The American Council on Education (ACE) has appointed Dr. Nicolette DeVille Christensen, president of Arcadia University, to its Commission on Internationalization and Global Engagement. The appointment, which began on Aug. 1, 2015, runs through June 30, 2018.

The Commission on Internationalization and Global Engagement helps ACE’s Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement in developing policy positions on international education and global issues, conducting research on critical topics in the field, sponsoring programs to help member institutions advance strategic internationalization, and representing U.S. higher education internationally. The Commission meets during the ACE Annual Meeting and in conjunction with the Leadership Network for International Education to discuss major issues in the internationalization of higher education.

A globally recognized scholar and leader in international education, President DeVille Christensen joined Arcadia in 2008, helping to lead the transition of the University’s then-Center for Education Abroad to The College of Global Studies, a full-fledged college of Arcadia University. There, she helped to expand Arcadia’s global footprint by negotiating and establishing new academic centers in Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Havana, Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Rome, and Sicily.

President DeVille Christensen has lent her unique insight into international education to several task forces and committees, including the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the United Nations Task Force on Education, and the United Nations Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution, and Peace (founded by the International Association of University Presidents, in conjunction with the UN).

“Global engagement has been a core tenet of the Arcadia University experience for many years,” said President DeVille Christensen, “and it also is a deep personal area of focus for me, one that has guided and influenced my academic career. I look forward with great anticipation to collaborating with expert colleagues and the esteemed members of ACE on this important commission.”  

ACE is the nation’s most visible and influential higher education association, representing the presidents of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions, which include two- and four-year colleges, private and public universities, and nonprofit and for-profit entities. The council counts among its base more than 1,700 member institutions.