguished speakers in this session will lead attendees through a candid and nuanced exploration of strategies to foster open, respectful campus dialogue about the Middle East conflict amid intensely polarized times.

The sociopolitical climate of our nation’s campuses is shaped by a range of complex and challenging factors, such as conflict in the Middle East, student protests, election tensions, an increase in hate crimes, the 24-hour news cycle, and the escalating impact of climate change. These forces all have an impact on the mental and emotional health of students, faculty, and staff. As we look to a new Trump administration, what are the key policy considerations for campus mental health? This session will bring together several experts, including a specialist who will analyze mental health data for campus populations and a mental health policy expert. Together, they will discuss how colleges and universities should be thinking about policy and campus mental health within the context of today’s sociopolitical climate. 

In this session, Sara Custer, editor in chief of Inside Higher Ed (IHE), will unveil the findings of IHE’s 2025 Survey of College and University Presidents. Higher education leaders were asked to share their opinions on key challenges in higher education, including their concerns around waning public confidence in the value of higher education, expectations of a second Trump administration, and thoughts regarding the financial sustainability of their institutions.

A panel of higher education leaders will then lend their expert insights to discuss the findings, how the survey illuminates the state of U.S. higher education, and what to expect in the future.

This session will explore diverse issues faced by universities around the world and compare them with those encountered in the United States. A panel of distinguished international university leaders will share valuable insights into strategies, policies, and innovations that are tailored to address both common and unique challenges in higher education. Their global perspectives will not only broaden understanding of educational trends beyond U.S. borders but also enhance collaborative efforts to advance higher education worldwide.

This reception is sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

The landscape of higher education is growing increasingly complex as outside forces and entrenched cultures are making institutional future planning and investment more challenging than ever. Higher education leaders are accustomed to navigating uncertainty and have been dealing with shifting demographics, the emergence of online learning, and evolving student expectations for decades.

But many higher education leaders are beginning to feel that prevailing business and governance models are under too much strain to survive in their current forms. This sentiment is largely driven by the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the acceleration of existing drivers related to diminished public trust and public support, politicization, and affordability. In response to these dynamics, savvy leaders are reevaluating institutional preparedness and their capacity to weather the evolving external environment.

This session will explore four potential scenarios to help leaders prepare for a range of future possibilities, stretch their current thinking, and make their institutions more adaptable. What will higher education look like in 2035? What impact will AI have on how we learn, what jobs are needed, and how universities operate? What role will social cohesion play in shaping the sector’s trajectory?

Join us for a lively and insightful discussion about how institutions can position themselves to thrive by using these scenarios to inform planning and foster institutional resilience.

This session is sponsored by Deloitte.

In this compelling session, former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Jeff Flake will offer unique insights into the current state of American democracy and its intersection with higher education. Drawing on his career in public service, Flake will explore the political dynamics that are shaping the nation and discuss their implications for colleges and universities. Attendees will leave with not only a deeper understanding of the interplay between politics and higher education but also actionable strategies to address emerging challenges. 

The United States’ shifting demographics present both challenges and opportunities for higher education. In this future-focused session, top experts from the U.S. Census Bureau and academia will explore how demographics are changing—declining birth rates, evolving racial and ethnic compositions, and shifting socioeconomic trends—as well as the critical implications of these variances. These developments will profoundly influence the recruitment strategies, enrollment patterns, and support services that are required to help students from diverse backgrounds and age groups successfully complete their degrees.

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education® has reimagined how research is represented across U.S. institutions. This session will begin by contrasting the previous and updated versions to highlight how the revisions better reflect the true scope of research activities across higher education. A panel of presidents will then share firsthand experiences of how research affects undergraduate education and serves as a vital component of their institutions’ missions. These leaders will discuss how the refined Carnegie Classifications, which include research designations as separate listings from the Institutional Classifications, will help their institutions to better communicate their research excellence and societal significance. Attendees will gain insights into how the new designations account for various research outputs, collaborative efforts, and cross-disciplinary work that is reshaping the academic landscape—a meaningful end to the impactful ACEx2025 event! 

Systematically Advancing Women in Higher Education Leadership

The session features a dynamic conversation between Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and Ted Mitchell, president of ACE. Together, they will explore effective strategies for advancing and supporting women in higher education leadership roles. The discussion will delve into innovative practices, policy considerations, and actionable steps that institutions can adopt to foster an inclusive environment in which women leaders can thrive. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges women face in ascending to leadership positions and learn how transformative change can be implemented within their own organizations to promote gender equity in higher education leadership.