Cal State East Bay Concord Campus Director Named American Council on Education Fellow

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Robert Phelps

  • March 26, 2015

Robert Phelps, director of California State University, East Bay’s Concord Campus and associate professor of history, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2015-16 academic year.

Phelps has authored numerous articles on the history of California and the American West, and has also worked extensively in the realm of public history, serving as an interpretive advisor and content editor for a number of historical museums, including the Oakland Museum of California.

In addition, Phelps was the director of CSUEB’s University Honors Program, where he expanded the student cohort four-fold, developed community service projects in partnership with such well-known institutions as Habitat for Humanity, and was awarded two consecutive Bank of America grants to develop a high school mentoring program in inner-city Oakland.

A past recipient of the Concord Campus’ “Outstanding Professor of the Year” award, Phelps was appointed campus director in April 2013. During his tenure he has instituted a new campus strategic plan, initiated a free student and faculty shuttle between campus and the local BART station, and opened a new, leading-edge organic chemistry lab to accelerate the development of STEM-based academic programs.

The ACE Fellows Program, now in its 50th year, seeks to strengthen higher education institutions by identifying and preparing emerging leaders for senior positions in college and university administration. Over those five decades nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated, with more than 300 Fellows having served as chief executive officers of colleges or universities, including Cal State East Bay President Leroy M. Morishita. This year, 47 Fellows, nominated by the senior administration of their institutions, were selected following a rigorous application process.

As an ACE Fellow, Phelps will attend retreats, visit campuses in the U.S. and abroad, and work with a university president or senior administrators at another higher education institution. “As a significant percentage of the Concord Campus student body is composed of transfer students, I hope to spend my fellowship year examining the relationship between community colleges and branch campuses like Concord,” Phelps said. “I’m particularly interested in the potential for collaboration between the two in developing seamless systems of higher education in regions lacking large residential campuses. Gaining that kind of insight will be critical for the future of the Concord Campus and higher education in Contra Costa County. I’m excited for the opportunity to serve our university and our community.”