Higher Education Researchers Workgroup

The goal of this group is to bring together qualitative and quantitative higher education researchers working on issues at Berkeley, the University of California, the State of California or elsewhere for the mutual exchange of knowledge, ideas and issues through:
  • Acquainting one another with their respective research
  • Discussing our research strategies, data base use and data issues
  • Engaging with the questions raised by all of our work
  • Supporting each others’ work by providing feedback on substance and presentation
  • Creating an ongoing list of projects past and present for eventual posting on the CSHE website
Too often higher education data driven researchers on and off campus work alone and they are unfamiliar with the breadth of research even on the Berkeley campus. There also is not necessarily communication among qualitative and quantitative researchers although many researchers use both types of data. Additionally there often is a disciplinary divide. This group is intended to overcome these to the enrichment of all participants. All are welcome including international visiting scholars who may be working on higher education issues in their own country. 

Format

  • Monthly meetings for an hour and a half
  • At every meeting a check in with new and existing members about their project(s)
  • When possible prior to each meeting an abstract, proposal, raw summary, finished or draft piece should be circulated among the group
  • At the meeting the author informally presents a summary of his or her research questions and issues and does not necessarily make a formal presentation—this is research in progress
  • Depending on the consensus of the group pertinent articles by non-members could be circulated and discussed for the issues germane to the participants

Meeting Details

First Thursday of every month in person and on Zoom
Graduate students and postdocs are particularly encouraged to attend.

Contact

This workgroup is organized and chaired by CSHE Senior Researcher Emerita, Anne MacLachlan. 
For more information regarding this workgroup please contact Anne at maclach@berkeley.edu.

Selected Past Presentations

June 6. 2024. Educated in Luxury: Student Housing Industry in the Era of the Neoliberal Globalization of Higher Education. Shanshan Jiang-Brittan

May 2. 2024. Elite, Commercialized Athletics in Higher Education: Historica and Contemporary Issues of the Uniquely American Phenomenon . Kirsten Hextrum, Patrick Mazzocco & Rachel Roberson

April 4. 2024. Meaningfulness in Higher Education: Beyond Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Academic Motivation. Shiva Shafaei (PhD candidate, University of Otago)

March 6. 2024. No one knows the ‘right language’, we are all constantly talking about it” Language work and social justice at UC Berkeley. Lærke Cecilie Anbert (PhD candidate, Aarhus University, Denmark)

February 1. 2024. Academic freedom, impacts of universities on students’ and societies’ values. William Kidder &  Kerry Shepard

July 7, 2023, Global Liberal Arts and New Institutions for 21st Century Higher Education

The recording for this talk is here

April 7, 2023, Pending Decisions on Affirmative Action

UCR School of Education Professor Uma Jayakumar(link is external) and William (Bill) Kidder, J.D. UCR Compliance & Civil Rights Investigator, discussed the pending supreme court decisions on Affirmative Action.

The two speakers led the organizing of the American social science scholars brief in SFFA v. University of North Carolina(link is external).

March 2023:  Academic Freedom within the University of California

Robert Carlen May, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics, Emeritus, UC Davis, together with CSHE Affiliate George Blumenthal, CSHE Director and Chancellor Emeritus, UC Santa Cruz, led a discussion on academic freedom within the University of California.

February 2023: "To Enjoy Equal Privilege Therein: The effort to restore minority admissions at the University of California after the repeal of affirmative action" 

Next Meeting

December 5, 1:30pm PST

Speaker: David Radwin (Senior Researcher, California Competes)

Abstract

Each year, about 300,000 parents enroll in college in California, meaning one in eight students are responsible for a dependent while managing their studies. Despite their significant proportion of today’s student population, their backgrounds and experiences are not well understood. Recent data from the 2021 American Community Survey and the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection provide an opportunity to gain a clearer picture. This report combines analyses using these sources with existing research to inform policy improvements for student parents and their families, with relevance for nonparenting students, graduate student parents, and those in other states. Part 1 presents demographic information about student parents, covering where they live and their race, ethnicity, sex, family size, marital/cohabitation status, and first-generation college student status. Part 2 describes the academic experiences of student parents, covering their choice of institution, housing arrangements, time between high school and college, attendance patterns, and educational goals. Part 3 outlines how student parents pay for college, including Pell Grant and loan amounts, work hours, and receipt of means-tested benefits. Part 4 offers recommendations for data collection and use, to better understand student parents’ needs, inform policy, and track progress.

Bio

David Radwin is Senior Researcher at California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy, where he leads research initiatives to shape policy priorities.

Immigrant Age-at-Arrival, Social Capital, and College Enrollment

Student Learning and Wellbeing during the Pandemic: Evidence from the SERU COVID-19 Survey

COVID-19 Impacts on Early Career Trajectories and Mobility of Doctoral Graduates in Aotearoa, NZ

Asymmetric Expectations: Faculty Research Roles Under California’s Master Plan for Higher Education

Get Ready: Introducing the Millions of Adults Planning to Enroll in College

Higher Education Researchers Workgroup: Academic Freedom

Writing the History of the University from the Perspective of Graduate Women, 1870-1919