ASHE President Dr. Jeni Hart delivered the keynote at this year's annual conference in Minneapolis.
Sailesh Maharjan, a lecturer and mental health first aid trainer at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), wasn’t quite sure he would fit in at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
“Within one day, I was able to meet so many people and attend sessions that invite your opinion,” said Maharjan, who is also a doctoral student at CSUSB. This was his first ASHE conference.
“I am leaving ASHE with a lot of good memories, knowledge and connections,” said Maharjan, who is impressed that AHSE has encouraged its members to consider different ways of presenting their research.
Maharjan's dissertation is focused on student mental health and engagement.
“During the pandemic, and even before the pandemic, many students were dealing with stress and other challenges,” he said, adding that more than 70% of his students hold down part-time or full-time jobs while also pursuing their college degree. “Students need some help, they’re dealing with a lot, and they don’t know the resources.”
Mental health was among the many topics that educators explored during the four-day conference. But the ongoing attacks on higher education at the hands of the incoming Trump administration also weighed on the minds of attendees. The administration has promised, among other things, to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and to penalize institutions that fund diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Amelia-Marie K. Altstadt, a PhD student in disability studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago, has been coming to ASHE for the past three years. The interdisciplinary nature of her research has allowed her to find a place at the conference where she is able to connect with higher education scholars.
“It’s been helpful to see how disability studies in higher education have grown,” said Altstadt. “And it has been nice to see more of an investment in disability studies from ASHE and higher education.”
Altstadt said that she is encouraged by how the association—which now boasts more than 2,200 members—is leaning more into the social sciences and humanities.
ASHE President, Dr. Jeni Hart, who is dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate studies and professor of higher education at the University of Missouri, used her keynote address to remind higher education leaders of their role.
"We have a responsibility to be accessible advocates for higher education as a public good,” she said.
Dr. Bryan K. Hotchkins, an associate professor of higher education in the department of Educational Psychology, Leadership, & Counseling at Texas Tech University, has been coming to the annual conference since 2010.
“It is a space where I think you can error in,” said Hotchkins, whose research focuses on Blacks in the academy. “There is value in getting feedback from people who are invested in your elevation.”
He would however, like to see the association endorse a stronger link between embracing artistic research.
“In the academy, we’re not really, as professors encouraged to have our students ideate or imagine, or be lost in wonderments,” he said. “And I get it. This is an academic conference, but I’m a whole person so I want to experience the whole of my identity in this kind of space, not just the nerd me.”
At the awards ceremony on Friday, a number of scholars were recognized, including Dr. Cinthya Salazar, an assistant professor in the department of Education within UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies, who received the early career award.
Dr. Kristen A. Renn, a professor of Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education (HALE) and the Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair emerita in the department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University, was awarded ASHE’s mentoring award.
“Attending ASHE is about being in community and inclusively contributing to the growth and success of our academic community and our works, which is even more critically important amidst the current politics of education,” said Dr. Cristóbal Rodríguez, associate provost for Equity-Centered Initiatives and a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Western Michigan University. “It is always inspiring to engage at ASHE in the inclusive creativity and energy with the promise of higher learning and the commitment to access and equity.”
