Dr. Blanca Elizabeth Vega was born and raised in New York City to Ecuadorian immigrant parents. She is an associate professor and graduate program coordinator for the MA in Higher Education at Montclair State University. Vega earned her Ed.D. from the prestigious Higher and Postsecondary Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University.
With over 25 years of administrative, research, and teaching experience in various higher education settings, Vega transitioned to academia as a faculty member and has significantly contributed to the Master of Arts in Higher Education program at Montclair State University since 2017. As the coordinator of Montclair State’s Master of Arts program in Higher Education, she has been instrumental in guiding its development, leading it from its origins as a concentration to its establishment as a stand-alone program in 2020. Under her leadership, the program now offers critical courses such as Leadership, Supervision, and Management in Higher Education, Economics and Finance of Higher Education, and Diversity and Equity in Higher Education, which aim to provide higher education professionals with knowledge, skills, and experiences in equity-minded, racially responsive, and justice-oriented administration and leadership. Vega's research is rooted in a deep commitment to equity, access, and success for underserved populations in higher education. Vega has been awarded several national grants to pursue critical research agendas including a national grant from the Spencer Foundation to explore the experiences of higher education and student affairs professionals with policies related to undocumented students.
