This Higher Education Series is a community-building series for UC doctoral students interested in higher education research, policy, and practice. It evolved from the previous Gardner Seminar series at CSHE. Participation is free.
This small, discussion-based group will meet once a month for interactive sessions on topics related to higher education research, professional development, and emerging issues in the field. Each session will be designed to foster dialogue, peer exchange, and connection across UC campuses
Past sessions included:
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Zachary Bleemer (Assistant Professor, Princeton University): Who Merits an Elite Education?
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Jennifer Delaney (Professor, Berkeley School of Education): Experimental Evidence on “Direct Admissions” from Four States–Impacts on College Application and Enrollment
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Eric R. Felix (Associate Professor, SDSU): Race, Power, and Policy–Our Collective Imaginations for Educational Equity
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John Aubrey Douglass (Senior Research Fellow, CSHE): The California Master Plan for Higher Education–Retrospective and Prospective
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Jennifer Hogg (Senior Research Manager, California Policy Lab): Student Supports–The Role of Social Safety-Net Programs in College Student Success
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Katherine Newman (Provost, UCOP): Blinking Spots on the Radar Screen–Challenges Facing Higher Education in the Post-COVID Period
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Olga Rodriguez (Director, PPIC Higher Education Center): Pathways to College Completion in the San Joaquin Valley
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Pamela Brown (Vice President for Institutional Research & Academic Planning, UCOP): From Metrics to Meaning–An Institutional Research Career in Higher Education
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Amber Villalobos (Fellow, The Century Foundation): Pathways to Academic Adjacent Jobs in Higher Education
To keep the community intimate and engaging, we will select a limited number of students through a brief application process
We welcome a multidisciplinary community of higher education researchers. Doctoral students from education, sociology, political science, public policy, economics, statistics, and related disciplines across the UC system are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to students who have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy
Application Form
Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
For questions or more information, please contact cshe@berkeley.edu.