SOE Higher Education Assistant Professor Frank Fernandez was recently elected as a member-at-large for the executive committee of the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Council on Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE).

“The CPPHE Nominations Committee screened and selected four candidates to run for two member-at-large seats,” Fernadez said. “ASHE held an election, and ASHE members (approximately 2,000 people) were invited to vote to fill leadership positions throughout the organization. I was elected to serve a three-year term as a member-at-large on the CPPHE Executive Committee.”

ASHE is the leading U.S. scholarly association for faculty, researchers, policymakers, and graduate students whose work focuses on higher education. ASHE sponsors The Review of Higher Education, which is one of the flagship journals in the field of higher education.

“As a member-at-large, I will serve in a supporting role to the Chair and Vice Chair in coordinating ASHE’s public policy forum,” Fernandez said. “I may also serve on CPPHE committees or help with the pre-conference sessions at the annual ASHE conferences.”

The purpose of CPPHE is “to promote research on, and to advance understanding of the processes and impacts of public policy in U.S. higher education, as well as to help inform decision making in the public policy arena.” 

“ASHE is actively involved in providing a scholarly perspective to courts and policymakers,” Fernandez said. “For example, ASHE members have taken the lead in writing and submitting briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in cases related to college and university admissions.” 

ASHE is important because each year it convenes researchers, policymakers, and grant officers from major foundations facilitate discussions around improving higher education equity, policy and professional practice, Ferandez said. 

By Veronica  Crawford