James Dean Ward successfully defends dissertation

Congratulations to Pullias research assistant James Dean Ward (above, center), who successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation on June 11, 2018!

Titled “Exploring Heterogeneous Effects of Performance-Based Funding: Implications for Equity and Policy,” Ward’s dissertation studies the rising popularity in recent years of performance-based funding policies, which tie state funding for public colleges to performance goals, such as the rate at which students complete degree or certificate programs. More than half the states have adopted such policies; Ward’s research takes a close look at both the intended and unintended effects of these programs.

Ward’s dissertation committee included two members of the Pullias Center: Wilbur Kieffer Professor of Higher Education and University Professor William G. Tierney, who serves as co-director of the Pullias Center, and Julie Posselt, assistant professor of higher education in the USC Rossier School of Education. Adlai Wertman, David C. Bohnett Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, also served on the committee.

“The Pullias Center has provided an intellectual home for interdisciplinary research on equity issues in higher education,” Ward said. “As a research assistant, I had the opportunity to interact with like-minded scholars who approached equity in higher education from a diverse set of theoretical and methodological orientations. By providing such a space, the Pullias Center has given me the opportunity to explore topics of importance and to make meaningful connections across bodies of literature. My colleagues have always encouraged and supported high-quality work while engaging each other in meaningful interdisciplinary conversations.”

Ward plans to continue his equity-based research that examines how higher education finance, funding, and regulatory policies impacts opportunities for historically underserved students.

See photos from the Pullias Center’s celebration of James Dean Ward on Twitter.