Jennifer Engle is the director of Higher Education Research and Policy at the The Education Trust, where she directs the research agenda of the Higher Education division, including leading the data analysis and reporting related to the Access to Success Initiative (A2S), an ambitious effort to advance the equity agenda in colleges and universities in the public realm.
Engle also manages the Education Trust’s College Results Online database and publications. She was previously the interim director and senior research analyst at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. At the Pell Institute, she was the lead author on several major publications including, Demography is Not Destiny: Increasing the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students at Large, Public Universities, Straight From the Source: What Works for First-Generation College Students, and Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation Students.
Abstract: Current economic stresses place additional burdens on low-income students seeking access to institutions of higher education. As economic disparities widen, achieving access becomes more challenging; and once admitted, additional barriers emerge that may hinder student success. Stony Brook University is cited (Crossing the Finish Line, Bowen, Chingos and McPherson, 2010) as being unique among its peers in this context: our low-income students are more likely to graduate than other students. This is an important achievement for which we can be proud; however, the reasons that lead to this result are not entirely clear. Assessing our policies, programs and assumptions alongside identified promising practices is essential to sustaining our efforts. This year’s symposium addresses our need to further this analysis. Engle will share national findings to broaden the discussion of how to promote access and success of low-income students. SBU respondents and a panel of students will engage in a dialogue to further our understanding of the challenges we face in continuing to enhance student success.
This Provost’s Lecture, which will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 9:00 am in the Charles B. Wang Center Theater, is co-sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs and the School of Social Welfare and is also part of The 17th Annual Leadership Symposium.
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