Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference
William and Mary’s School of Education was well-represented at the 2015 ASHE annual conference held in Denver, Colorado. The following listing highlights the William & Mary faculty, students, and alumni who presented at the conference:
Collegiality Experiences of Full-Time, Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Members by Nathan Alleman, PhD ‘08. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently highlighted Dr. Alleman’s research. You can read more here.
Examining Inequalities in Faculty and Administrator’s Perceptions About Assessment as Servant Leadership by Angelo Letizia, PhD ’14.
Self-authorship Development of Chinese Undergraduate Students Attending a U.S. University by Leslie Bohon, PhD ’15.
Giving Up Little Kingdoms: HBCU Presidents, Desegregation, and the Journal of Negro Education by Assistant Professor Eddie R. Cole.
The Role of a Summer Bridge Program in Anticipatory Socialization of Male African American Engineering Students by Jacob Joseph, PhD ’15.
Autoethnography as method: Using the self in educational research by Kristen Tarantino, PhD Student Higher Education.
The First Response: An Examination of the Actions and Commentary of Institutional Decision Makers in Times of Crisis and Controversy (Interactive Symposia) by Assistant Professor Eddie R. Cole.
Gender in Higher Education: Problems Solved or Persisting Inequalities? (Interactive Symposia) by Professor Pamela L. Eddy.
Qualitatively Examining Change Over Time: Longitudinal Qualitative Research (LQR) (Interactive Symposia) by Assistant Professor James Barber.
Perspectives on Integration: Comparing Views of Undergraduates and Educators on Integrative Learning Experiences by Assistant Professor James Barber; Leslie Bohon, PhD ’15; Laura Feltman, PhD Student Higher Education; Sharon Stone, PhD ’14; and Kristen Tarantino, PhD Student Higher Education.
The Founding of Alpha Pi Omega: How Four Native Women Fought Isolation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Brian Peters, MEd ’10.
The 2015 ASHE conference theme centered on inequality and higher education. Attendees witnessed presentations that wrestled with the hard questions facing higher education around issues of inequality, funding, and policy. These presentations provided an opportunity to engage in conversations with scholars about topics that are elemental in the future of higher education. Jacob Joseph, PhD ’15, shared how his attendance at ASHE provided valuable networking opportunities with scholars in the field of higher education.
“Attending ASHE afforded me the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of higher education professionals. The sessions I attended expanded my thinking about certain topics, and afforded a wide variety of viewpoints salient to current higher education issues. In addition, the conference provided the opportunity to interact and learn from luminaries in the field of higher education, such as Sylvia Hurtado and Victor Saenz. Ultimately, my view of higher educational research was expanded as a result of this conference, and I look forward to attending in the future.”
Conference attendee, Leslie Bohon, PhD ’15, shared her experience of attending one of the Presidential sessions that focused on a joint ASHE and NAFSA (Association of International Education) panel where the conversation centered on improving international education.
“My favorite session focused on the emerging partnership of researchers and practitioners in international education. Historically, they haven't intersected as much as they could; NAFSA and ASHE are now in partnership to converse about the best way to support research within the international education field. There is much we can learn about establishing partnership programs between higher education researchers and the practical, day-to-day experiences of international educators.”
Another positive experience of attending the conference sprouted from the close interaction and relationship building between colleagues. Laura Feltman, PhD Student in Higher Education, shared her experience of learning from William and Mary colleagues.
“I appreciated the knowledge my peers shared with me. We don’t necessarily get time when we’re in the program to really learn about each other; and travelling to conferences together, we learn far more about each other as individuals. I’m glad we were able to support one another by attending each other’s sessions as well as by sharing the things we learned from non-William and Mary researchers.”
Attending conferences like ASHE also serves as a testing ground for new research ideas. William and Mary representatives reported the prospect of new avenues for research that would arise from hearing about other scholars’ work. According to Feltman, “It was good to see where there are still holes in the research literature and how we can add to them. I remember sitting in a session and thinking, ‘I could definitely look into that!’ In fact, there was another presentation in our session that looked at student learning from a quantitative perspective. After the session was over, we talked with their research team about the possibility of collaboration. It was an opportunity to grow our research and to collaborate with others beyond William and Mary.”
These opportunities for generating research and building collaborations bolstered the impact of ASHE for first-time and long-standing attendees alike. For many, it is a perfect opportunity to share findings of personal research or to connect with colleagues across the world. Whatever the primary intention for attending ASHE, William and Mary representatives, whether at the College or in professional roles across the nation, are able to gather in support of each other and the future of higher education.
