HBCU Higher Education graduate students and faculty present at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education on their experiences in preparation programs amid uncertain times.
While preparing for a regional conference focused on this very question, my colleague, Dr. Tryan L. McMickens, and I decided to elevate the voices of our graduate students, higher education administration (HEA) master’s students at North Carolina Central University. We gathered four students to co-design a panel that amplifies their lived experiences as they navigate graduate education amid uncertain times. The dialogue that unfolded was even more powerful than we anticipated.
We recognized that the conversation held valuable insights for other graduate students and the faculty members who support them. What follows reflects the conversational format of the original conference panel, allowing the students’ voices and experiences to remain at the center. We asked the panelists to reflect on what higher education students need most in this moment and how faculty can better support them. In their own words, here is what they shared.
If you’re writing a book about the realities of being a student in a higher education graduate program amid the current socio-political climate, what chapters would be in the book? (Clifford Parker)
I would begin by naming the moment. I experience this climate as deeply polarized, highly volatile, and ideologically divided, and in unprecedented ways, it is shaping both the study and practice of higher education. One chapter would center on what students need to navigate this moment: preparation to engage these challenges directly, thoughtfully, and in community. Higher education graduate students are not distant observers; we are learning within and contributing to the very systems under scrutiny. That reality brings tension. We study what higher education can and should be, while not always seeing those ideals fully realized in practice. Naming and wrestling with that gap is essential.
Another chapter would highlight the beauty and possibility of this work. Despite the pressures of the current climate, higher education remains a space of profound impact. I would write about the daily influence practitioners and scholars have on students’ lives, and the power of learning in community with others committed to improving the field.
Talk through any feelings the current socio-political climate has invoked as you approach the job market and envision your long-term career plans. (Kaitlyn Turner)
I went to my undergraduate institution because it was one of few schools at the time that had a Korean program. I knew for a while that studying Korea was what I wanted to do, but there were a lot of questions about why I wanted to study Korea. They made it obvious why they didn't think that was a fit for me, a Black girl, but I thought I was able to navigate that without issue. However, when I finally made it to the study abroad office and was met with nothing but excitement over my decision to study there, I then realized how essential that level of support is for students. Despite it often feeling like our current socio-political climate is trying to water the flames of passion in people like me—people who seek to support those who dare to break out of the boxes we've been ascribed to—I have come to realize that the fire within me is electrical, and the pushback I’ve seen is exactly why students need our type of support. It has taken the work of my colleagues and professors to help me realize that that's the mindset we need going into this field, and now that I have it, I feel fired up about taking this challenge.
What recommendations do you all have for faculty and staff to support today’s higher education graduate students? (Kamaiya Scott)
I believe HEA faculty and staff should always remain focused on student support. This includes first being transparent with students about the journey. It helps when mentors keep it real and create spaces for open conversations, especially for students who may feel unsure about their next steps due to the current socio-political climate. Another recommendation is to create networking spaces for students, assisting with information on internships, research, graduate assistantships, professional development, and community engagement opportunities that will make a difference in our professional careers.
What advice would you give to incoming higher education graduate students who are fearful about the future of our field? (Corey Ballance, Jr.)
My first piece of advice is to remain grounded in your purpose. Institutional priorities, policies, and language may shift, but a commitment to student development, belonging, and success should remain constant. That sense of purpose will serve as an anchor during times of transition. I would also emphasize the importance of community. Building relationships with peers, mentors, and supervisors is essential; not only for professional development but for sustaining yourself in the work. The future of higher education is not fixed; it is being actively constructed by those who choose to engage with it.
Implications for Practice
When considering what graduate programs in higher education could do when navigating uncertain times, two perspectives come to mind. First, graduate preparation programs should consider the history and contemporary ethos of HBCUs to guide their futures. For example, historians tell us HBCUs are institutions established prior to 1965 to educate Black students because they were prohibited from being educated at predominantly white institutions. HBCUs have navigated a myriad of civil rights while resisting racial injustice and serving as educational laboratories for activists from their inception through the 21st century. Black colleges accomplish these outcomes despite inequitable funding from states and the federal government. Graduate preparation programs could learn from their example.
Second, we encourage faculty to directly engage students in making sense of their realities and to work towards developing solutions to the pressing issues plaguing our socio-political environment. Faculty might use these theory-to-practice questions to engage in threaded conversations with students:
- What is your purpose in pursuing a career in higher education? What values guide your work? Using theories introduced in your graduate preparation program, how would you answer these questions?
- In your graduate assistantship and/or practicum experience, what will you do to better assist your students in resolving the socio-political realities they encounter?
When organizing the conference panel, a student expressed anxiety regarding career prospects during this socio-political environment. McMickens affirmed the student’s reality and introduced critical hope as a lens for negotiating this current moment. We are cognizant of the societal issues that we face, yet we continue to walk in our purpose. We also are committed to “prepare[ing] higher education professionals to work in higher educational settings where they promote social justice and responsibility, serve as leaders, and respond to the complexity of student needs,” which is the mission of our graduate preparation program.
Author Bios
Dr. Jayla Moody Marshall is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education and the Interim Program Coordinator of the M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration program at North Carolina Central University.
Dr. Tryan L. McMickens is a Full Professor of Higher Education and the Interim Associate Dean of the School of Education at North Carolina Central University.
Kamaiya C. Scott is a Higher Education Administration master’s student at North Carolina Central University.
Kaitlyn Turner is a Higher Education Administration master’s student at North Carolina Central University.
Corey Ballance, Jr. is an Area Coordinator in Campus Living and Residential Education at The George Washington University and a Higher Education Administration master’s student at North Carolina Central University.
Clifford Parker is a Higher Education Leadership and Policy Ph.D. student at Howard University. He is an alumnus of the Higher Education Administration master’s program at North Carolina Central University.
