Doctoral Student Will Walker, Jr. (he/him) is a doctoral student at the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education. He joins the institute as a Presidential Graduate Fellow, the university’s most prestigious honor for incoming graduate students. Currently, Will is interested in research that centers on three broad areas of higher education: student engagement, governance, and organizational change. More specifically, he is engaged in work that considers the role and impact of student involvement in processes of university decision-making and the ways that broad goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are achieved on college campuses. Before joining the McBee Institute, Will was a Grant Writer in the Office of Enrollment Management at Indiana University Bloomington. In this role, Will was responsible for drafting and co-managing multiple grants related to efforts to increase student engagement and retention. Will was directly involved in procuring and managing approximately $420,000 of external grant funds. Additionally, for two years, he facilitated student development and engagement while serving in multiple roles for Residential Programs & Services at Indiana University Bloomington. Will holds an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University and a B.A. in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond. He is a proud alumnus of the LEDA Scholars Program.
