Bringing Quality and Equity Together: Mapping Guided Pathways for First Generation Student Success

A LEAP Centennial Forum

New York, New York November 17, 2015

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

David Asai, Senior Director, Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Asai leads the HHMI Science Education Group, which supports science education through grants, fellowships, and courses. Prior to joining HHMI in 2008, Asai served as the Stuart Mudd Professor and Chair of Biology at Harvey Mudd College. Previously, he held a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University. Before that, he served as an assistant research professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he had been an NIH postdoctoral fellow. He was also a Muscular Dystrophy Association postdoctoral fellow at Caltech for a year. His research focuses on the molecular motor dynein. Asai received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford, a master’s degree from Stanford, and a doctorate from Caltech.

Angie Bermudez, Student, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York Bermudez was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia. She came to the United States in 2013, right after graduating from high school. After completing two English courses, Bermudez enrolled at LaGuardia Community College. The support she received there led her to become a student in the ASAP program and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. After her expected graduation in fall 2015 as a liberal arts, social science and humanities major, she plans to attend Florida International University for an English and literature major. She has started her education career by being a student success mentor at LaGuardia Community College, which she feels is the best opportunity to give back the support she received by encouraging and helping her students to “Dare to Do More” on their path to success.

J. Elizabeth Clark, Professor of English, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York Clark has been part of LaGuardia Community College’s award winning e-portfolio team since 2002. Her research focuses on learning as a connective, integrative process. A faculty member in the Department of English, she is particularly interested in the intentional integration of technology, with a particular emphasis on the changing nature of writing. Her recent scholarship focuses on pedagogical innovation in teaching writing with technology. She will serve as a faculty member at the 2016 AAC&U Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments and worked on the General Education Maps and Markers (GEMs) project as part of the technology group. Clark earned her bachelor’s degree from Lycoming College and her master’s degree and doctorate from SUNY Binghamton.

Dominic DelliCarpini, Dean of Academic Affairs and Naylor Endowed Professor of Writing Studies, York College of Pennsylvania DelliCarpini is the Naylor Endowed Professor of Writing Studies and dean for York College’s Center for Community Engagement. His recent scholarship focuses on civic engagement and its relationship to the actions of an informed, literate citizenry. He is currently the vice president of the National Council of Writing Program Administrators and secretary of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. DelliCarpini served for five years as York College’s chief academic officer, and 13 years as writing program administrator, where he directed first-year writing and developed a successful major in professional writing. He received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA and PhD from The Pennsylvania State University.

Scott Evenbeck, President, City University of New York Stella and Charles Guttman Community College Evenbeck joined CUNY in 2011 as Guttman Community College’s founding president. Previously, he served as professor of psychology and founding dean of University College at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Evenbeck has long been involved in designing, implementing and assessing programs for students in their first years of university study. He has been on accreditation teams for three regional associations, focusing on general education, assessment and programs for entering students. Evenbeck earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University at Bloomington and his master’s and doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bret Eynon, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York Bret Eynon is a national leader in the e-portfolio movement in higher education. Directing the FIPSE-funded Connect to Learning project, which works with twenty-five e-portfolio campuses nationwide, including Virginia Tech, San Francisco State, and Boston University, he also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of ePortfolio. Based at LaGuardia since 2000, he directs the LaGuardia Center for Teaching and Learning and the Making Connections National Resource Center on Inquiry, Reflection, and Integrative Education. Eynon received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his doctoral degree from New York University.

Debra Humphreys, Vice President for Policy and Public Engagement, AAC&U Humphreys is vice president for policy and public engagement at AAC&U—a position she assumed in 2013 after serving for eleven years as vice president for communications and public affairs. Prior to 2001, she served as director of programs in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives. Before coming to AAC&U in 1992, she taught women's studies and English at Rutgers University, Towson State University, and at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Humphreys received her BA from Williams College and her PhD in English from Rutgers University.

Shanna Smith Jaggars, Assistant Director, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University At the Community College Research Center (CCRC), Jaggars’ research focuses on developmental education programming and policy, student advising and tracking systems, online learning, the labor market value of community college coursework and credentials, and institutional improvement processes. Currently, she leads the Virginia study for the Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE) and the descriptive study for the Center for Analysis of College Readiness (CAPR). Prior to joining CCRC, Jaggars ran the statistical consulting unit at the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her doctorate in 2002.

Martha Kanter, Distinguished Visiting Professor, New York University Kanter, who began her tenure at NYU in January 2014, served as US undersecretary of education from 2009 until December 2013. From 2003 to 2009, Kanter served as chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in the nation. Kanter has served as a board member on a wide variety of national, state, and local organizations, including the League for Innovation in the Community College, the Mexican Heritage Corporation, and the California Association of Postsecondary Educators of the Disabled. She received her bachelor's degree in sociology from Brandeis University, her master's degree in education from Harvard University, and her doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco.

Kelly Mack, Vice President for Undergraduate STEM Education, AAC&U In addition to serving as an AAC&U vice president, Kelly Mack directs Project Kaleidoscope, a reform initiative focusing on undergraduate STEM education. Previously, Mack was the senior program director for the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Program while on loan from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) where, as a biology professor, she taught courses in physiology and endocrinology for 17 years. Mack has had extensive training and experience in the area of cancer research with her research efforts focusing primarily on the use of novel antitumor agents in breast tumor cells. Mack earned her BS degree in biology from UMES and her PhD in physiology from Howard University.

Paul Markham, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Markham works in the U.S. Programs, Postsecondary Success group at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of his team is to strengthen American higher education’s ability to both offer accessible, high quality, and affordable postsecondary education and to provide the necessary supports to ensure that students complete their programs of study on time. Before joining the Foundation, Paul’s primary work in higher education involved building public engagement infrastructures to strengthen student learning and to address a variety of public and social problems. Markham holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University, master’s degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary and Western Kentucky, and a doctoral degree from Durham University.

Tia Brown McNair, Associate Vice President, Association of American Colleges and Universities McNair serves in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success at AAC&U, taking a leading role in advancing projects and meetings on student success and making excellence inclusive. Prior to joining AAC&U, McNair was the assistant director of the National College Access Network. Previously, she held positions at the Directorate for Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation, the University of Charleston, and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. She earned her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, her master’s from Radford University, and her doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University.

Lily D. McNair, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Wagner College McNair arrived at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York in July 2011. Previously, she was associate provost of research and division coordinator for natural sciences and mathematics at Spelman College. Dr. McNair’s research focuses on the role of alcohol use and alcohol expectancies in risky sexual behavior. Most recently, she has been involved in developing community-based interventions targeting risk behaviors related to substance use and sexual behavior in African American adolescents. McNair received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Princeton University and a doctorate in psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Michael McPherson, President, The Spencer Foundation Michael McPherson is the fifth president of the Spencer Foundation. Prior to his joining the foundation in 2003, he served as president of Macalester College. A nationally renowned scholar whose expertise focuses on the interplay between education and economics, he previously served as professor of economics and Dean of the Faculty at Williams College. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Chicago.

Gail Mellow, President, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York Mellow has served as president of LaGuardia Community College since 2000. With over 30 years of experience in the field, she is frequently sought as a commentator on the changing landscape of higher education, strategies for improving the nation’s graduation rate and the role community colleges play in strengthening America’s economy. She served as president of Gloucester County College prior to assuming the presidency at LaGuardia. Mellow also founded and chaired the Northeast Connecticut Economic Alliance, a non-profit economic development agency. Mellow received an associate’s degree from Jamestown Community College, a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany, and her master’s and doctoral degrees from George Washington University.

Roosevelt Montás, Director, Center for the Core Curriculum, Columbia University Montás specializes in Antebellum American literature and culture, with a specific interest in citizenship and American national identity. At Columbia's Center for the Core Curriculum, he has taught both literature humanities and contemporary civilization. He is currently writing on the interrelated biographies of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, and Charles Sumner. He also lectures and writes on the history and future of liberal arts education. Montás holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Columbia University.

Anny Morrobel-Sosa, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, City University of New York Herbert H. Lehman College In her role at Lehman College, Morrobel-Sosa works closely with the deans of five academic schools and vice presidents and associate provosts in the several offices and the library to promote the college’s academic vision across and beyond the campus and to contribute to building the institution’s academic reputation and national and international visibility. She has held prior faculty and administrative positions at University of Alabama, California Polytechnic State University, Georgia Southern University, and University of Texas at El Paso. A native of the Dominican Republic, Morrobel-Sosa received a BS from the University of Puerto Rico, a MS in chemistry from SUNY Stony Brook, and a PhD from the University of Southern California.

Elsa Núñez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University Elsa Núñez became president of Eastern Connecticut State University in 2006. Prior to her appointment, she served as vice chancellor for academic and student Affairs in the University of Maine System, after serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lesley University, university dean for academic affairs and vice chancellor for student affairs at the City University of New York, and associate dean of faculty at the College of Staten Island. Nuñez received her undergraduate degree from Montclair State College, her master’s from Farleigh Dickinson University, and her doctoral degree from Rutgers University.

Liane Robertson, Assistant Professor of English, and Director, Writing Across the Curriculum, William Paterson University Robertson teaches writing and directs the Writing Across the Curriculum program at William Patterson University. Her research on writing transfer is specifically focused on the role of writing content in curricular design, particularly the efficacy of a transfer-based curriculum in repurposing knowledge about writing across different academic contexts. Currently, she is involved in a multi-institutional study exploring the adaptability of her co-designed Teaching For Transfer curricular model across a wide range of writing sites and student populations. Robertson earned her PhD from Florida State University.

Andrea Salis, Faculty Fellow, Office of Academic Affairs, City University of New York Queensborough Community College In her role as faculty fellow, Salis supports efforts of the Queensborough Academies to enhance student success. This includes support for cocurricular events for students, use of high impact practices, and faculty use of early alert technology. Her research interests include academic assessment, applied teaching and learning strategies, health behavior, motivation, self-regulation, and cognition. Prior to her career in academia, Salis was the health and wellness director of the Cross Island YMCA of Greater New York and the program director for the medical weight management practice in Long Island, NY. She earned her BA from the University of Rochester, her MA from Lehman College, and her PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Carol Geary Schneider, President, Association of American Colleges and Universities Schneider has been president of AAC&U since 1998. Under her leadership, AAC&U has launched several major initiatives, including Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College and Greater Expectations, a multi-faceted initiative on the aims and purposes of liberal education for the twenty-first century. As a vice president at AAC&U in the 1990’s, Schneider headed a major initiative on higher education and U.S. pluralism, American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy and Liberal Learning. Prior to her work at AAC&U, she taught at the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Chicago State University, and Boston University. Schneider received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and her doctorate in history from Harvard University.

Judith Shapiro, President, The Teagle Foundation Shapiro has been president of the Teagle Foundation since 2013. She is also president and professor of anthropology emerita of Barnard College and professor of anthropology emerita at Bryn Mawr College. She began her teaching career at the University of Chicago in 1970. Shapiro’s scholarly work has been in the areas of gender differences, social organization, cultural theory, and missionization. She has also served as president of the American Ethnological Society, a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies. Shapiro received her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and her doctorate from Columbia University.

Kiron Sharma, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, Fairleigh Dickinson University Sharma is Professor of Computer Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University where she also serves as Co-Director for the Institute for the Enhancement of Teaching Science and Math and Director of Special Projects at Becton College. Her research interests include Computational Complexity and Organizational Sustainability. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi in India, master’s degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology and Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, and a PhD from the City University of New York.

Louis Soares, Vice President, Center for Policy Research and Strategy, American Council on Education Soares joined ACE in 2013. With more than 20 years of experience in postsecondary education policy and practice, he is responsible for further positioning ACE as a thought leader on emerging trends in higher education. Soares most recently served as the director of the postsecondary education program and fellow at the Center for American Progress. Previously, he served as director of business development under Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri and as Director of Education and Training for the Rhode Island Technology Council. He was also a small business consultant with the U.S. Peace Corps in Romania. He holds a master’s from Harvard University and a bachelor’s from Brown University.

David Soo, Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Education Soo is a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary at the US Department of Education. He joined the department as a presidential management fellow in 2011. His work focuses on a broad array of higher education policy issues, with a particular focus on areas of academic quality and innovation. In addition, he provides leadership to the department on financial capability for young Americans. Previously, Soo served as state policy analyst at Complete College America and student life coordinator at Olin College of Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College, and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Terrell Strayhorn, Director, Center for Higher Education Enterprise, The Ohio State University As professor and director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE), Strayhorn maintains an active and highly visible research agenda focusing on major policy issues in education: student access and achievement, equity and diversity, impact of college on students, and student learning and development. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Known for using the hashtag #DoGoodWork on social media, Strayhorn was named one of the country’s top diversity scholars by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in 2011 and became the youngest full professor in Ohio State’s history in 2014. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Virginia and doctorate in higher education from Virginia Tech.

Rebecca Thomas, Dean of the College, Bard College Thomas joined the Bard College faculty in 2000, the institution’s second computer scientist ever to be hired. She assumed the role of dean of the college in July 2015. Previously, Thomas served as a faculty member at the University of Northern Iowa, Middlebury College, and Stanford University. She has conducted research at SRI International and AT&T Bell Laboratories. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in computer science from Stanford University.

Susan Traverso, Provost and Senior Vice President, Elizabethtown College Traverso has been the provost and senior vice president at Elizabethtown College since 2007. Traverso is a scholar of American social policy and women's history. She has extensive experience overseas having worked in international development earlier in her career, including as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the early 1980s. Prior to coming to Elizabethtown College, Traverso was a member of the faculty at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Redlands. Traverso is a graduate of Simmons College in Boston and has graduate degrees in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Mary-Ann Winkelmes, Coordinator of Instructional Development and Research and Affiliate Scholar, Department of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas In her role at UNLV, Winkelmes aims to complement and promote teaching and learning initiatives, student success, faculty development, and instructional research in all the University's academic units. Winkelmes has held senior leadership roles in the campus teaching centers at Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. She founded and directs the Transparency in Teaching and Learning project, which promotes explicit conversation between teachers and students about methods of teaching and learning, and empowers faculty to share their own data on students' learning across institutions and countries. Winkelmes holds a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a doctorate from Harvard University.