FSU Higher Education Program Newsletter Spring/Summer 2020
A LETTER FROM THE OUTGOING HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR Dear colleagues, friends, and members of the FSU Higher Education community, Our semi-annual newsletter comes during times of uncertainty, struggle, pain, and change. Celebrating our community and lifting up the important work they do is important, now as ever, even as these weeks and months remind us that postsecondary degrees are positively associated with health but they are not so powerful as to shield individuals and communities from harm. Black lives, Black scholars, Black leaders, Black spaces, and Black scholarship matter. We have work to do, and we will keep doing it, with courses, research, and policy and practice work organized around our program pillars of Leadership, Social Justice, and Student Success. These pillars are reflected in our community news and profiles in the pages that follow. We are clearly stronger for the contributions of those in our community, including but not limited to those featured in these pages. Drs. Beatty and Bertrand Jones have demonstrated leadership on these issues far beyond our campus, but also here in Tallahassee, from the coalitions they lead to the roles they serve. Our field’s impact is enhanced by its diversity. We have work to do. These are unusual times, and our community has and will continue to be creative to adjust and lead into the future, with social justice and student success in mind. The Hardee Center’s virtual graduation celebration featured our students and an outpouring of support from the LifeNet of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and supporters. Our students are tremendous, as is our LifeNet, which is now more important than ever. The 2020 graduating class entered the most challenging job market we’ve seen in years. Placement updates are still coming in, but include tenure-track and other faculty roles. M.S. graduates are rising in a range of fields around the nation, as well as Ph.D. programs – including ours. We look forward to sharing more information in the fall. More news is available on our social media platforms, including #FSUHE, @FSU_ELPS, @FSU_HESA on Twitter and Instagram, and the College of Education (@fsueducation) and Hardee Center updates. Looking to the fall semester and year ahead, we’re excited to have our incoming master’s and Ph.D. degree-seeking students who study full-time and part-time with us. Full-time students are all funded with tuition waivers and graduate assistantship or fellowship support. We look forward to welcoming them safely to campus in alignment with state and university guidance. Faculty and staff have been preparing for remote instruction if needed, and have been supported by an array of workshops and support from distance learning experts on campus and beyond – work which will continue through the summer, as is with the Division of Student Affairs. Higher Education M.S. and Ph.D. applications are accepted through December 1st. In addition, an online Ed.D. program is being offered through our home department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, with a higher education pathway (application deadline January 15). ELPS also has two online graduate certificate programs in the department: Institutional Research and Program Evaluation. Information about graduate funding through scholarships/fellowships is available (continued)
A LETTER FROM THE OUTGOING HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR (CONT) on our website as well as through Visiting Days and the university. Jimmy Pastrano, who won the college’s Outstanding Staff Award this year, is our admissions contact. This is my last newsletter, as Dr. Brad Cox is our new Higher Education Program Coordinator for 2020-22. Thank you, Brad, for your leadership, including kicking off your term with words of support and solidarity to our community. Sincere best wishes from Tallahassee,
Lara Perez-Felkner
Higher Education Program Coordinator (2018-20) Associate Professor of Higher Education and Sociology
Brad Cox
Higher Education Program Coordinator (2020-22) Associate Professor of Higher Education
Kendra Bumpus Higher Education Graduate Assistant Ph.D. Student in Higher Education
AWARDS, CELEBRATION, AND RECOGNITIONS: SPRING 2020 MASTER’S STUDENTS Arnez Wallace received the Outstanding Student Leader award from Florida State University.
DOCTORAL STUDENTS
Brittany Devies received the Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional Award from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and was appointed to the research committee of the National Panhellenic Conference. Cassie Kepple was inducated into the FSU Fellows Society. Courtney Francis received two FSU Leadership Awards: the Student Seminole Award and the Dean’s Cup. She also received the Mover & Shaker Award and Program of the Year award from FSU’s Division of Student Affairs. Erika Wiborg received the Nevitt Sanford Award from the ACPA Professional Preparation Commission. Hayley Spencer was named a Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Dissertation Research Fellow by the ECMC Foundation. Jenni Batchelder received a NCORE Student Scholarship Award from the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education. She also received a Silver Scholar Award Grant from the National Association for Campus Activities Foundation (NACA). Jesse Ford was named an Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year by the ACPA Coalitions for Multicultural Affairs and by the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP). He also received a McKnight Dissertation Fellowship and was inducted into the FSU Fellows Society. Additionally, he participated in AERA’s Division J Emerging Scholars Workshop. (continued)
AWARDS, CELEBRATION, AND RECOGNITIONS: SPRING 2020 DOCTORAL STUDENTS (CONT)
Kendra Bumpus received the Myrtis Langston Watts Endowed Scholarship from the FSU College of Education. O’Juan Edwards received a Doctoral Fellowship from the McKnight Foundation and was inducted into the FSU Fellows Society. Pei Hu received the George Aker Scholarship and the Myrtis Langston Watts Endowed Scholarship from the FSU College of Education.
FACULTY Dr. Cameron Beatty received FSU’s Inclusive Teaching and Mentoring Award and was inducted into Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars. He also received a seed funding grant from FSU’s Office of Research.
ASHE Breakfast 2019, sponsored by the Hardee Center, with Ph.D. alumnus & ASHE Executive Director Jason Guilbeau. Photo courtesy of Kendra Bumpus.
ALUMNI NEWS AND UPDATES Our grads are doing wonderful things all over. Congratulations to everyone doing important work wherever you are. Check out the Hardee Center as well for more news on the LifeNet and alumni updates.
Dr. Amber HoltonThomas (Ph.D. ‘19) won the 2020 Dissertation of the Year from the John C. Dalton Institute on College Student Values for her dissertation entitled, “Education as Feminism for Nontraditional Aged Women Receiving Pell Grants.” Dr. Dorsey Spencer, Jr. (Ph.D. ‘19) won the Daniel M. Maxwell Dissertation of the Year Award from the Association of College Unions International. Spencer’s dissertation is titled “Like A Unicorn”: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Undergraduate Black Men.”
Kawana Johnson (M.S. ‘03) was named a 2020 ECMC Foundation postdoctoral fellow. She is currently the director of internships and career services at the FSU College of Business.
Christian Williams (M.S. ‘16) is being recognized for his leadership in the LGBTQ+ community and will be featured on The Advocate’s Champions of Pride list, to be published in June 2020.
Jackie Thomas, Jr. (M.S. ‘06) was selected as a 2020-2021 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow by the Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute tries to advance practices that helps higher education by supporting leaders, particularly leaders that promote students of color and low-income students in America. Thomas is currently the chief strategist at Lone Star College-Tomball in Tomball, Texas.
Dr. Danielle Morgan Acosta (Ph.D. ‘18) was named vice president elect of the 2019 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) governing board. She will begin her time as vice president in 2020 and then will serve as president in the following term.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
This final section of our newsletter features students across a range of stages, competency areas, and areas of interest and impact. We are so proud to be able to work, teach, and learn with such strong and resilient students.
DaShawn Dilworth M.S. ‘20
Tell us about what your interests are and any new position updates/moves to share. As a recent alumnus of the Higher Education program, I am currently looking for positions in multicultural affairs, leadership programming, student activities, or fraternity/sorority life. My research interests include institutional policy impact on student life, Black student engagement, the student affairs job search, and the student affairs graduate student experience. What have you most appreciated during your time in the Higher Education program? In my time in the program, I have most appreciated the opportunity to build authentic relationships with both professors and doctoral students. I’ve found some lifelong friends who support me to accomplish great things personally and professionally. What was your favorite class? My favorite course was our Leadership Education course because I believe it helped me redefine leadership as well as what it means to be a leadership educator. What advice would you share with folks interested in or about to enter our M.S. program? My advice would be to be open to new ways of learning about topics you are interested in or had no previous connection to. Student affairs is such an interdisciplinary field, you will have the opportunity to learn so much and you want to make sure you lean into that as much as possible. Anything else you would like to share? As a member of the LifeNet, I am always open to a conversation to connect about the field, the program, or anything going on in the world!
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
Yang Li (“Ocean” in Chinese) she/her/hers Ph.D. student, 2019 cohort
Tell us about what you do in your position. I currently serve as a graduate assistant in the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) and my work mainly focuses on providing services, programs and evaluation for international students to better facilitate their living and learning experience at FSU. I believe their experience at CGE closely relates to their success in the U.S. campuses. What do you most appreciate during your time so far in the Higher Education program? My special appreciation to the familial and professional environment provided by the faculty members, staff, and my cohort (2019 Cohort of Higher Education). All the faculty members and staff show their deep concern and support about both my professional and personal developments. They refer me to different professional development opportunities and do regular check-ins with me about updates. My cohort members further bring the concept of “family” to me. As an international student with rare experience living and studying in the U.S., they are always there for me for anything. I feel so lucky to be one member of this big and welcoming family. What was your favorite class? So far, I’ve enjoyed all the classes I’ve taken. They help me to expand my vision and understanding of the development paths and issues in the field of higher education, and build multiple tunnels towards my research interest eventually. I was especially impressed by the Seminar in College Student Development Theory (EDH 6936), taught by Dr. Brad Cox. I took it in the year of 2019, my very first semester as a doctoral student, and it changed my perspectives on students’ experience and development in U.S. institutions. Dr. Cox is a very inspiring instructor and he loves to challenge the critical thinking skills of every student in my class, and to train us to be more qualified researchers in the near future. What advice can you share with folks interested in doing what you do? Don’t hesitate to reach out to people around you, such as your cohort, advisors, instructors, colleagues, and so on. I feel very blessed for all the help and intriguing advice I got from the people around me. Everyone has their unique perspective and I always learn so much by just having a conversation with them.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
Kim Pack
M.S. ‘20 Program Manager, FSU Tell us about what you do in your position and your professional journey between our M.S. program and what you’re doing now. In my current position, I help design and manage interventions for students who are facing barriers to graduation and coordinate the Degree in Three and More in Four programs. In the fall, I will be transitioning to become a full-time student and research assistant at the University of Texas – Austin in the Higher Education Ph.D. program. What have you most appreciated during your time in the Higher Education program? I have appreciated the opportunities the faculty provided outside of class to help me to engage in research, as well as the overall accessibility of faculty to talk with students about our educational, career, and life goals. Our faculty are extremely warm and welcoming! What was your favorite class? Outcomes II What advice would you share with folks interested in or about to enter our M.S. program and/or in doing what you do? Seek out as many new opportunities as you can! You will only be in this program for a short time, so use this as an opportunity to grow personally and professionally – seek out opportunities to grow your skillset and to make new connections. Anything else you would like to share? I am always happy to talk more about life, educational, or career goals with anyone that is interested! I love meeting new people who are passionate about educational policy and practice.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES Junior Peña
M.S. ‘16 Assistant Director, Leadership Engagement Advocacy & Diversity (LEAD), Salem State University Tell us about what you do in your position and your professional journey between our M.S. program and what you’re doing now. After leaving Florida State University, I served as the Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Miami (FL) where I worked with culturally based organizations, large scale programming, and diversity/equity training. I now serve as an Assistant Director for the LEAD Office at Salem State University where I facilitate similar experiences, but now supervise professional staff, have a significantly larger programming budget, and now provide trainings on bystander intervention also. What did you most appreciate during your time in the Higher Education program? The one thing I think sets the HESA program at Florida State apart from many of the institutions I have been privileged enough to work at is the consistent encouragement for professional development and growth. The program really instilled in me the importance of identifying as educators first. This shows up in my practice every day when I am developing assessment instruments or developing trainings with learning outcomes at the core of the curriculum. What was your favorite class? I had many enjoyable courses, but I thoroughly enjoyed Higher Education Law with Dr. Randy Hanna, the current Dean of the Florida State Panama City campus. What advice would you share with folks interested in or about to enter our M.S. program and/or in doing what you do? Be a critical solutionist. If you are only critical of your counterparts, departments, and institutions, you will find difficulty in building coalitions and creating change. If you only think about solutions, you will be overworked with little results to match the effort. You need to be critical of institutions as they were not created for everyone to succeed, but you must take personal responsibility to hold our entire field accountable by finding critically informed solutions that center those in the margins. Anything else you would like to share? Always know you are not alone; lean on the LifeNet when in doubt.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
Rose Rezaei
Ph.D. student, 2018 cohort Director, Center for Health Advocacy and Wellness (CHAW), Florida State University Tell us about what you do in your position. As the Director of CHAW, I provide leadership and strategic planning for campus wellness initiatives that encourage students to make healthy lifestyle decisions that facilitate academic success and lead to life-long health and wellness. What have you most appreciated during your time in the Higher Education program? I started the program with a cohort of women who believe in the collective success of our group. We challenge each other to grow intellectually, we celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and draw strength from one another. The relationships I have formed will last beyond our time at FSU. What has been your favorite class so far? In the Fall of 2019, I took Social Justice in Higher Education with Dr. Beatty. For our final project, we were able to choose between an analytical paper or developing a podcast. I chose to create a podcast entitled “The Body of Activism” which focused on activism associated with fat bodies on college campuses. This experience introduced me to a new medium for engaging in academic scholarship and social change. What advice would you share with folks interested in doing what you do? Wellness is embedded into every aspect of campus. Every department can re-orient their work towards a wellness lens and provide individuals the opportunity to weave wellness into their work. Volunteer for campus wellness committees, analyze student health data and ask critical questions associated with health equity on campus. Anything else you would like to share? In our lives, there are times when we doubt ourselves, question our abilities, and wonder if we have made the right decisions. In these moments, remind yourself you have worth and you are capable of great things. Be your greatest advocate and ally.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
Maritza Torres
Ph.D. ‘19 Assistant Director, University of Central Florida Tell us about what you do in your position. I currently teach and advise for the LEAD Scholars Academy program at UCF. I also coordinate our transfer student and upperclassmen program called U-LEAD. What did you most appreciate during your time in the Higher Education program? I appreciate the community aspects of the Higher Education program. It truly felt like a family, and regardless of what year you are in the program, peers were always willing to reach out. I also love and miss the faculty; they definitely played a role in the family piece of the program and genuinely showed care for their students. What was your favorite class? Social Justice in Higher Education with Dr. Tamara Bertrand Jones. The discussions and readings were incredible! What career advice can you share with folks interested in doing what you do? I was looking for a position in which I can maintain my scholar and practitioner identity. If you are not able to find both in one job, see if your department will let you adjunct courses and/or advise a student organization. It never hurts to ask and collaborate with faculty and staff across campus. Anything else you would like to share? I’m grateful for the mentors, friends, family, and relationships I have cultivated during my time in the Higher Education program. It has truly shaped me into the scholar practitioner I am today.
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI PROFILES
Juanita Washington
M.S. student, 2019 cohort Graduate Assistant, Advising First Florida State University Tell us about what your interests are and any new position updates/moves to share. In my position, I primarily conduct 1:1 advising meetings with second-year and above exploratory students to aid them in critical decision making about their academic path and future. Although I am not directly in student affairs, I can uniquely create bridges for students to other resources that may help them along their personal development journey while in university. What have you appreciated most during your time in the Higher Education program? In the higher education program, I have appreciated the willingness of my cohort-mates to take risks in and outside of the classroom. Without them, my time at FSU and the knowledge I’ve acquired wouldn’t be as fulfilling. What has been your favorite class so far? My favorite class (so far) would have to be Student Development Theories with Dr. Cox. The material resembled some of my favorite classes from my undergraduate degree in psychology, but within the framework of higher education. Dr. Cox definitely challenged us but it was the kickstart I needed that helped me improve in some of my academic skills while at FSU. What advice would you share with folks interested in or about to enter our M.S. program? My advice to anyone considering the Higher Education program at FSU, is to identify your “why.” It’s helpful to be grounded somewhere during your search. For me, it happed that the program’s goals and faculty also aligned with my “why”. Although that may change when you gather new experiences, you still need some sort of a personal guide. Anything else you would like to share? My last tidbit is to seek out and create opportunities for yourself. FSU is a big campus and you can get easily overwhelmed by the amount of information sent to you (especially if we’re still digital!). If you want to do something, be proactive!
FSU Higher Education Program Leadership • Social Justice • Student Success
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