About Us
Don Hossler, Director of the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Indiana University, where he has served as Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services for IU Bloomington, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services for the seven campuses of the IU system, Executive Associate Dean for the School of Education, and Chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. His areas of specialization include college choice, student financial aid policy, enrollment management, and higher education finance.
Mary Ziskin, Ph.D., Senior Associate Director of the Project on Academic Success (PAS), conducts research on college student persistence and academic success. A 2004 graduate of the University of Michigan, her research interests also include the racial stratification of educational opportunity, discourses surrounding academic merit, and critical research methodologies. She teaches qualitative methods and survey research at the Indiana University School of Education.
Jacob P.K. Gross, Associate Director of Research at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a doctoral candidate in educational leadership and policy studies. His general research interests relate to the ways education policies reproduce and challenge social inequality. He focuses on academic success for underrepresented students in U.S. postsecondary education. Specific areas of interest include financial aid, racial and gender equity policies, postsecondary financing, and the effects of institutional contexts on student success.
Sarah Martin, Publications Coordinator at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), holds master's degrees from IU in instructional systems technology and applied linguistics. In addition to her work at Indiana University School of Education, she has taught English at universities in Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, and the West Bank.
Osman Cekic, Research Analyst at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a Ph.D. candidate in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University. He holds a master’s degree in secondary school administration from the University of Arkansas. He previously worked as a research associate at the Indiana Education Policy Center and was the graduate assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Services for Indiana University. Osman’s research interests include higher education finance and the linkages between budget and organizational culture. In his previous appointments, Osman has worked with IPEDS and finance and financial aid data, and he continues to explore these subjects. He brings expertise in qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis techniques to PAS.
Afet Dadashova, Research Associate at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a Ph.D. student in Indiana University’s education policy studies program, with a minor in sociology. She holds a master’s degree in the social and philosophical foundations of education. Afet is currently involved in projects on transfer among college students and mobile working students. She is also interested in research methods in education.
Oluwatope Fashola, Research Associate at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and research methods at IU. She received a double degree with distinction in American ethnic studies and sociology from the University of Washington, where she was a research assistant for the qualitative University of Washington Study of Undergraduate Learning project and a recipient of a Mary Gates Research Grant, a Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Grant, and a McNair Presidential Grant. Her master’s thesis was on the effects of symbolic and traditional racism on White and African Americans’ racial policy attitudes. Currently, she is co-authoring with Donna Eder a book, Rabbit Tales (Tails): Kenyan Stories with Many Meanings, and an article with John Drew on state recreational park use by population characteristics.
Ebelia Hernandez, Research Associate at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a Ph.D. candidate in higher education and student affairs. She holds an M.S. in counseling, with a specialization in college counseling and student affairs. Her research interests focus on the Latino college student experience.
John Moore, Research Associate at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a doctoral student in higher education and inquiry methodology at IU. His research interests include college student identity development, the effects of working on college student outcomes, and the transition to college. Prior to PAS, John worked for the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and as an administrator of academic support services.
Phoebe K. Wakhungu, Research Associate at the Project on Academic Success (PAS), is a Ph.D. student in the education policy studies program at Indiana University. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs, with a concentration in finance and policy analysis. Her primary research interests include HIV/AIDS education and schooling, gender and education in Kenya, and postsecondary institutions and persistence.
