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Promoting Equity in Higher Education
December 2024
"Building Capacity through Research and Community"
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Guest Editor Julie Posselt, Professor of Higher Education
Dear Colleagues,
During times of constraint, it is vital to keep our eyes, budgets and agendas on what remains possible. Reviewing applications from people and universities who seek to collaborate with us in 2025 has been a reminder that the narrative being propagated in the media as a primary narrative — about the headwinds higher education leaders face — is not the only story. Dedicated, determined leaders are out there continuing to do the work. And, scholars and projects around the country -- who are connected to the Pullias Center -- are continuing to drive research about it.
In this newsletter, we provide updates about the dissemination and community care that have been integral to our research-practice partnerships this year. With support from foundations such as NSF, Sloan and Mellon, we are proud to be strengthening the base of evidence about effective, equitable practices. And, through partnerships with national organizations like the Council of Graduate Schools, American Astronomical Society and Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network, we are connecting directly with professionals around that research, building capacity for systemic change.
Happy holidays, and best wishes in 2025!
Warmly,
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Julie Posselt
Professor of Higher Education, USC Rossier & Pullias Center for Higher Education
Associate Dean, USC Graduate School
Director, Center for Enrollment Research, Policy & Practice
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New Research and Evaluation on Approaches to Collaborative Change
Some conditions and strategies are more conducive than others to organizational learning and institutional change. As the Pullias Center works with the community to improve admissions, recruitment and mentoring, we are equally active in research and evaluation to assess the efficacy of approaches and thereby refine them. Among the papers accepted and published in association with Dr. Julie Posselt’s sponsored projects this year, four of them advance the state of knowledge about institutional and cultural change in decentralized environments.
Learn More
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Moving Forward Together: Navigating Change, Managing Burnout and Pursuing Systemic Change Toward Equity
By Yasmin Kadir
The last four years have been tumultuous in higher education — our efforts have been marked by unprecedented COVID campus shutdowns, civil unrest, graduate student unionization, the Supreme Court’s decision on race-conscious admissions, campus encampment protests and growing anti-DEI rhetoric and policies. Institutional leaders have been forced to navigate the constantly-evolving landscape while maintaining their commitments to academic excellence, equity and student success.
To put it lightly for our partners — balancing these obligations has not been easy. As a collective, we are witnessing the need to adapt higher education’s traditional approach to navigating change by leaning into community development and support as integral elements. For the Equity in Graduate Education (EGE) Consortium, this entails the creation of intentional spaces for those leading and navigating changes, managing burnout, and fostering resilience — across institutions and disciplines.
Learn More
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Pullias Faculty Accepts ASHE 'Special Merit' Award
At the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference awards ceremony on Friday, Nov. 22, the Pullias Center was presented with the 2024 ASHE Special Merit Award. This distinction is presented annually to a person, group or organization in recognition of outstanding achievement and impactful contributions to the study of higher education through research, leadership and practice.
Professor Julie Posselt accepted the award on behalf of Center director Adrianna Kezar and the entire Pullias Center team.
Read More
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Delphi Awards Presented at AAC&U Annual Meeting on January 24
At the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Annual Meeting, Pullias Center Director Adrianna Kezar and AAC&U's Ashley Finley will present this year's Delphi Award winners, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Michigan's College of Arts & Letters. Join representatives from both institutions as they share their innovative policies and programs supporting their VITAL faculty.
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Join the Pullias Center on Bluesky Social Platform
We are excited to join this new social media platform and to be connecting with other individuals and organizations focused on promoting equity in higher education. Connect with us there, as well as our other social channels! Find us at USCPullias@bsky.social.
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The Equity in Graduate Education Consortium is accepting applications for new members until January 6. For more information, see our website and apply here! | |
Campus Leaders and Organizations — Join the Change Leadership Toolkit Implementation Project | | |
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If you are a campus or national organization working on a systemic change project, we are excited to announce another opportunity to engage with the Change Leadership Toolkit (CLT)! This two-year project will provide professional development, coaching, and implementation support to teams that are implementing systemic change. Applications for interested teams are due February 21, 2025, and the project will start in April 2025. For more information, please visit our website and apply now! | |
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New EGE Resource Guide Now Available
Connecting Students, Advisors and Research Groups — A Resource Guide for Students and Departments — this Equity in Graduate Education/IGEN guide was developed from recently conducted research on the importance of structured support in STEM PhD programs. The project, led by Drs. Ben Zwickl & Mike Verostek, highlights the challenges students face — whether they are exploring their research interests or solidifying their choices — and emphasizes the need for departments to build structures that address both interest development and social networks.
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Book Chapter Focuses on Shared Equity Leadership
Adrianna Kezar and Elizabeth Holcombe collaborated on a chapter titled “Shared Equity Leadership Supporting Racially Equitable Cultural Change” in the second volume of “The Racial Equity and Justice Institute Practitioner Handbook.”
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Huerta, A.H., Muñoz, M., Torre-Iniguez, S., & Virgen-Ibarra, J. (2024). Using Evidence-Based Design to Support Gang-Impacted Students in Urban Community College: Lessons from the Phoenix Scholars Program. New Directions for Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20518
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Teague, L. & Nagbe, M.N. (2024). Re(cover)ing revelations: Formulating Black ancestral text analysis in education research. International Journal for Qualitative Research Methods. 23, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241292983
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Ueda, N., Kezar, A., Holcombe, E., Vigil, D., & Harper, J. (2024). Emotional labor: Institutional responsibility and strategies to offer emotional support for leaders engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion work. AERA Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241296092
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Ueda, N., Vigil, D., Kezar, A., & Holcombe, E. M. (2024). Personal journeys toward critical consciousness: Institutional approaches for fostering equity leaders. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000626
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The Equity in Graduate Education Consortium Team | |
MORE NEWS
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Zoë Corwin shared a presentation on "Well-being & Cultivating an Ecology of Validation in Postsecondary Spaces" with Rossier's newly formed USC Rossier Higher Education Advisory Group, a consortium of Rossier alumni who hold senior level positions at postsecondary institutions. For more information about the group, please contact Ryan Alcantara.
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Elizabeth Holcombe gave a presentation titled "Shared Equity Leadership: Working Collectively to Change Campus Cultures" at the International Leadership Association's Global Conference in Chicago on November 10th.
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THE PULLIAS CENTER FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION
Promoting Equity in Higher Education
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The World's Leading Research Center on Student Access and Success in Higher Education | | | | |
