Jackie Clark appointed ACM Academic Leadership Fellow

Jackie Clark, professor of sociology and Helen Swift Neilson Professor of Cultural Studies, has been designated as an Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Academic Leadership Fellow in the second cohort of appointed leaders. 

She is one of 10 faculty at nine ACM colleges appointed for two-year terms beginning in July 2025. The program will allow faculty to gain firsthand knowledge of the operations of campus leadership at the highest levels, allowing them to assist their colleges in addressing current challenges and opportunities.

The program is supported by a $1.16 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, and it offers tenured faculty in the arts, humanities and humanistic social sciences the chance to enhance their skills across various leadership areas. Each fellow will receive an annual stipend of $20,000, as well as professional development opportunities and course release time, while their colleges will receive funding to hire replacement instructors.

Fellows will be matched with mentors, participate in professional development and attend two immersive summer institutes. They will also lead a discrete project or portfolio of responsibilities as identified by the host college’s senior leadership team.

“I am grateful for this opportunity, and am excited about collaborating with and learning from administrative mentors and other ACM Fellows, as well as fellows from the Associated Colleges of the South and the New York Six,” Clark said. “Having the opportunity to amplify and implement humanistic approaches to the challenges that colleges are facing is especially exciting and timely, and I am looking forward to doing this important work.”

Ripon’s Vice President and Dean of Faculty John Sisko said participation in this competitive program allows the College to further strengthen its leadership base, by providing impactful training and mentorship that is not always easy to provide internally.

“Dr. Clark will engage with the other ACM Academic Leadership Fellows in the cohort and, working with an external mentor, she will advance high-impact practices and curricular innovations at the College that will benefit students, staff and faculty,” Sisko said. “In addition, with Dr. Clark standing as an exemplar, recognition by ACM highlights the excellent work all of our faculty do at the College each and every day.”

Clark studies social inequalities, health and illness, visual sociology, Appalachian studies and the sociology of jobs and work. Her pastimes of exploring thrift stores, flea markets and antique stores have led her to research how and why some people collect contemptible collectibles or racist objects from the past. 

A new project of hers examines how women from different generations experience everyday sexism. She teaches classes on social inequalities, medical sociology, death and dying, as well as sociology through film and research methods.

Mary Unger, assistant dean of academic affairs, associate professor of English and director of women’s, gender and sexuality studies, was appointed as an ACM Fellow in the first cohort in 2023. 

Unger said she appreciated workshops on budget modeling, strategic planning and even a challenging crisis simulation, as those experiences gave her the tools she can now bring into her role as assistant dean of academic affairs.

“My time as an ACM Academic Leadership Fellow was an invaluable opportunity to learn different approaches to leadership, as well as develop skills to plan and implement systemic change within the evolving landscape of higher education,” Unger said. “It is rare to have such an up-close look at senior leadership in academia, so I am particularly grateful to the College, the ACM and the Mellon Foundation for this unique experience.”