Affiliates

CERPP Affiliates are noted scholars, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners who are dedicated to elevating policy and practice in admissions and enrollment management.

The CERPP Affiliates Forum provides a space for these leaders and thinkers to advance their work and their ideas directly with those who are doing the hard work in the field. Please visit the Affiliates Forum to see thoughts and publications of our Affiliates on nurturing the field for greater equity and improvement.

CERPP Affiliate

John M. Braxton

Professor Emeritus of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, Higher Education Leadership and Policy Program, Peabody College

Vanderbilt University

John M. Braxton is Professor of Education Emeritus in the department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations. His research interests center on the college student experience and the sociology of the academic profession. He has published over 100 publications in the form of articles in referred journals, books, and book chapters. Of his books, six are full length co-authored and seven are edited books. His full length books include: Rethinking College Student Retention (with William Doyle, Harold Hartley, Amy Hirschy, Willis Jones and Michael McLendon), Professors Behaving Badly (with Eve Proper and Alan Bayer) and Faculty Misconduct in Collegiate Teaching (with Alan Bayer), and Institutionalizing a Broader View of Scholarship Through Boyer’s Four Domains (with William Luckey and Patricia Helland).

Braxton is a recipient of the Research Achievement Award bestowed by the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the Contribution to Knowledge Award given by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA)-College Student Educators International. Both awards are for outstanding contributions to knowledge that advance the understanding of higher education.

Professor Braxton served as the 9th Editor of the Journal of College Student Development for seven years from 2008 to 2015. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research. He is also a past President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

CERPP Affiliate

Steve Desir

Assistant Professor of Research, Rossier School of Education;
Director of Professional Learning & Organizational Development, Equity in Graduate Education Resource Center;
Pullias Center for Higher Education
USC Race and Equity Center

University of Southern California

Steve Desir (He/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Research in the Pullias Center for Higher Education and the USC Race and Equity Center. Steve currently serves as the Director of Professional Development and Organizational Learning for the Equity in Graduate Education Resource Center at USC.

Steve’s research primarily examines racial equity issues in higher education and K-12 educational settings. More specifically, he is interested in whether insights from social psychology and organizational theory can be used to improve educational experiences for minoritized groups. Steve earned a master’s degree in education policy and management from Harvard University. Prior to his studies at Harvard, he completed a master’s degree in secondary education from New York University and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science at Penn State.

Steve has worked professionally in K-12, higher education, and education policy organizations. Most recently, he served as the Director of College Success programs for the largest charter network in Southern California. In this role, he was responsible for the oversight of school counseling programs at 26 public schools in Los Angeles. Prior to his tenure overseeing college success programs, Steve served in a number of student affairs leadership roles at NYU, Rutgers UVM, Georgia State, St. Johns, and Loyola Marymount University. In these roles, he was responsible for oversight of first-year student programming, student conduct, and wellness programs. Steve’s broad experience in K-12 and higher education settings has provided opportunities for him to serve students and staff throughout the K-16 pipeline. In his research and policy work, Steve has collaborated with state departments of education, higher education institutions, education nonprofits, and K-12 school districts. His commentary on higher education access and transition issues has appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, LAist (Southern California Public Radio), and The Hechinger Report.

CERPP Senior Scholar

Don Hossler

Professor Emeritus, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Indiana University Bloomington (IUB)

Don Hossler currently serves as a Senior Scholar at the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice in the Rossier School of Education, at the University of Southern California. Hossler has also served as vice chancellor for student enrollment services, executive associate dean of the School of Education, and the executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Hossler’s areas of specialization include college choice, student persistence, student financial aid policy, and enrollment management. Hossler has received career achievement awards for his research, scholarship, and service from the American College Personnel Association, the Association for Institutional Research, the College Board, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. He recently received the Sonneborn Award for Outstanding Research and Teaching from IUB and was named a Provost Professor.

CERPP Research Associate

Robert Massa

Principal & Co-founder, Enrollment Intelligence Now

Vice President Emeritus for Enrollment & College Relations, Dickinson College

Dr. Robert Massa has been an enrollment professional in higher education since 1974. He served as the chief enrollment officer at Johns Hopkins University, Dickinson College and Drew University and as the first VP for marketing and communications at Lafayette College, his son’s alma mater. He retired from full-time campus-based work in May, 2019.

Bob taught in the University of Southern California’s Enrollment Management and Policy master’s program, has authored chapters in six books, and is a frequent contributor to Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He served as the founding chair of the board of the Character Collaborative for six years and is currently principal and co-founder of the consulting firm Enrollment Intelligence Now. Massa earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester in 1973 and a doctorate in higher education from Columbia University in 1980.