HCC’s Dr. Ritu Raju Named American Council on Education Fellow

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HOUSTON: The American Council on Education named Dr. Ritu Raju, Division Chair, Speech, Communication, and Sign Language at Houston Community College an ACE Fellow for the 2017-18 academic year.

The ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration. Forty-six Fellows, nominated by the senior administration of their institutions, were selected this year following a rigorous application process.

Nearly 1,900 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program since 1965, with more than 80 percent of Fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of colleges and universities. The 2017-2018 class will kick off its work this fall as ACE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018.

In addition to her faculty role at HCC, Raju is the treasurer of the Faculty Senate. She holds a Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in English from Sam Houston State University. Raju has over 15 years of experience in teaching, developing and implementing academic programs and has served on a number of committees and councils at HCC. Raju was a board member at-large for the Council for Programs in Scientific and Technical Communication from 2012-2014. Raju is a graduate of Leadership Houston, serves on the Board of Asian Scholarship Program Inspiring Results and Excellence (ASPIRE) and will be honored at the organization’s annual gala in September and has served on the boards of the Indo-American Charity Forum and Youth Leadership Development Program.

The ACE Fellows Program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities and visits to numerous campuses. 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, participants 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.

Houston Community College (HCC) is composed of 15 Centers of Excellence and numerous satellite centers that serve the diverse communities in the Greater Houston area by preparing individuals to live and work in an increasingly international and technological society.

HCC is one of the country’s largest singly-accredited, open-admission, community colleges offering associate degrees, certificates, workforce training, and lifelong learning opportunities. To learn more, visit www.hccs.edu.