American Council on Education (ACE)

The American Council on Education (ACE) was founded in 1918.  The more than 1600 members include presidents and chancellors from all types of college and universities across the United States, including two and four year, public and private, and nonprofit and for-profit institutions (American Council on Education, 2011).  As part of ACE's strategic plan, the leaders of the organization strive to advocate for the members on key issues in higher education, increase non-traditional student college attendance, encourage diverse and substantial leadership at institutions, serve as a resource to its members, and endeavor to improve the efficiency and financial stability of the organization (American Council on Education, 2011).

ACE's 2010 Annual Report discussed their efforts regarding financial aid during that year.  In 2010, ACE provided details to membership so that they could be informed and have a unified front on many student financial aid issues in particular (American Council on Education, 2010).  ACE (2010) identified the achievements for higher education in 2010 to include an expansion of the Pell Grant, an extension of the tax credit for education, additional stimulus funding for research, and a seemingly easy transition to direct lending for students loans.

In response to President Obama's proclamation, "By 2020, American will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world" (as cited in American Council on Education, 2010, p. 7), ACE encouraged increased discussion related to the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistant Improvements Act of 2010.  ACE insists that this population, among others, are critical to reach in attaining President Obama's goal (American Council on Education, 2010).  For the same purpose, ACE worked to progress its GED 21st Century Initiative in an effort to assist the 39 million Americans who currently do not have high school diplomas.  Additionally, they forged partnerships with governors across the United States to assist in efforts to raise standards in K-12 schools and help those students have an easier track to colleges and universities (American Council on Education, 2010).



References

American Council on Education. (2011).  About ACE.  Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_ACE

American Council on Education (2010).  Annual Report 2010: Ahead of the Curve.  Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/About/AnnualReport/2010AnnualReport.pdf