Up-and-Coming Higher Education Leader Chooses Mars Hill University For Fellowship

September 10, 2021

Bryan Boatright, an assistant vice president at the University of Mount Union, has selected Mars Hill University as the site to complete his fellowship through the American Council on Education. Boatright is one of 52 members of the 2021-22 ACE Fellows cohort. The ACE Fellows Program is designed to give emerging higher education leaders the opportunity to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year through retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution. Over the course of the 2021-22 academic year, Boatright will spend time at Mars Hill, observing and being mentored by President Tony Floyd and other senior university leaders.

Boatright is assistant vice president for academic affairs-academic systems at Mount Union, a four-year, private, liberal arts university in Alliance, Ohio. He has been with Mount Union since 2016 and has a career in higher education spanning more than a decade, working in admissions, student services, teaching, registration administration, and academic affairs leadership. He serves on more than a dozen higher education committees with a wide array of charges and oversees the academic systems unit of Mount Union’s Office of Academic Affairs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, and accounting from Carthage College, a Master of Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University, and a Doctor of Education from Argosy University.

“From the moment I arrived on campus, I knew Mars Hill University was the perfect fit for my ACE Fellowship placement,” Boatright said. “President Floyd, along with his exceptional leadership team, warmly welcomed me on to campus and into the MHU world. I was immediately impressed with the faculty, staff, and students. You won’t find many places like Mars Hill. But when you do, you know you need to learn as much as you can and be as involved as possible. I am incredibly excited to join the MHU leadership team for the 21-22 academic year and to become part of the Mars Hill Lion family!”

The program benefits not only the fellow, but also the host institution, which receives the benefit of a visiting experienced leader who can lend a fresh perspective and contribute expertise.

“Dr. Boatright had a choice to go almost anywhere in the country to do his fellowship and he chose Mars Hill University,” said Floyd. “That speaks volumes for our faculty, our staff, and our upward trajectory as an institution. We are very proud of this opportunity to host a fellow and look forward to opening our arms to Dr. Boatright and also hopefully learning from him during his year at Mars Hill University.”

Selection as a host institution is an indicator of Mars Hill’s growing reputation as a leader among academic institutions in the region. It reflects the institution’s efforts of devoting time and resources to innovation, while continuing to build on previous successes rooted in the liberal arts tradition.

“The ACE Fellows Program is higher education’s premium leadership program,” said Floyd, who was an ACE Fellow in 2014-15. “There are typically only 25-30 Fellows stationed throughout the country in any given year. It is an honor for Mars Hill University to host an ACE Fellow and it is a huge honor to be in such great company as the institutions that are joining us in hosting a fellow.”

Since 1965, nearly 2,000 vice presidents, deans, department chairs, faculty, and other emerging leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program. The ACE Fellows Program helps ensure that higher education’s future leaders are ready to take on real-world challenges and serve the capacity-building needs of their institutions.