HCC’s Dr. Ritu Raju Named American Council on Education Fellow
Apr 10, 2017
The American Council on Education (ACE) named Dr. Ritu Raju, Division Chair, Speech, Communication, and Sign Language at Houston Community College (HCC) 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.
"Fulfilling higher education’s 21st century mission depends upon a visionary, bold and diverse global community of institutional leaders, and the ACE Fellows Program plays a key role in cultivating these leaders,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad.
In addition to her faculty role, 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, as well as in developing and implementing academic programs. She also has a long and extensive track record of service and has served on a number of committees and councils at HCC, such as the Web Governance Committee, Technology Council, and LMS Committee. Raju was a board member at-large for the Council for Programs in Scientific and Technical Communication from 2012-2014.
Raju was honored with a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013. She was nominated for Best Dissertation Award in Technical Communication in 2011 and has several academic publications and conference presentations to her credit.
Raju served the Indian-American and the Houston community in various capacities. A proud graduate of Leadership Houston, she 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. Raju served on the boards of the Indo-American Charity Forum and Youth Leadership Development Program. She is an avid lover of classical music and dance, and she writes poetry and reviews.
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.