I have always been guided by a quote from Dr. Vincent Tinto,
"Access without support is not opportunity." |
Dr. Collier, an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Portland State University (PSU), brings 30 years of experience in program design, evaluation and promotion of college student retention and academic success to assist you in developing new or refining existing programs. His passion for promoting student success in higher education through mentoring comes from his experiences as a non-traditional student himself. After initially starting college directly out of high school and then dropping out to pursue other interests, he returned to complete a Bachelor’s degree twenty years later while juggling the work and family obligations that many current students face. Dr. Collier’s personal experiences of trying to figure out how college works along with a deep commitment to social justice issues are the main reasons why he is so committed to making sure all students who begin college actually are given a “fair” chance to complete their degrees. It is hard to know how to “play the game” if no one has ever told you all the rules, and well-designed mentoring programs can help to level the higher educational playing field.
Dr. Collier can draw upon his experience as both a program director and developer in helping you anticipate and address the issues you’ll face in setting up your program. He was the Principal Investigator and Project Director for the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Improvement in Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) Grant-funded intervention “Students First: Improving First-Generation Student Retention in Higher Education,” and served as faculty-in-residence for retention for Portland State’s University Studies Program, which relies heavily on peer mentoring to facilitate student success. He was also a founding member of PSU’s Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, and continues to provide evaluation and research design services to business, government and academic organizations.
| Personal Statement |
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I believe that even under the best of conditions, students need support to succeed in higher education. I also believe that colleges and universities have a responsibility to provide that support.
This is particularly true for students from groups that are typically under-represented in higher education, such as students who are the first in their families to attend college, students of color, international students and student veterans.
Successfully navigating college is even more complicated for current students. The changes that schools have made in response to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased uncertainty and introduced additional college adjustment issues.
Rigorous and appropriate evaluation is the key to establishing that your program or project actually has accomplished what you set out to accomplish. I propose that a well thought-out research design provides the foundation for an effective evaluation plan. I can assist you with design and evaluation questions. |
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