Current Student Perspectives of the HESA Program

Updated January 2008

During the last year and a half, I have learned so much about issues impacting the organizational culture and policies of higher education. I have been able to contextualize so much of what I have learned, which will help me become a better administrator, faculty member, and researcher. The HESA program faculty is committed to supporting its students, but the key has been the students and colleagues with whom I have worked with on group projects, joint papers, and conference presentations! This group of peers represents a wide range of skills that I have benefitted from greatly. – Dan Bureau, 2nd Year Doctoral Student

The IU faculty have been impressive in their expertise and responsiveness. Most of them have been at this long enough to know our struggles in the PhD program well, and to give us sage advice on how to best negotiate the challenges facing us. Many of my classes have been dynamic and allowed me to research topics that have always driven me, while others piqued my interest in wholly new areas. And now that I’m a candidate working exclusively on my dissertation, it’s comforting to get most email replies from my committee chair within a day. It just makes my life easier and allows me to focus on the tasks at hand. - Chad Ahren-Doctoral Candidate

Enrolling in the IU Higher Education & Student Affairs program at Indiana University can best characterized as joining a community. Throughout my time in the program, I have had the opportunity to connect with renowned scholars in the field not just through the HESA program, but throughout the country. This experience has proved priceless for my current and future research. As a practitioner, I’ve had the opportunity to enhance my skill set in the area of institutional research through courses, seminars, and national institutes. I’m doubtful this would have occurred without my preparation at IU. On a personal note, the HESA program enrolls a diverse group of students with an array of research interests. I’ve had an opportunity to write articles and present at national conferences with a wide variety of fellow students. Whether you are interested in a career as a faculty member, researcher, or practitioner, Indiana University Higher Education and Student Affairs Program will provide you with the intellectual challenge, insight, and training necessary to reach your goals.
– Aimee Heeter- Doctoral Candidate

I have really enjoyed my time in the HESA program. The faculty has been engaging and very supportive of my research ideas. The flexibility of the program has allowed me to work across different academic disciplines, proving to be very valuable in how I conceptualize my own research. This is not to say that things are handed to us on a plate. If there is a specific experience you want, you can have it here but I think there is an expectation that you are going to be pro-active in making it happen. A large part of my experience in the HESA program has been my classmates. From the first week we have continued to support and challenge each other in our own individual paths. Whether we’re talking about the role of Women’s Colleges, Latino Student Protests, or collegiate manifestations of gender and sexuality, I can assure you, dinner conversations are never lacking. While we each have our own niche in higher education that we study, the diversity of topics, methodologies, and epistemological approaches has strengthened my own research by giving me multiple perspectives for interpreting my own work. – J. Bradley Blankenship-3rd year doctoral student

For me starting a doctoral program after working as a professional for three years was exciting but also very daunting. I knew engaging in a doctoral program was something I’ve always been passionate about so it was something I looked forward to doing. I chose IU’s HESA program because of the faculty, specifically one faculty member that is an expert in the area which I would like to conduct my research in. Once I immersed myself in the program, it challenged me mentally and emotionally to persevere and attain even higher goals that I had set for myself. It brought out my inner strength and the advice of the faculty helped me to achieve the goals that many times I thought were unattainable. I began to see myself as a scholar and envision myself as a contributor to the well of knowledge one day as I work towards completing my coursework and eventually my dissertation. HESA has been a great experience; one that will have made a big impact in my life. I look forward to the rest of my years of study here. - Christianne Medrano, 1st Year Doctoral Student