Research News

"The Relationships Between State Community College Governance Centralization and Local Appropriations" appears in the latest issue of Higher Education Politics & Economics. The research by Lindsey Hammond (PhD 2020), Sean Baser (PhD student) and Alexander Cassell (MEd 2019) explores relationship between community college independence and local appropriations outcomes.

The rapid rise in popularity and monetization of Esports (virtual simulations of sports, competitive games, and military operations) in American culture is drawing the attention of higher education leaders. Welch Suggs (PhD), Jennifer May-Trifiletti (PhD student), Jim Hearn, and Julianne O'Connell (PhD student) prepared a research brief for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) that highlights potential benefits and challenges of structuring formal Esports programs at institutions of higher education. 

Melissa Whatley (PhD 2019) and Amy Stich study inequalities in access to study abroad opportunities. Their latest research findings are published in The Journal of Higher Education online.

For this mixed-methods study, they reviewed how institutions communicated with students about these programs and how policies and practices mitigated or perpetuated disparities in participation among diverse student populations.

A team of scholars with ties to the Institute "explore[s] trustees’ involvement in a qualitative comparative case study of four elite US research universities." 

The paper, "How University Leaders Shape Boundaries and Behaviors: An Empirical Examination of Trustee Involvement at Elite US Research Universities," by Sondra N. Barringer, Barrett J. Taylor, Karley A. Riffe, and Sheila Slaughter appears online in Higher Education Policy this month.

​Based on research for their recent book, Matthew Mayhew and Greg Wolniak (IHE) hypothesize that higher education will experience a “golden boomerang” effect among students from wealthier families.​ But students from lower-income backgrounds might change plans and pursue less expensive online programs or community colleges close to home.

In a recent post to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's "Get Schooled" blog, they offer five steps institutions can take to help students return to the college they signed up for.​

IHE’s postdoctoral research and teaching associate, Maurice Shirley, has received a 2020 NYU University-Wide Outstanding Dissertation Award for his work, Understanding the Effects of Student Employment on College Completion for Undergraduate Black, Latinx, and White Students at Two and Four-Year Institutions.

“I'm extremely honored to have my work recognized by NYU! With this award, I aim to continue contributing to conversations on enhancing student outcomes for traditionally underserved student populations across the U.S.”

Several higher education conference scheduled for this spring have canceled their physical meeting components. Those students and faculty who had made reservations and paid registrations through an approved travel authority already are instructed to cancel their travel plans, seeking refunds or vouchers from all vendors. Christina is available to answer your questions.

Megan Zahneis interviewed Tim Cain for her article "The Latest Assault on Tenure," published in The Chronicle of Higher Education on February 16, 2020. Zahneis profiles a tenured history professor at Centenary College, who was released in December after 19 years of teaching (12 with tenure).

Erik Ness is PI of a grant from Arnold Ventures and SHEEO to investigate authorization processes of higher education institutions across the 50 states.

The grant team, which includes PHD candidate Sean Baser, will evaluate the licensing and certification landscape across the nation and then examine several distinct state models in greater detail.

The research builds on the white paper, released last fall by SHEEO.

In January 2020, Greg Wolniak received a research grant from the Horatio Alger Association to conduct a follow-up study of the career and educational outcomes among students from adverse backgrounds. 

As a long-standing PI for the Association, in 2017 Wolniak launched the association’s first ever longitudinal study of the developmental trajectories of Horatio Alger Scholars, designed to follow the entering cohort of freshmen scholars through critical points in their college experience. 

Dr. Leslie Gordon was invited by Reinhardt University's Center for Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning to make a presentation on ePortfolios to approximately 80 faculty on January 16.  

She also met with faculty currently piloting an ePortfolio platform to offer additional guidance on preparing faculty and students for implementation of ePortfolios across the institution. 

Wolniak was named a 2020 Research Fellow for the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). The fellowship includes access to a large alumni survey database containing postcollege information on undergraduate arts majors. Using the database, Greg Wolniak and research partner, Amy Whitaker, will examine issues of diversity and equity in the arts, and the extent to which (and for whom) undergraduate arts education serves as a pathway to graduate education in fields like law and business.

IHE postdoctoral associate Maurice Shirley was named a fellow in the 2020 NCES Data Institute: Using Federal Datasets to Support Research on Postsecondary Education. The Institute provides an intensive introduction to NCES datasets and research methodologies using large-scale national data sources.

Shirley said, "I am excited about the prospect of meeting likeminded scholars, who are also dedicated to enhancing education. It's a unique opportunity to further develop a scholarly research agenda that has a positive impact on US higher education."

An article by a team of IHE faculty, students, and an alumnus appears in Educational Policy OnlineFirst. Lindsey Hammond, Philip Adams, Paul G. Rubin (PhD 2017), and Erik C. Ness use rhetorical analysis to examine how 11 influential intermediaries package their college completion policy messages.

The article, entitled “A Rhetorical Analysis of Intermediary Organization Documents on College Completion Policy,” is an extension of a five-state comparative case study into the roles that intermediary organizations play in fostering research utilization among policymakers.

A research paper by George C. Spencer, Jr. appears in The Review of Higher Education. In "Promoting the Attainment-to-Transfer Pathway: Effects of Transfer Associate Degree Policies Across States," Spencer examines associate degree transfer policies to better understand the policy effects on students earning associate degrees. 

Greg Wolniak joined colleagues at the University of Iowa and Montana State University to examine the various residual benefits of the college experience. The team's findings and paper, "The Post-Collegiate Influence of Undergraduate Experiences: Intellectual, Civic, and Psychological Outcomes," was featured in an article in the Daily Iowan on December 9.

The Institute was well represented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education annual conference in Portland, November 13-16. Faculty, students, former post-docs, and alumni presented and led discussion groups.

The Journal of Higher Education published a new paper by Sondra N. Barringer (former IHE postdoc), Barrett J. Taylor (PhD 2012) & Sheila Slaughter. Their research tracks the influence and status of trustees at higher education institutions since the 1970s.

George Spencer and Janine de Novais study the impact of Ethnic Studies courses on two distinct types of racial attitudes: structural racism perceptions and cross-racial empathy. Their article, "Learning Race to Unlearn Racism: The Effects of Ethnic Studies Course-Taking" appears in the most recent issue of The Journal of Higher Education.

Rob Toutkoushian co-authored “Time May Change Me: Examining How Aspirations for College Evolve during High School.” The article appears in the fall 2019 issue of The Review of Higher Education.

Using data from a statewide survey of high school students in Indiana, the researchers introduce a conceptual model to explain how student aspirations may change over time, utilize panel methods to examine the extent to which this happens during high school, and investigate which factors are associated with such changes.

Amy Stich delivered a keynote address at the British Sociological Association’s International Bourdieu Study Group Conference on Friday, September 27 at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England.

Her talk, The Global Reach of Capital’s Long Shadow: Reproducing Inequality across Contexts, focused on the ways that higher education perpetuates social inequities.

Karen Webber joins Sherri Newcomb and Lindsay Wayt in presenting the keynote panel session, entitled Data-Informed Decisions in Higher Education, at the NACUBO Planning & Budgeting Forum on Monday, September 16 in Pittsburgh. 

Rachel Burns (PhD 2018) & Karen Webber are published in the Journal of Student Financial Aid (vol. 48, issue 3).

While the overall story is that education-related debt is on the rise, Webber and Burns seek to add greater detail to the trend by comparing disciplinary groups. They used NPSAS 2012 data to examine graduate student debt for STEM versus non-STEM students who were enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program in 2012.

Justin Jeffery (IHE PhD student), Dominique Quarles (PhD 2019), and Sayamon Singto (Division of Academic Enhancement) have received a grant to explore “the connection between acculturation and educational attainment in first and second generation immigrant students at UGA.” The investigators hope to use the findings to inform UGA’s campus support strategies and programs. In addition to promoting academic success, the team will consider how students develop their cultural identities while in another country.

IHE is well-represented in a grant-funded research project, Enhancing Students’ Financial and Educational Success through a Virtual Reality Experience. The principal investigators, Greg Wolniak (IHE), Grace Ahn (Department of Advertising and Public Relations), Stan Jackson (IHE PhD student), and Anthony Jones (PhD, 2019) will evaluate if scenarios experienced in virtual reality (VR) settings can change student behavior and alter financial and educational decision-making.