Casandra Harper is Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She is also a Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. She studies the differential effect of college on students across a range of topics including: parent and family engagement in first-generation college students’ lives, racial identity, student success, and how students and families navigate the financial aid process. Dr. Harper received her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA.

Areas of Expertise

• Differential effects of college on students
• Parent and family engagement
• Financial aid
• Racial identity and identification patterns