NCID-2256
Blanca Elizabeth Vega
Assistant Professor
Montclair State University
Education/Degree:
1 Higher and Postsecondary Education (Teachers College Columbia University)
About
Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Blanca Elizabeth Vega is the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants. Dr. Vega earned a doctorate (Ed.D) from the Higher and Postsecondary Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. During and prior to that time, she worked in various administrative positions within higher education spanning over 16 years. Some of these areas include financial aid counseling and coordinating/directing New York State opportunity programs such as the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Dr. Vega's scholarship broadly focuses on exploring the role of higher education and student affairs (HESA) administrators and leaders in building just and equitable postsecondary environments. Dr. Vega's research specifically focuses on the following three themes: 1) Race-Based Organizational Conflict in Higher Education 2) Policies affecting undocumented Students and postsecondary leadership 3) racialization of HSIs
Current Work
Dr. Blanca Elizabeth Vega seeks to understand how higher education and student affairs (HESA) professionals build and sustain just and equitable environments. Dr. Vega does this by investigating how HESA professionals make sense of racial conflict and policies related to undocumented students. As a qualitative researcher, she uses semi-structured interviews to connect with HESA professionals about their work toward racial equity and service to undocumented students. Additionally, Dr. Vega seeks to understand how ideologies influences policies and practices, specifically in institutions serving minoritized students such as Hispanic Serving Institutions. Dr Vega has published and presented her work and findings in various outlets such as AERA Open, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Multicultural Education.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Racial Conflict, Undocumented Students, Higher Education and Student Affairs