Bridges, Maps, and Fare
How Underrepresented Students Use Educational Equity Programs to Access Routes to Engagement and Academic Success
Contact Us
Vasti Torres
Director
vatorres@indiana.edu
(812) 856-2076
Robert K. Toutkoushian
Project Director
Spencer Study on Educational Equity Programs
rtoutkou@uga.edu
(812) 856-1506
Mary Ziskin
Senior Associate Director
mziskin@indiana.edu
(812) 856-1506
Project on Academic Success
1900 E. Tenth Street
Eigenmann Hall
Suite 630
Bloomington, IN 47406-7512
About Us
Vasti Torres, is director of the Project on Academic Success and associate professor of higher education and student affairs administration at Indiana University, where she teaches courses in student development theory, research in higher education, and student affairs administration. Her research focuses on the effects of ethnic identity on the college experiences of Latino students. In 2007–2008 she became the first Latina president of the American College Personnel Association. Prior to coming to IU she was a faculty member at The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development. During her 15 years of administrative experience she was associate vice provost and dean for enrollment and student services at Portland State University.
Don Hossler, project director of PAS’s College Board Study on Student Retention and former director of PAS, is professor of educational leadership and policy studies and executive associate dean at the Indiana University School of Education. He has served as vice chancellor for enrollment services for IU Bloomington, associate vice president for enrollment services for IU’s seven-campus system, 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. Hossler is recipient of the Association for Institutional Research 2009 Sydney Suslow Award for his significant contributions to the development of institutional research, planning, and decision making.
Robert K. Toutkoushian, project director of PAS’s Spencer Study on Educational Equity Programs, is professor of higher education at the University of Georgia. He was previously associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University School of Education. Toutkoushian specializes in the application of economic theories and methods to problems in higher education. He has a Ph.D. in economics from IU and has worked as a research analyst at the University of Minnesota and as executive director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the University System of New Hampshire. His numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals are on topics including faculty compensation, student demand for higher education, finance, and policy analysis. Toutkoushian also is editor-in-chief of New Directions for Institutional Research and president of the Association for Institutional Research.
Mary Ziskin, Ph.D., senior associate director of the Project on Academic Success, conducts research on college student persistence and academic success. 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.
Afet Dadashova, visiting assistant director for research at the Project on Academic Success, 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.
Jacob Gross collaborates with the Project on Academic Success on several projects, leading the project on student flow, funded by the Association for Institutional Research. He received his doctorate in history, philosophy, and policy studies in education, with a concentration in higher education, from Indiana University in 2008. 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 is publications coordinator at the Project on Academic Success and has master's degrees from Indiana University in applied linguistics and instructional systems technology.
Jin Chen, research associate at the Project on Academic Success, is a Ph.D. student in educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University, with a minor in applied statistics. She holds a master’s degree in the economics of education. Her general research interests include the economics of education, education finance, and quantitative research methods. Jin has been working closely with the Indiana School Finance Project team at the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy and is now involved in research on the effects of financial aid programs on college students’ academic attainment.
Desiree Zerquera, research associate at the Project on Academic Success, is a Ph.D. student in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University’s School of Education. Her research interests include educational attainment, community colleges, and critical race theory.