Carol Hood, a Cal State San Bernardino professor of physics and director of the Murillo Family Observatory, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for 2022-2023.

Hood, who joined CSUSB as an assistant professor in 2012, joins 45 other academics around the country who were selected as ACE Fellows following nomination by senior administrators at their institutions and a rigorous application process.

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in U.S. higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model. About 2,500 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities.

“The ACE Fellows program embodies ACE’s goal of enriching the capacity of agile leaders to problem-solve and innovate, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “Fellows continue to excel in prominent leadership roles, and the potential of this new cohort to bring strong leadership to institutions across America greatly excites me.”

“I am very grateful and excited to be given this extraordinary opportunity. I look forward to sharing the knowledge and experiences I have gained here at CSUSB, while also exploring higher education leadership at a different institution,” Hood said. “I stand ready to return armed with new perspectives to inform and strengthen my work at CSUSB.”

Hood also serves as associate director of the Cal-Bridge program, a faculty-led partnership between the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems designed for CSU students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, mathematics, computer science or computer engineering. The Cal-Bridge program provides support for these diverse CSU students with academic potential to matriculate into doctorate programs in STEM at UCs across the state, with the goal of promoting increased diversity and inclusion of historically underrepresented group earning doctorate degrees in these STEM fields.

Hood has also been recognized for her work with students having been named CSUSB’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor for 2020-2021. University president Tomás D. Morales praised Hood, saying, “I’ve seen your passion, your commitment and your dedication to student success and providing really extraordinary mentoring and career and life guidance. I couldn’t think of a better faculty advisor to recognize.”

Hood completed her doctorate and master’s degree in physics and astronomy at UC Irvine and earned a B.S. in physics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The ACE program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.

During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institution, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institution and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.

At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home institution with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.


About ACE
ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, ACE represents more than 1,700 college and university presidents and related associations. For more information, visit the ACE website or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.