Dillard University President Marvalene Hughes was recently awarded the 2010 Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor's Award during the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE), held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Phoenix. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus of The George Washington University, also received the award.

The award is presented annually to acknowledge the enormous role of mentors in the success of ACE Fellows Program participants. Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff members for senior positions in college and university administrations.

"Mentors are at the heart of the individualized and experiential learning process that makes the Fellows Program unique," said Sharon A. McDade, director of the ACE Fellows Program. "We are deeply indebted to Presidents Hughes and Trachtenberg and to the thousands of presidents and senior officers of colleges and universities who have served as mentors and nominators for Fellows."

For her efforts, the American Council on Education awarded Dr. Hughes $5,000 to be used within Dillard University as she sees fit.

Earlier this year, Dr. Hughes was honored by her alma mater, Florida State University, as one of the school's 100 Distinguished Graduates. Dr. Hughes joins an impressive group of luminaries, including astronauts, governors, actresses and Olympians.