Image: The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer M. Blaney as associate professor of higher education effective July 1, 2024. “Dr. Blaney’s portfolio complements and expands existing curricular offerings and research opportunities for our students,” said Interim Director Jim Hearn. He continued, “Her appointment will strengthen the research, instruction, and outreach mission of the Institute.” Her mixed methods research explores how community college degree pathways can serve as a mechanism for advancing equity in STEM fields. An accomplished and productive scholar with published research in top-tier higher education journals, Dr. Blaney has a record of success in securing external funding. This spring, Dr. Blaney was awarded an NSF CAREER grant to explore community college transfer trajectories for computer science students. Her work has also been funded through multiple other grants from the NSF and the Spencer Foundation. “I am thrilled to join the many high-impact scholars in the Institute who are transforming the landscape of higher education research. I’m especially excited to leverage my external grants to grow my research team and support graduate students,” said Dr. Blaney. Dr. Blaney received her Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has been on faculty at Northern Arizona University since 2020. Dr. Blaney has received several early career awards and recognitions, including a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation (2023) and the Townsend Emerging Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (2024). To learn more about her current research projects and other work, see: https://www.jenniferblaney.com/ Type of News/Audience: General News
