SU alum named first female president of education program

By: Sandra Plasse

Posted: 1/28/08

Molly Broad, an alumna of Syracuse University, was recently named president of the American Council on Education (ACE), the first woman to hold the position.

Broad "is policy-oriented, persistent and nice" said Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw, chancellor emeritus at SU. "Everyone is proud of Molly, but not surprised."

ACE is an organization focused to better education and implement public policy through research, advocacy and program initiatives, according to the ACE Web site.

"Broad is the first in what I think, will be many women ACE presidents," Shaw said.

Broad, a 1962 alum, graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics, a field where there are not many females.

"I believe that if she started out just like me, I have all the tools to get where she is as well," said Gabrielle Barreto, a freshman economics major.

Barreto said Broad is a very influential female figure in a field dominated by males.

When at SU, Broad was a member of the honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. The society has a number of illustrious leaders around the world including former presidents, said Eric Holzworth, president of Phi Beta Kappa.

It "reflects well on Phi Beta Kappa and Syracuse University for (Broad) to have such an achievement," Holzworth said.

After graduating, Broad continued her education receiving a master's degree at Ohio State University. In 1971 Broad returned to SU where she held different administrative positions over a period of approximately 14 years. She then became chief executive officer of Arizona's university system in 1985 for the next seven years.

She served in the California State University system as senior vice chancellor for administration and finance for a year. She then became executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer in 1993. She maintained that position until she was named president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina in 1997. The University enrolls approximately 190,000 students and comprises all the public institutions where students can receive bachelor's degrees, according to the UNC Web site.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor served on the search committee for Broad's appointment as president of ACE and said that Broad was impressive.

"Broad has had a very distinguished career in higher education, and is perfectly positioned to represent the diverse interests of higher education, as she has been at privates and publics across the country," Cantor said.