Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs
Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?
Indiana University’s Higher Education and Student Affairs program provides me with the opportunity to engage with different forces and stakeholders within the academy in both scholarly and professional manners.
I was also raised in a northern suburb of Indianapolis, and after living in Miami, Florida for almost eight years I jumped at the opportunity to move back to the Midwest. While I loved the tropical, international, and metropolitan environment provided to me in South Florida, Indianapolis afforded my wife and me with a more comfortable and cost effective workplace as I pursue my doctorate.
What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?
During my two years as a Ph.D. student at Indiana University, I have presented papers at the Organization of Educational Historians Conference and the Historical Education Society Annual Meeting. Also while working as a Graduate Assistant within the IUPUI Graduate Office, I have presented research projects at the Preparing Future Faculty and Professionals Conference and the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis. I am thrilled that I have been able to engage with diverse research methods as a doctoral student, and am excited about the manuscripts I have submitted for potential publication.
What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis has grown so much since I left in 2006! I currently live in Whitestown, Indiana, just 20 minutes north of the city. Indianapolis provides all the options of a major city, but has never lost its distinct Midwestern charm. If you know where to look you can experience so many different cultures, and it never hurts to be close to elements of Hoosier Hysteria that have always felt like home.
Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.
As the Academic and Professional Development Graduate Assistant within the IUPUI Graduate Office, I have focused my practitioner work towards helping other graduate students make sense of their own scholarly and professional pursuits. As a representative of the IUPUI Preparing Future Faculty and Professionals Program I have been performing research focused on creating a more equitable graduate experience for all students. I also help coordinate a weekly Graduate Writing Group.
My research focus as a Higher Education Ph.D. student is focused on the roles that the religion and religiosity play within the academy. I am particularly interested in the interplay between religion and the historical growth of American Higher Education, and how this interplay continues to affect the academy.