Alumni News

Dr. Denisa Gándara (IHE PhD) has been selected for the William T. Grant Scholar class of 2026. The Scholars Program supports the development of early-career researchers whose work can inform future policy development for US higher education institutions. Scholars receive a grant of $350,000 for a five-year research plan, access to a network of scholars and experts, and professional development through retreats and workshops.

Dr. George Spencer moderated a conversation with three IHE graduates and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders who discussed how individuals and institutions can move towards racial equity in all aspects of higher education.

The panelists were Dr. Ed Lee III of Emory University, Dr. Dominique Quarles of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Tiffanie Spencer of the University of Vermont.

With the cost of and need for college degrees rising, a common solution across 23 states has been to allow community colleges to award bachelor’s degrees. The perceived expansion of the traditional community college role has caused concern over how the policies affect neighboring 4-year institutions.

Studies into higher education services and outcomes for the trans* community are emerging, but accessible and meaningful data is lacking.

In a new brief in Educational Researcher (March 2021), co-written by Karly Ford, Kelly Rosinger (IHE PhD), Junghee Choi, and Gabriel Pulido, the authors urge major surveys to consider how to include gender and sex data in an inclusive way.

"Binary categories are insufficient for capturing gender identities," write the authors, and they warn that a generic other option "is quite literally 'othering'" students in the trans* community.

Congratulations to IHE graduate Kathy Pharr, who was named Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the University of Georgia. 

Pharr, chief of staff in the Office of the President, has served as interim vice president for marketing and communications since July 1.  She will continue the responsibilities of both Cabinet-level posts on a permanent basis.

Torie Johnson (EdD 2017) received well-deserved recognition in UGA's Columns for her work highlighting the academic accomplishments at schools in the SEC.

"Torie Johnson was going to be a sportscaster. In fact, she wanted to anchor SportsCenter on ESPN.

She was on her way—becoming the first black editor of her school’s student newspaper; earning a degree in journalism from Baylor University; and interning in the field, including one position with the Houston Astros.

Dr. Josh Patterson (PhD 2020) issues a call to action to higher education leaders to protect and strengthen its forums for religious, spiritual and secular identity exploration.

He maintains that requiring students to participate in a course on religious studies promotes healthier and deeper understanding of an individual's own beliefs and productive exchanges on differences. Patterson writes, "The courses colleges offer matter, now more than ever."

Rebeca Perdomo (PhD 2019) is the director of policy analysis and information at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

She leads the Office of Policy Analysis and Information's efforts to provide policy analyses and reports on issues affecting Hispanic higher education success and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), support HACU Government Relations advocacy efforts, and develop an information library on Hispanic higher education data and policy.

Not all higher education intermediary organizations experience the sustained growth and effectiveness of Complete College America (CCA).

In "Becoming a “game changer”: Complete College America’s role in U.S. higher education policy fields," Erik C. Ness, Paul G. Rubin and Lindsey Hammond unpack some noteworthy characteristics that have contributed to CCA's decade of success and influence.

The researchers delved into organizational archives and conducted extensive interviews with CCA members and key policymakers in three states.

In a broad survey of master’s and doctoral institutions spanning the decade around the 2008 financial crisis, Jim Hearn and Rachel Burns (PhD 2018) found no evidence that the tenure structure leads to inefficiencies in budget.

Current research studies on contingency effects lack a holistic view of organizational costs and financial goals, and they tend to narrowly consider only short-term analyses. The authors address these limits in their longitudinal study.

Drawing on recent work relating a reduction of racial bias with diversity education, Josh Patterson (PhD 2020) and Robert L. Foster seek to provide a foundation for studies seeking to explore the effects of religious education on ecumenical outlook.

They write, "[B]eyond understanding the effect of [curricular] interventions on students, we also need to understand how students come to take religion courses, or not, in the first place."

Barrett Taylor (PhD 2012) is quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education article, "'Many people are seeing different facts': Carnegie Mellon official's emails on election spark outcry" (Jan. 11, 2021).

Senior reporter, Lindsay Ellis, points out that practice of hiring former lawmakers and government administrators into academic or affiliated positions is not uncommon, but that "hiring officials from the [Trump] administration might be "too controversial and too compromising."

Mr. Narke Norton (MEd 2019) positively touches lives that will shape the future. This morning he received a President's Fulfilling the Dream award at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast, sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, the Clarke County School District, and the University of Georgia.

Three IHE graduates collaborated for a chapter in Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education (2020). 

Paul G. Rubin, Erin B. Ciarimboli, and Lindsay B. Coco wrote, "Governing Boards and Their Relationship to Gender Issues in Higher Education" for the compilation. 

View the publication.

Toni Rogers (MEd) has been named the incoming associate vice president for academic fiscal affairs at the University of Georgia, effective January 1. In her new role, she will provide oversight in academic financial planning and assist academic units in fiscal matters. 

The theme of this year's ASHE virtual conference is "Advancing Full Participation," and the IHE community has responded in a big way. Check out the sessions below. More information at https://www.ashe.ws/schedule2020. 

IHE is a proud ASHE 2020 breakout room sponsor.

Preconference Programming

On November 6, the Institute welcomed back Angela Bell (PhD 2009) and Melissa Whatley (PhD 2019) for virtual presentations on the state of study abroad research and how these programs can survive the pandemic and emerge as agents for more equitable opportunities and outcomes for college students.

Denisa Gándara (PhD 2016) and co-author Amy Li investigate Promise programs in an paper published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Their article, “Promise for Whom? ‘Free-College’ Programs and Enrollments by Race and Gender Classifications at Public, 2-Year Colleges” tracks the effectiveness of 33 different programs on first-time college students by race/ethnicity and gender.

Ashley Clayton (IHE Postdoc 2016-2017) and co-author Paul Umbach evaluate the effectiveness of North Carolina's college access campaign in increasing the overall number of applications submitted to the state's postsecondary institutions and low-income student enrollment figures.

North Carolina was an early sponsor of state-wide campaigns to encourage applications and one of the few states that removes application fees for during the campaign.

Karen Webber and Rachel Burns (PhD 2018) appear in Research in Higher Education. Noting the upward trend in borrowing among graduate and professional students, Webber and Burns investigate the implications on students and institutions and on policy development. 

Lindsay Coco (PhD 2015) has been named by the University of Georgia in its inaugural group of Unsung Heroes. This recognition highlights the contributions of "outstanding staff members who have played an essential role in keeping UGA running smoothly during the COVID-19 pandemic."

As the assistant director for initiatives in the Division of Academic Enhancement, Lindsay helps students overcome major challenges during the pandemic (like loss of employment, no access to internet, and no computer) and continue progress toward their degrees.

Denisa Gándara (PhD 2016) and Meredith Billings (Postdoc, 2017-2019) present Causal Inference for Policy Analysis in Higher Education on Friday, October 30 from 12:00-1:30 eastern.

Daniel Thompson (EdD 2015) was promoted in May to senior education research analyst in the Federal Student Aid office at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, he monitors institutional management of Federal Student Aid Title IV funds, performs program reviews, and educates institutions on compliance with federal policies.

Denisa Gándara (PhD 2016) was quoted in two articles at the end of July on tuition in the pandemic: one in the Washington Post and another in Education Dive.  

The Post article, "Discount, Freeze or Increase? How Universities are Handling Tuition this Fall," addresses the multifaceted challenges faced by higher education institutions and share some approaches implemented across the US. "We can't talk about prices without talking about costs," said Gándara.

Maya Mapp became the Student Government & Leadership Coordinator at the University of California Santa Cruz in August 2020.

In this position, Maya mentors and supports SGA officers, particularly in their leadership development, budgeting and finance, programming, and compliance.