Lewis, Rico named ACM Fellows, begin two-year leadership appointments July 1

Two Lawrence University faculty members have been named Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Academic Leadership Fellows, two-year appointments designed to provide immersive learning experiences in academic leadership.

Nora Lewis ’99, associate dean of faculty and associate professor of music, and Monica Rico, the Robert S. French Professor of American Studies and professor of history, will begin their terms as ACM Fellows on July 1.

Lewis will step into a full-time role as associate provost. Rico will take on the responsibilities of establishing the Humanities Center, a hub for creative, collaborative work being built into West Campus, the new four-story building scheduled to open in time for Fall Term 2025.

As ACM fellows, they will be matched with mentors, participate in professional development sessions on topics such as budgeting practices and leading through crisis, and will attend two immersive summer institutes with other emerging leaders. 

Lewis and Rico are two of 10 ACM Fellows chosen for the 2025-27 cohort. Supported by a generous $1.16 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, the prestigious ACM Academic Leadership Fellows Program offers tenured faculty in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences the opportunity to level up their expertise in a wide range of leadership areas. Each fellow will receive professional development, course release time, and their college will receive funding to hire replacement instructors.

Lewis returned to Lawrence in 2018 to teach oboe in the Conservatory of Music. In 2022, she took on the added responsibility of associate dean of faculty, providing key leadership in the provost’s office while continuing to teach and perform. The new role builds on that experience. 

“My commitment to Lawrence's mission and values was strengthened during my dual degree studies in music performance and philosophy, a perspective that helps inform my approach to the various facets of academic affairs,” Lewis said. “I am also honored for the opportunity to work with and learn from other fellows in my cohort through the professional development and mentoring opportunities this fellowship provides.”

Rico joined the Lawrence faculty in 2001. She specializes in the history of early and nineteenth-century America, with academic interests touching on transatlantic history, the American West, and gender and environmental history. She’s been honored multiple times both on campus and in the Fox Cities community for her scholarship, teaching, and outreach. 

She said the Humanities Center has boundless possibilities in connecting faculty and students across campus and building bridges between Lawrence and the wider community, all focused on the humanistic disciplines.

“These disciplines endure because they benefit individuals and communities,” Rico said. “I’m excited about bringing Lawrence faculty and staff together with Fox Cites residents to see how we can learn together in this beautiful new space.”