New Book by Pullias Center Founding Director William G. Tierney

William G. Tierney’s “Get Real: 49 Challenges Confronting Higher Education” provides a thought-provoking overview of the many challenges in higher education through forty-nine short essays. Higher education always seems to be in crisis; governments, foundations, associations, and even professors lament problems plaguing America’s colleges and universities. Drawing on his experiences and expertise as a University Professor Emeritus and Founding Director […]

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Pullias Center Celebrates 25 Years with Virtual Gathering

Pullias Center staff, researchers, associates, and alumni met up virtually to reminisce about the organization’s first quarter century while considering what lies ahead. The event was originally planned as an in-person affair that, like so many things in 2020, had to be rethought in the shadow of the coronavirus.  The resulting virtual gathering benefited from the digital nature of the […]

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Pullias Center Presents Five Alumni with Awards to Support Racial Equity-Related Research

The Pullias Center asked the organization’s alumni to submit proposals for research projects that explore racial equity and inclusion in higher education and presented $5,000 awards to support five of these projects. The five winning projects were selected through a blind review conducted by Pullias Center faculty along with Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center.  The winners were first […]

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Zoe Corwin and Colleagues Earn Provost New Strategic Directions for Research Award for Further Exploration of Skateboarding Culture

The new study will seek to document, understand, and share ways young people who are often relegated to the margins of society are finding community and supporting each other in challenging times. Zoe Corwin, Associate Professor of Research and lead researcher on a recent groundbreaking study at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Rossier School of Education Pullias Center that […]

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C-CIDE Event Marks Beginning of New Phase for Forward-Looking Consortium

A recent event for California Consortium for Inclusive Doctoral Education (C-CIDE) created an opportunity for teams from six campuses to learn from each other how to change current admission policies and practices to address racial and gender inequalities in STEM PhD programs. C-CIDE, a National Science Foundation-funded network of doctoral-granting universities and member departments, aims to improve how graduate programs […]

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New Report Highlights Social Ramifications of Campus Policing

A new report written by Pullias Center researchers tackles the institutionalization of policing in higher education campus safety and management.  By providing administrators with important perspectives, key takeaways, reflective questions, and specific recommendations, Campus Policing: A Guide for Higher Education Leaders acts as a guide for higher education leaders looking to proactively respond to issues of policing and racism on […]

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Case Studies Highlight 2020 Delphi Award Winning Programs to Support Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Louisiana State University and Northcentral University detail the paths they took to improve working conditions and professional development for adjunct faculty on their campuses. Titled “Inclusive Faculty Development at Louisiana State University” and “Supporting Adjuncts from a Distance: Adjuncts as Subject Matter Experts & Values Members of the Northcentral University Community,” these new publications highlight the recent successful efforts these […]

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New Book by Pullias Researcher Examines Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts Across Graduate STEM Education

Julie Posselt’s “Equity in Science: Representation, Culture, and the Dynamics of Change in Graduate Education” reveals the subtle ways that exclusion and power operate in scientific organizations. “It is no revelation that culture change of some sort is needed in science, and so widespread is this awareness that more and more people want to be associated with contributing to positive […]

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Higher Ed Conversations in Black Debuts with Esteemed Contributors

The premiere issue of ‘Higher Education Conversations in Black,’ a new thought-provoking media project from the Pullias Center, is now available. Titled “Good and Necessary Trouble,” the issue features contributions from Pedro Noguera, Sharon Fries Britt, Charles Davis, Raquel Rall, and John Slaughter.

The Pullias Center for Higher Education introduces a new series, Higher Ed Conversations in Black. Each issue will feature invited contributors sharing short, searing, and lyrical commentary with an aim toward helping higher education become a more supportive and equitable environment for all. The commentary is meant to both evoke new conversations and offer novel perspectives on existing issues that plague higher education.

“Now, more than ever, it is necessary to highlight and purposely center the notes, musings, and opinions of Black thought leaders and scholars in higher education,” notes Jordan Harper, the Pullias Center Research Assistant who created the project and is editor of the premiere issue.  “They provide a unique and compelling perspective about the postsecondary education system that is informed by their positionalities in higher education and society.”

The premiere edition is available to read now and will be followed by future issues every two months starting December 2020.  Higher Ed Conversations in Black is inspired by Ed Gordon’s book Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership.


(10/1 Update) – Click here to read more about Jordan Harper and Higher Ed Conversations in Black in the Daily Trojan

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COVID, Racism, and Higher Education

There has been much discussion about the disparate impact COVID-19 has had on communities of color and other marginalized populations.  This reaches into higher education where struggles for racial equity had already taken a toll before the pandemic arrived. In Dr. Gail Christopher’s plenary speech at the Association of American Colleges and Universities TRHT Institute earlier this summer, she describes […]

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