The Pullias Center for Higher Education asked the Center’s alumni to submit proposals for research projects that explore racial equity and inclusion in higher education, with $5,000 presented to the three winning entries.
For the third year, the Pullias Center for Higher Education’s Racial Equity Alumni Awards has again selected inspiring and innovative projects that focus on promoting deeper understandings and actions related to racial equity.
Alumni applicants were asked to either summarize key literature around an important equity top and develop a 10-15 page policy brief, or take research they have conducted and use funding to translate their research project into a 10-15 page policy brief, or other deliverables such as an original documentary, video, website, webinar or other modes.
"This year’s applicants and winners were creative, impactful and timely in their projects,” stated Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center and the Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Leadership at the USC Rossier School of Education. “Choosing winners was very difficult as we had so many important concepts proposed. The winners will be helping higher education fulfill its equity mission and providing more valuable equity resources for our community.”
The first of this year’s Pullias Alumni Awards is presented to is Dr. Jude Paul Dizon (USC ’22), currently an assistant professor of higher education leadership at California State University, Stanislaus. His submission is a practice/policy brief entitled “Guide to Socially-Just Divestment in Higher Education.” Utilizing both a literature review and research on recent divestment campaigns — including interviewing student and faculty activists involved in these campaigns — Dr. Dizon seeks to propose a justice-oriented framework for how divestment can inform higher education finance. Targeted completion date is Fall, 2025.
The second award has been given to Dr. Margaret Sallee (USC ’08), professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Buffalo. Dr. Sallee, along with her co-authors Alyssa Stefanese Yates and Danielle Vegas, submitted a project proposal “Student-Mothers of Color in Higher Education — and how Institutions can Support Them.” The project’s focus is on producing a policy brief that aims to identify strategies to better support student-mothers of color overcome the challenges they face as they pursue higher education. The policy brief can be circulated to higher education administrators, national and state policy groups, and legislators. Targeted completion date is late summer, 2025.
This year’s third award is presented to Dr. Antar Tichavakunda(USC, ’18), assistant professor of education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. With his project, “A Green Book for Navigating Higher Education?” Dr. Tichavakunda proposes a panel webinar series that explores the necessity of a ‘green book’ approach to higher education for Black students and their families to help them navigate higher education safely, successfully, and with dignity and joy. The webinars will serve as a resource for faculty, institutional leaders, foundations and other organizations interested in Black student success, and will be conducted by the Pullias Center in Fall 2025.
The Pullias Center, part of the USC Rossier School of Education, has more than 65 alumni in its network, consisting of former PhD candidates and postdoctoral scholars who were part of Pullias research teams during their time at USC. The Racial Equity Alumni Awards were first presented in 2020 and have been now been awarded to 11 Pullias Center alumni for their innovative research promoting racial equity in higher education.
