The mission of the Massachusetts ACE Network is to identify, support and advance women in all segments of Massachusetts higher education and to promote the diversity of women and their contributions in Massachusetts higher education.

To fulfill its mission, The Network supports networking for career opportunities and professional growth for women in higher education and its associated organizations, collaborates with others who promote the advancement of women in higher education at the local, regional, and national levels. The Network also has a network of Institutional Representatives who distribute information about the Massachusetts ACE NNWL to women within their institutions and organizations.

With a grant from the Carnegie Corporation in 1977, ACE’s Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE) started the ACE National Identification Program, which is now the ACE Network.

Through the National Identification Program, OWHE aimed to address the needs of women and the issues relating to women’s leadership in higher education. OWHE identified these needs and issues during its early years, through meetings with women faculty and administrators throughout the United States. This mission is still relevant today, and networks across the nation continue to support it.

The ACE Network is a national system of networks within each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Each state network is led by state coordinator who works with intuitional representatives and at least one presidential sponsor to develop programs that identify, develop, encourage, advance, link, and support women in higher education careers within that state. In addition, members of the Executive Board of the ACE Network serve as advisers to OWHE, liaisons to the state networks, and mentors to state coordinators.