Welcome to Higher Education & Student Affairs

Thank you for your interest in higher education and student affairs at The University of Iowa. Our program has been in existence for nearly 50 years and we boast over 1,100 alumni at institutions around the world.  Read about our outstanding alumni in the Fall 2011 edition of the AlumNews. 

The faculty, students, and staff from Higher Education & Student Affairs invite you to pursue an advanced course of graduate study with us here at The University of Iowa. The HESA program:

• Draws upon diverse perspectives from a variety of disciplines and professional fields;
• Analyzes critical issues and policies in the field of higher education;
• Examines the effects of critical issues and policies on students, faculty, administrators, staff, and other participants in the higher education community; and
• Explores the complex, interactive relationships among institutions of higher education, the external environment, and society at large.

The Higher Education & Student Affairs program at The University of Iowa:

• Offers M.A., Ed.S., and Ph.D. degrees;
• Prepares professionals and scholar-practitioners to serve as administrators, faculty, researchers, specialists, and analysts;
• Develops leaders who serve in institutions of higher and postsecondary education and related public and private agencies; and
• Provides opportunities for concentrated study in:
  • Organization and Administration;
  • Policy in Higher Education;
  • Student Affairs Administration;
  • Teaching, Learning & Curriculum in Higher Education; or
  • Higher Education, Culture, & Society 

Dr. Cassie Barnhardt Joins the HESA Faculty

We are pleased to announce Dr. Cassie Barnhardt will be joining the faculty of the Higher Education and Student Affairs program this fall. Cassie Barnhardt earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. Currently, she works as a Senior Research Associate at the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good at the University of Michigan. Her research interests have focused on contemporary student activism on college campuses, and personal and social responsibility as a college outcome. Her Masters degree is in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University, and she holds dual Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Dance, also from the University of Michigan. As a doctoral research assistant, Dr. Barnhardt was involved in two important projects that have had a lasting impact on the higher education literature: the Core Commitments Project of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. Her student affairs experience includes Residential Life, Greek Life, and assessment.  We look forward to her contributions to our community and know she will be a valuable addition to the program.