Pullias Center welcomes new research affiliate Lorelle L. Espinosa
From a report on shared leadership in higher education to a white paper on the changing role of college and university faculty, the Pullias Center and the American Council of Education, the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, have a long history of collaborative research aimed at fostering innovative, high-quality practice in higher education.
Now, the Pullias and ACE are taking another step to cement this ongoing collaboration. Lorelle L. Espinosa, ACE’s vice president for research, has joined the Pullias Center as our newest research affiliate.
“It is wonderful to have an opportunity to formalize the relationship between Pullias and ACE,” Espinosa said. “Our collaboration provides an important path to translate research into policy and practice, including for a higher education executive audience.”
At ACE, Espinosa is responsible for developing the organization’s thought leadership and research agenda and for ensuring a consistent evidence base across ACE’s array of programs and services. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education practice, policy and research, Espinosa is a national voice on issues pertaining to college access and success for diverse populations and on the role of equity-minded leadership in postsecondary settings.
Dedicated to pursuing real-world impact of her work, Espinosa co-chairs the National Academies study committee, “Closing the Equity Gap: Revitalizing STEM Education and Workforce Readiness Programs in the Nation’s Minority-Serving Institutions.” She also serves on the boards of College Possible and the American Youth Policy Forum.
Catalyzing innovation
As a Pullias Center research affiliate, Espinosa will continue to collaborate with the center on research projects, with the goal to combine forces to make a significant impact on education policy and practice. She will work closely with Adrianna Kezar, co-director of the Pullias Center and USC professor of higher education, on projects related to equity-minded leadership.
“Lorelle’s expertise is strongly aligned with the Pullias Center’s goals,” Kezar said. “We are excited for her to share her expertise with the other researchers as well as the students and postdocs. And as two organizations committed to equity and research, we look forward to advancing this agenda.”
Espinosa’s current research includes a three-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to examine race and ethnicity in higher education. Her prior work at ACE includes a seminal study examining how legal challenges to race-conscious policies influence contemporary admissions practices at selective colleges around the country, which was cited in several amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court and advanced understanding of diversity-focused policy and law.
Espinosa’s subsequent work examined the role of leadership in campus racial climate and on the tension between campus inclusion and freedom of expression, leading to national dialogue on the role of presidential and cabinet-level leadership in these critical areas.
With her new role as research affiliate at the Pullias Center, Espinosa is especially looking forward to collaborating with Kezar on their joint project focused on responding to campus racial crises. Based on research conducted at the University of Missouri, this project continues the work begun by “Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate,” a Nov. 2018 report co-authored by Kezar and published by ACE.
“The work Adrianna and her colleagues have advanced through our research collaboration with the University of Missouri is exactly the type of work the field needs right now,” Espinosa said. “Working with universities in this way, to elevate their story for the benefit of all, provides a powerful path to institutional change.”