Aug. 8, 2022

Dajanae Palmer

Dajanae Palmer is the Co-Director of Qualitative Inquiry and Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. Dr. Palmer earned her PhD in Higher Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Diego State University and her Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California. Dr. Palmer’s research interests are in examining and uplifting the experiences of graduate students, exploring feminist ​methodologies, and using critical theories to analyze the systems of domination in higher education. Dr. Palmer has experience working with Black women…

Aug. 16, 2017

Michael Steven Williams

Dr. Michael Steven Williams is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. His research program broadly focuses on inclusion, diversity, and equity, the social-psychological development of students, and institutional excellence in American postsecondary education. Specifically, he centers his inquiry on two aspects of higher education: (a) interpersonal relationships, particularly socialization, mentoring, and belonging for students, administrators, and faculty, and (b) the institution, with a focus on organizational improvement and accountability through multi-pronged assessment and evaluation. Before joining the Mizzou faculty in 2017, he served as…

July 9, 2015

Pilar Mendoza

Pilar Mendoza is a full professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) at the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research interests include international and comparative higher education; coloniality; neoliberalism, globalization, academic capitalism; college student retention; financial aid; and the professoriate. Dr. Mendoza’s engaged scholarship has significantly impacted internationalization efforts and the development of higher education in Latin America. Her efforts have brought over 70 U.S. faculty, students, and administrators from multiple institutions in the U.S. to Colombia for a variety of internationalization experiences. She is the Founder of…

July 9, 2015

Gabrielle Malfatti

Dr. Gabrielle Malfatti, Teaching Professor, serves as Director of Global Engagement and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Global Education and Leadership. Dr. Malfatti leads efforts to infuse global mindedness into the ethos of the college and all aspects of educator preparation through education abroad, international student and scholar support, curriculum development and international partnerships. Her research and practice focus on international academic relations; international education leadership; globally minded educator preparation, and intercultural communication and adaptation. She is responsible for the college’s education abroad offerings, outreach to international students and scholars and fostering of the college’s collaborative agreements…

July 6, 2015

Casandra Harper Morris

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.

July 5, 2015

Jennifer Fellabaum-Toston

Dr. Jennifer Fellabaum-Toston is a Teaching Professor of Higher Education at the University of Missouri. Dr. Fellabaum-Toston holds a BSS in professional leadership and a MEd in college student personnel from Ohio University. She completed her PhD with an emphasis in Higher and Continuing Education at the University of Missouri. Dr. Fellabaum-Toston’s research and teaching interests include identities in higher education, postsecondary teaching and learning, and the development of scholarly practitioners/practitioner-scholars.

June 18, 2015

Jeni Hart

Dr. Jeni Hart is the Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri. She is also Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA). Dr. Hart joined ELPA as an assistant professor in 2003. She completed her PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Arizona. Prior to becoming a faculty member, she worked for 9 years as a student affairs educator at a number of colleges and universities, and one year as a faculty member at Southeast Missouri State University. Dr. Hart’s scholarship centers on…