December 2, 2019
Tessa Bravata, a master’s student in the HESA Program writes an Op-Ed on the value students feel when administrators connect with students in a relate-able way, Times Higher Education.
November 19, 2019
Kayla Cole, a master’s student in the HESA Program writes an Op-Ed on the strengths international students bring to higher education, The Hartford Courant.
November 18, 2019
HESA student Shalyn Hopley, pens an op-ed on mental health for graduate students in The Hartford Courant.
November 11, 2019
November 7, 2019
UConn EDLR Faculty and Students are headed to Portland for the annual Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference being held November 13-16. Below is a list of presentations where EDLR will be representing their research. This information was compiled by Ashley Robinson.
Wednesday
Exploring Mechanisms for Faculty Agency in the Implementation of the ‘Double First-Class Initiative’ Policy in China
Wed, November 13, 3:00 to 4:15pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Ballroom, Galleria South
Bin Zhang, Shaanxi Normal University
Gerardo L Blanco, University of Connecticut
In Session: Reimagining Academic Careers from a Global Perspectives
Thursday
Navigating an International Researcher Formation and an Academic Career Success in the United States: Advice from Experience and Research
Thu, November 14, 8:15 to 9:45am, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Ballroom, Grand Ballroom Parlor A/B
Including: Gerardo L Blanco, University of Connecticut
In Event: CIHE International Students and Scholars Workshop (Additional Registration Required)
Researcher Identity Formation: What Shapes your Research Interests and Agenda? (Roundtable 2)
Thu, November 14, 10:00 to 11:40am, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Ballroom, Grand Ballroom Parlor A/B
Gerardo L Blanco, University of Connecticut
Pilar Mendoza, University of Missouri-Columbia
Tatiana Suspitsyna, The Ohio State University
In Event: CIHE International Students and Scholars Workshop (Additional Registration Required)
In Session: Developing Success Strategies and Professional Plans
“I’m the same as you, just more melanin”: Increased Structural Diversity and Anti-Blackness within Higher Education
Thu, November 14, 2:15 to 3:30pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: 3rd, Forum
Ajhanai Channel Inez Newton, University of Connecticut
Charles Lu, University of California – San Diego
In Session: Anti-Blackness and Violent Campus Racial Climates
Presidential Commission on Undocumented Immigrants Open Meeting
Thu, November 14, 2:15 to 3:30pm, The Duniway, Captain Gray III
H. Kenny Nienhusser, University of Connecticut (Organizer)
Susana M. Muñoz, Colorado State University–Fort Collins (Organizer)
Friday
Getting Messy and Teaching From the Heart: How Instructors Shift Their Teaching Conceptions and Practices to Teach Through Diversity
Fri, November 15, 8:15 to 9:15am, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Plaza, Atrium Ballroom
Milagros Castillo-Montoya, University of Connecticut
Jillian Ives, University of Connecticut
Kirsten Kortz, Northern Essex Community College
In Roundtable: 9. Dangerous and Messy Lessons that Fan the Flame: Developing Justice-Oriented Staff, Faculty, & Leaders
Role of Contexts in Shaping the Implementation of Policies That Affect Undocu/DACAmented Students
Fri, November 15, 10:45am to 12:00pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Ballroom, Galleria II
H. Kenny Nienhusser, University of Connecticut
Chelsea Connery, University of Connecticut
In Session: Policy Implementation as a Tool to Achieve Educational Equity in the Community College Context
Free Speech Worship as Racial Oppression: A Critical Whiteness Analysis of Speech Rights in U.S. Higher Education
Ashley N. Robinson, University of Connecticut
Fri, November 15, 2:15 to 3:30pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Plaza, Broadway II
In Session: Free Speech: Institutional Responses & Student Activism
“Why the Caged Bird Sings” in the Academy: Reimagining What Counts as Knowledge in Higher Education
Fri, November 15, 2:15 to 3:30pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Plaza, Pavilion Ballroom West
Milagros Castillo-Montoya, University of Connecticut
Thandi Sule, Oakland University
Truth Hunter, Connecticut College
William Corey Moore, University of Connecticut
Saturday
Coalitional Work and Collective Agency: Breaking Boundaries that Perpetuate Inequity and Injustice (Presidential Session)
Sat, November 16, 1:30 to 2:45pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: 23rd, Skyline II
Gerardo L Blanco, University of Connecticut
Roman Liera, University of Southern California
Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona
Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Fraternities as Settings for Sexual Assault: An Examination of the Relationships of Traditional Norm Masculine Norms Climates, Alcohol Consumption Climates, and Sexual Assault Mindsets
Sat, November 16, 3:00 to 4:15pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Plaza, Broadway II
Adam M. McCready, University of Connecticut
Sarah Cohen
Gentry R McCreary, Dyad Strategies LLC
Joshua Schutts, University of West Florida
In Session: Reconceptualizing Normative Masculinities in College
October 31, 2019
First-year HESA students who are enrolled in EDLR 5105: Structured Group Dialogue in Student Affairs recently hosted a gallery walk in Storrs. The event showcased student-created, interactive visuals that expressed student’s learning as a result of the course. View the Neag photo album.
October 21, 2019
HESA’s Adam McCready writes an original commentary on masculinity and drinking problems in college fraternities in The Conversation.
September 9, 2019
“This past academic year, UConn’s Neag School of Education, along with UndocuScholars at the University of California Los Angeles and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Presidential Commission on Undocumented Immigrants, co-sponsored a research brief dissemination series highlighting issues related to the undocu/DACAmented community. According to HESA’s assistant professor, H. Kenny Nienhusser, the goal of the series was to make research in this area accessible beyond traditional academic spaces.” Read the full Neag School of Education story.
May 8, 2019
For current student Bailee Raber, pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) was a natural choice. As an undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan University, she was deeply involved with undergraduate admissions which spurred her interest in UConn’s program. 
In her assistantship with off-campus student services, Raber advises commuters and other students living off-campus. She empowers her students so they can find their own answers and provides them with the tools to pave their unique paths. Although she can’t change an immediate outcome for a student, she pushes her students forward to achieve personal success.
As a student affairs practitioner, Raber takes self-reflection to heart especially in regards to serving her students in the best way she can. She understands that behavior and self-discovery are huge factors in improving your relationship with your students, as well as with yourself. Raber shares that helping a student, connecting them to resources, or simply providing them with a soundboard where they can freely express themselves, offer the most rewarding experiences. She strives to be a pillar of support to her students and aid in their individualized journeys to success.
Raber urges students to “Connect and vent to others going through the same experience.” She appreciates the friends and mentors who have stuck by her side through the ups and downs and says that the program has been “One of the best things that have ever happened.” Within HESA’s cohort model, Raber has been able to connect with like-minded individuals and create long-lasting friendships. Especially during times of doubt and apprehension, Raber says,
“These people become your family and help you through those more challenging times.”
Despite her busy schedule as a full-time student and working professional, Raber emphasizes the importance of making time for yourself and practicing healthy self-care habits. Hanging out with her dogs, listening to podcasts, and learning about holistic and student development, are only some of the hobbies she enjoys outside of her professional work.
By connecting with people within her practicum, assistantship, and cohort, Raber grows both professionally and individually within her field. As a first-year master’s student, originally from a small town in Ohio, Raber works to acclimate herself to life outside of the Midwest and experience the Northeast for what it has to offer! Some of Raber’s favorite destinations are Not Only Juice, a vegan juicery, as well as CT Valley, one of CT’s most distinguished breweries.
Although “Some days are easier than others,” the supportive students and faculty within her cohort push Raber to treat every day as an opportunity to guide students in a positive direction.
April 22, 2019
Last week, Drs. Milagros Castillo-Montoya and Erica Fernández, two EDLR faculty members who are connected with UConn’s El Foco research community, organized and supported Dr. Gilda Laura Ochoa, the featured guest speaker who joined UConn’s faculty, staff and students for an engaging discussion on education, during the annual plática. The event pushed participants to identify power, privilege and silences within the classroom and encouraged students to be successful while and reminding teachers to be mindful.
Read the full story by The Daily Campus.