Full-time Faculty

• Dr. Debora L Liddell
• Dr. Ernest T Pascarella
• Dr. Sherry K Watt
• Dr. Elizabth J Whitt

Affiliated Faculty

• Valerie Garr
• Dr. David Grady
• Sarah Hansen
• Dr. Johnnie Sims
• Dr. Von Stange

Dr. Debora L Liddell

Dr. Liddell, program coordinator and associate professor, joined the GPSA faculty as assistant professor in 1993. Deb is an active member of several professional associations. In the American College Personnel Association she is Chair-Elect of the Commission for Professional Preparation, and is a past editorial board member of the Journal of College Student Development. Since its inception, she has served as a Contributing Editor of the Journal of College and Character, and writes the section on "New Scholars, New Scholarship".  Like the other GPSA faculty, her research has focused on college students, specifically the measurement of moral development and moral voice. Her initial dissertation work in that area was the development and use of a
widely-used instrument -- the Measure of Moral Orientation -- a project which won her the NASPA Dissertation of the Year Award.  Deb was honored
recently by ACPA with the Outstanding Assessment Research Award for an article co-authored with former student Tracy Davis. She is a recipient of the Annuit Coeptis Senior Professional Award from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and the College of Education's Commitment to Diversity Award - an honor conferred by students in the College. Prior to earning her doctorate from Auburn University in 1990, Deb worked for eight years in various  student affairs positions including minority & international student affairs, residence life, and
women's center.

E-mail: debora-liddell@uiowa.edu

Dr. Ernest T Pascarella

Dr. Pascarella is the Mary Louise Petersen Professor of Higher Education and holds faculty appointments in the Higher Education Program as well as GPSA. Ernie also is co-director of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education (CRUE) at The University of Iowa. He has focused his research and writing on the impact of college on students and student persistence in college, including the 1991 book How College Affects Students. Ernie is finishing up a study funded by the Lilly Endowment and the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College looking at the effects of liberal arts colleges and liberal arts experiences on student outcomes. The results of the study will be published in a monograph sponsored by the Association for the Study of Higher Education. In October 2003 he received the "Outstanding Contributions to the Profession Award" from the Pennsylvania College Personnel Association, and in November 2003 he received the "Howard R. Bowen Distinguished Career Award" from the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

E-mail: ernest-pascarella@uiowa.edu.

Dr. Sherry K Watt

Dr. Watt, associate professor, joined the GPSA faculty as an assistant professor in August 2000. Sherry previously worked as an assistant professor in Student Affairs Administration at Radford
University. Prior to becoming a faculty member, she worked as a residence life director and a career counselor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina State University and Shaw
University. In addition to her academic degrees, she holds a counseling license in the state of North Carolina. From 2002-2005, at the University of Iowa, she served as the Student Development Coordinator
and Evaluator of the Alliance for the Graduate Education in the Professoriate (AGEP) program funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) where she designed and implemented a student development program for students of color in graduate school in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. Sherry's research focuses on the identity development of college students. Currently, she is investigating students' reactions to difficult dialogues on race, sexual orientation, and disability.  She is the guest editor of the 2007 special issue of the College Student Affairs Journal entitled: Difficult Dialogues: Privilege and Social Justice in Student Affairs Practice. She has received several awards in recognition of her teaching and scholarship, including Radford University Chi Sigma Iota Outstanding Teacher Award.  Also, she is an Annuit Coeptis award recipient and an Emerging Scholar both within the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).  Most recently, she has received two prestigious awards honoring both her service related to diversity efforts as well as her teaching. Namely, Sherry was awarded the 2006 College of Education's Audrey Qualls Commitment to Diversity Award as well as she is one of the University of Iowa recipients of 2006 Collegiate Teaching Award. Sherry's teaching interests include environmental assessment, multicultural counseling, psychosocial and identity theory, and spirituality in student affairs practice.

E-mail: sherry-watt@uiowa.edu

Dr. Elizabth J Whitt

Dr. Whitt, professor, joined the Graduate Programs in Student Affairs faculty in August 1997. She also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies.  Elizabeth currently serves as the Director of Student Success Initiatives in the Office of the Provost; as well as serving as Co-Director of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education (CRUE) at The University of Iowa.  She received her M.A. in College Student Personnel Administration from Michigan State and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Sociology from Indiana University.  Prior to becoming a faculty member, she held student affairs positions at Michigan State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Doane College (NE). Liz is Associate Editor for the Jossey-Bass New Directions in Student Services sourcebook series, and has served on the editorial boards of several professional journals, including the Journal of College Student Development. Her research and teaching interests include college students and their learning, student affairs administration, and qualitative research methods. She has received several awards in recognition of her contributions to research and scholarship, including the Early Career Scholar Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the Robert H. Shaffer Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award from Indiana University, and the Annuit Coeptis Senior Professional Award from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and ACPA’s Outstanding Contribution to Knowledge Award in 2007.  She is an ACPA Senior Scholar (2002), an ACPA Diamond Honoree (2005), and a member of the Iowa Academy of Education (2005).

E-mail: elizabeth-whitt@uiowa.edu

Valerie Garr

Adjunct instructor in the SDP M.A. program and Assistant Director of Admissions-Director of Diversity Relations and Outreach at The University of Iowa. Valerie has been employed at the University of Iowa in several capacities including Program Associate for Opportunity at Iowa (1997-2003); Academic Planning Counselor (1995-1997); and Financial Aid Counselor (1989-1995). Valerie received her BA in Journalism and Mass Communication in 1987 and her MA in Student Development in Postsecondary Education in 1995, both from the University of Iowa. In addition to doing admissions recruitment, Val also conducts diversity training that includes Orientation Student Advisors, students/faculty and staff, school districts, businesses, and community leaders. She is active on numerous university committees and teaches The College Transition course. She has taught Diversity Tools to Mind your Business and Culturally Different in Diverse Settings. She has also served on the Iowa City Human Rights Commission.  Val is a 2005 recipient of the UI Staff Council Award for Excellence in Service and a 2003 recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award for Committment and Continuing Efforts to Promote Diversity. Valerie is a member of National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, National Association for Multicultural Education, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, National Association of College Admissions Counselors, Iowa Association of College Admissions Counselors, and Iowa Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

E-mail: valerie-garr@uiowa.edu

Dr. David Grady

Adjunct assistant professor in GPSA and Associate Vice President and Director of University Life Centers at The University of Iowa. From 1992-1998, David was the Director of the Office of Campus Programs and Student Activities, now the Office of Student Life. David has worked as a Student Development Specialist, Research Associate, and Ombudsman at The University of Texas at Austin, an Intern at The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Assistant Director of Student Life at The University of Alabama. He received his undergraduate degree in Banking & Finance from Mississippi State University, his master's degree in Education, Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. He is on the peer review board of Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity Advisors. He is a member of the graduate faculty at The University of Iowa.

E-mail: david-grady@uiowa.edu

Sarah Hansen

Adjunct instructor in the SDP M.A. program, serves as Associate Director for Education/Health Iowa Coordinator in Student Health Services at the University of Iowa. In addition, she is an adjunct instructor in the department of Health and Sport Studies and serves on the executive committee of the Stepping Up Project as well as with the Wellness Advisory Group and the Student Athlete Assistance Program Core Committee. Sarah has previously been employed as a Health Educator with Health Iowa and as the Assistant Director of Student Health promotion at Indiana State University. Sarah holds an MA in Education with an emphasis in Substance Abuse Counseling from the University of Iowa and has completed credits toward a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology, also at Iowa. She has held leadership roles in the American College Health Association and with the Journal of American College Health.

Email: sarah-hansen@uiowa.edu

Dr. Johnnie Sims

Adjunct assistant professor in the Division of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development. She serves the University full-time as the Director of New Dimensions in Learning, a TRIO Student Support Services Program. Johnnie's degrees include a B.A. from Alabama State University (history), M.S. from Indiana University (College Student Personnel Administration), and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa (Student Development). Her areas of expertise include consultation with an emphasis on first generation and low income students, diversity and student learning and retention. Her interest areas include: student learning, cultural competence, and student development education.

E-mail: johnnie-sims@uiowa.edu

Dr. Von Stange

Adjunct assistant professor in GPSA and the Director of University Housing at The University of Iowa. Prior to coming to Iowa Von was the Director of University Housing at The University of South Dakota (USD) from 1994 - 2004. Von has served as president of the Upper Midwerst Region-Assiociation of College and University Housing Officers (UMR-ACUHO) and is currently a member of the Journal Board for the Journal of College and University Student Housing. He also served USD as Associate Director of Residential Life for Resident Education, and University Judicial Coordinator. Von received his B.S. in Psychology from The University of South Dakota , M.Ed. in Higher Education from Texas Tech University and Ed.D. in Education Administration/Adult and Higher Education from The University of South Dakota.

E-mail: von-stange@uiowa.edu