Faculty Positions in Texas and Florida for New IHE Ph.D.S DENISA GÁNDARA AND JARRETT WARSHAW, who recently earned degrees from the Ph.D. program in the Institute of Higher Education, have moved on to faculty positions at Southern Methodist University and Florida Atlantic University, respectively. Gándara was one of 33 students nationally awarded a 2015 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, and she also was one of nine students receiving support from a minority dissertation fellowship program of the American Educational Research Association. While a student at IHE, Gándara received the Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellowship given by IHE faculty to a student with outstanding scholarly potential, academic record and professional achievements. At SMU, Gándara is now an assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership. Sondra Barringer, who served as a postdoctoral research and teaching associate at IHE, also has joined the faculty in that department. “I will always be indebted to the faculty at IHE for all of the academic, professional and personal support I received throughout my doctoral studies,” said Gándara. “In addition to the excellent instruction and stimulating discussions in the classroom, I benefited greatly from opportunities to work on faculty members’ research projects and to practice teaching.” Warshaw, who held a presidential fellowship from the UGA Graduate School, worked as a consultant with IHE faculty member James Hearn on a two-phase research project with the Council of Independent Colleges. He received the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award at the 2014 annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association and the 2013 Best Poster Award from the American Educational Research Association’s Division J: Postsecondary Education. At Florida Atlantic University, he is now an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology. “The IHE has given me every possible opportunity to prepare for an academic career,” said Warshaw. “I’ve especially appreciated being part of a community of such strong faculty, students, staff and alumni, which continues to inspire me to push my work as far as it can go. I’m grateful for the training I’ve had and also for the relationships I’ve formed along the way. Both are special and will last a lifetime.” A UGA Master Planner Moves to New Role with College of Environment and Design DANNY SNIFF (Ed.D. 2011) assumed a new leadership role at UGA this year as the director of academic partnerships in the College of Environment and Design. He had served as associate vice president for facilities planning and University Architect since 2000. Sniff works directly with CED Dean Daniel Nadenicek to provide leadership for the UGA-Georgia Tech partnership, the Georgia Design Collaboration, and to instruct and oversee students working collaboratively between the professions of landscape architecture, architecture and planning. Sniff continues to serve the Division of Finance and Administration on several special projects that include overseeing campus master planning efforts at UGA’s extended campuses and outlying facilities, and consulting with the new leadership of the Office of University Architects on an as-needed basis on building design reviews. During his tenure with the Office of University Architects, Sniff and his team administered over $2.5 billion in new construction and renovated space that resulted in a 50 percent increase in building square footage at UGA. A major initiative accomplished under his leadership was the development and completion of UGA’s comprehensive physical master plan in 1997, which has guided new building plans for nearly two decades. His commitment to historic preservation helped direct the systematic renovation of nearly every facility on UGA’s historic North Campus, including Meigs Hall, home to the IHE. West Oversees Eight Campuses for HBCU Shaw University MICHAEL WEST (Ed.D. 2015) recently accepted a position as executive director for the Center for Alternate Programs in Education at Shaw University. CAPE is an undergraduate degree-completion program designed for busy/working adults. The senior leadership role has administrative and academic oversight for eight Shaw University campuses spread across North Carolina. Located in Raleigh, Shaw is the first historically Black institution of higher education in the South and among the oldest in the nation. West will be responsible for developing and implementing innovative approaches to increasing brand awareness, enrollment, retention rates, gradation rates, and program outcomes at each of the CAPE campuses. Prior to this position, West, a Navy veteran, spent nine years serving in executive roles at Carthage College in Wisconsin. He also has served as associate vice president for marketing and planning with the higher education consulting firm Stamats Educational Services Group. MORE MOVES Collier Joins Tennessee Higher Ed Commission LAUREN COLLIER (Ph.D. 2013) joined the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in June as director of institution and board affairs. Previously, she served as executive assistant to the president at Volunteer State Community College. Collier also served as the first executive director of South Carolina Campus Compact and started the Center for Civic Engagement at the College of Charleston. Her scholarly interests include strategies and management of liberal arts colleges, student learning outcomes and community impacts of community engagement, and women in higher education leadership. Parker Named to Accreditation Post IHE DOCTORAL STUDENT MAGGIE PARKER has been named the new associate director for accreditation in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Georgia. Parker works with the senior director for accreditation to support institutional accreditation, strategic planning, and data analytics related to planning. She comes to the provost’s office from the Office of Faculty Affairs, where she was associate director for program review. Parker is currently working on her dissertation in pursuit of her Ph.D. Jones Heads Financial Aid Office ANTHONY JONES, who is pursuing a Ph.D. with IHE, has been named director of student financial aid at Appalachian State University. He brings 20 years of experience in postsecondary education, primarily focused on student financial aid, to the job, having previously served as the deputy director and director of policy research for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance in Washington, D.C. He also worked in the financial aid offices for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and for the U.S. Department of Education. Stephens Moves to New Administrative Role JENNIFER STEPHENS (Ph.D. 2013) moved into a new role at Georgia Gwinnett College in July. She now serves as the deputy chief of staff in the Office of the President, providing strategy formulation and operational support to the chief of staff, president and executive leadership team. Previously she served the college as associate vice president of public affairs. Stephens participated in the American Council on Education’s 2015-16 Fellows program, which prepares emerging leaders for senior positions in college and university administration. Hughes Involved in Diversity Work SOLOMON HUGHES (Ph.D. 2013) was named assistant director of the EDGE Doctoral Fellowship Program at Stanford University in July. The program supports the recruitment and academic success of outstanding doctoral students who have the potential to enhance the diversity—broadly defined—of their academic disciplines and fields. Miller Moves to Valdosta State VINCENT MILLER (Ed.D. 2011) has taken on a new role as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Valdosta State University. He most recently served as associate vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Georgia Southern University, where he had held a variety of positions since 2006. Hamilton Takes Admissions Post ALI HAMILTON (M.Ed. 2016) was recently named senior assistant director of admission at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. Type of News/Audience: 2016 IHE Report
