Image: A large number of MIHE students, faculty, alumni, and former postdoctoral associates are participating in the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century. The meeting was held April 21-26, 2002 with participants able to attend virtually and in-person in San Diego, CA. AERA 2022 Thursday, April 21 2:30-4:00 Meredith Billings (former postdoc), Denisa Gandara (alumna), Lindsey Hammond (alumna), and Paul Rubin (alumnus) State Higher Education Funding during COVID-19: exploring state-level characteristics influencing financing decisions (paper) Emily Chen-Bendle (student), Matt Gregory (student), Greg Wolniak (faculty), Charles Blaisch, and Kathleen Wise (Washbash College) Social skill development and short-term career outcomes among graduates of private universities (paper) Friday, April 22 11:30-1:00 Collin Case (student) and Alex Monday (student)- Balancing access and success: test-optional policies at less selective public institutions (paper) 4:15-5:45 Charles Sanchez (student)- Here to stay? Assessing the relationships between college access programs and college enrollment and persistence outcomes of underrepresented students (poster session) Emily Chen-Bendle (student), Janine de Novais (Delaware), George C. Spencer (faculty)- A dream deferred: college logics in the ‘life course’ of nontraditional college graduates (poster session) Saturday, April 23 9:45-11:15 Dennis Kramer (alumnus), Carol Cutler & Christa Walker- The impact of scholarship access on college participation: evidence from the national Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (paper) Sean Baser (student), Brionna Johnson (student), George C. Spencer (faculty) & Amy Stich (faculty)- Is Option B a viable plan B?: school counselor‘s sense-making of dual-enrollment policy in Georgia (paper) Emily Chen-Bendle (student), Greg Wolniak (faculty) & Jennifer Tackett (Northwestern)- Unpacking gender differences in leadership aspirations among resilient college students (paper) 4:15-5:45 George C. Spencer (faculty) & Monica Maldonado (student)- Determinants of dual enrollment access: a national examination of institutional context and state policies (paper) Monday, April 25 8:00-9:30 Sondra Barringer (former postdoc), B. Kathleen Gallagher, Alicia C. Schortgen & Emily Rasch- Defining their spaces and places: a qualitative exploration of the communities of higher education organizations (paper) Andrew Crain (alumnus), Stephanie Sowl (ISU) & Amy Stich (faculty)- A critical reflection on the use of theory in rural college access research (paper) Tuesday, April 26 9:45-11:15 Dennis Kramer (alumnus) & Jodi Miller- Peer victimization and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: buffering effects of adult and peer support (paper) Type of News/Audience: Alumni General News Research