Jack Rice Selected as Fellow in the sixth cohort of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership

The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership cohort, an eight-month collaborative program that is co-hosted by Arizona State University and Georgetown University, is designed to prepare fellows to lead organizational change at their colleges and universities.

Jack Rice, the director of Montessori education at Loyola University Maryland, is the first person at Loyola to be chosen for this leadership cohort. Jack participated in the innovation taskforce at Loyola, which led to the creation of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola. The experience inspired Jack to have discussions with Josh Smith, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, about how to bring innovative change to the University in other areas. To support this initiative, he applied to the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership cohort and was selected as a fellow in the sixth cohort.

The program invites about 40 leaders from private and public universities across the U.S. each year to be a part of a cohort. During the program, fellows experience professional development, receive coaching and mentorship from prior cohorts, and take part in an innovation project that’s implemented at their university.

Jack’s project will focus on the School of Education’s professional development and continuing education initiatives. The project helps leaders to understand their own university and the context surrounding how to be successful at bringing innovative change. Jack hopes that this opportunity will help him to lead and inspire others to support Loyola in continuing to offer innovative new programs that meet changing market demands and needs. 

“Higher education is at a pivot point. There’s a tremendous opportunity to look at things differently. And that’s what I want to be able to do through this program.”