IHE IMPACT: Postdoctoral Associates Maintain Ties

l Maurice Shirley, postdoctoral teaching and research associate 2019-2020, accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program at the Indiana University College of Education. During the fall 2020 semester, Shirley will teach two required graduate courses at HESA, Introduction to College and University Administration and Environmental Theory and Assessment.

“I am certain that I would not have achieved this accomplishment without the support, encouragement, and investment in my professional development that I received at the Institute,” said Shirley. 

While at IHE, he engaged in independent research exploring college student access and completion for traditionally underserved student populations at the national and state levels. He also collaborated on projects aligned with his interests with faculty members and former postdoctoral associates, Meredith Billings and Ashley Clayton, Shirley led the lab component of Dr. Wolniak’s Qualitative Methods in Higher Education II course. Wolniak credited Shirley with developing modules that eased the transition to online learning for students.

Libby Morris extended her appreciation for his work at the Institute and welcomed him to continue collegial partnerships with the IHE community.

l Ashley Clayton, postdoctoral associate 2016-2017, has been awarded a Jo Ellen Levy Yates Endowed Professorship in the School of Education at Louisiana State University. This honor recognizes the significant impact that Clayton is making in teaching, research, and service as a member of the school’s faculty. The professorship is held for three years with eligibility for renewal for an additional three-year term. 

Clayton remains an active research collaborator with IHE graduates, students, and faculty. In 2020, she co-authored “Study abroad for low-income students: The relationship between need-based aid and access to education abroad” with Melissa Whatley (PhD 2019) Journal of Student Financial Aid. 

She also prepared paper presentations at annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association and Association for the Study of Higher Education with Jennifer May-Trifiletti and Robert Toutkoushian and with Meredith Billings (postdoctoral associate, 2018-2019) respectively. 

l Former postdoctoral associate Lijing Yang earned tenure and the rank of associate professor at Ohio University. Yang teaches graduate courses in higher education finance and budgeting, assessment and evaluation, statistical analysis of national large datasets, and comparative and international higher education. Her current research focuses on higher education policy, economics of education, education finance, and comparative and international higher education.

Yang served at IHE for two academic years, 2011-2013.