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Blanca Elizabeth Vega

Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, College for Education and Engaged Learning

Office:: University Hall 2191
Email:: vegab@montclair.edu
Phone:: 973-655-3212
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Profile

Dr. Blanca Elizabeth Vega was born and raised in New York City to Ecuadorian immigrant parents. She currently serves as an associate professor and graduate program coordinator for the MA in Higher Education at Montclair State University. Dr. Vega earned her Ed.D. from the prestigious Higher and Postsecondary Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

With nearly 25 years of administrative, research, and teaching experience in various higher education settings, Dr. Vega transitioned to academia as a faculty member and has significantly contributed to the Master of Arts in Higher Education program at Montclair State University since 2017. As the coordinator of Montclair State’s Master of Arts program in Higher Education, she has been instrumental in guiding the development of Montclair State’s Master of Arts program in Higher Education, leading it from its origins as a concentration to its establishment as a stand-alone program in 2020. Under her leadership, the program now offers critical courses such as Leadership and Supervision in Higher Education, Economics and Finance of Higher Education, and Diversity and Equity in Higher Education, which aim to provide higher education professionals with knowledge, skills, and experiences in equity-mindedness and racial responsiveness.

Dr. Vega's research is rooted in a deep commitment to equity, access, and success for underserved populations in higher education. As a testament to this commitment, Dr. Vega has been awarded several national grants to pursue critical research agendas. In 2022, Dr. Vega was awarded a national grant award from the Spencer Foundation to explore the experiences of higher education and student affairs professionals with policies related to undocumented students. Additionally, Dr. Vega was awarded the Channing Briggs Foundation grant from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) to organize training focused on racialized organizational conflict and a grant from the National Association of Campus Activities to explore Latine student leadership in HSIs. Finally, Dr. Vega was selected as a Higher Education Academic Leadership (HEAL) Fellow at Montclair State University, where she will explore racially responsive and equity-minded frameworks for new HSI faculty. Dr. Vega's body of work critically examines the pervasive impact of racism on the experiences and outcomes of students, administrators, and faculty alike, solidifying her role as a leading voice in these vital areas of study.

AWARDS
2023 - HEAL (Higher Education Academic Leadership) Fellow. Montclair State University. Exploring Racial Responsiveness in Faculty Development.

2023 - 1619 Project Education Network. HBCUs Matter: A K-20 Collaborative Project for The Pulitzer Center’s 1619 Project Education Network

2023 - National Association of Campus Activities. HSI Training and Student Leadership: Consciousness and Character

2023 - Channing Briggs Foundation grant from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Racialized Organizational Conflict Training for Higher Education Professionals

2022 - Spencer Foundation Small Grant. Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) professionals experiences working with undocumented students and related policies

2020 - Research Mentoring Grant, awarded by the National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation

PUBLICATIONS

Vega, B. E. (2024). Racial conflict in a higher education policy vacuum. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 32.

Vega, B.E. (2022) Delegitimizing Racial Conflict: Color Evasive Ideologies and HESA Professionals. The Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity (JCSCORE)

Vega, B.E. (2022). Serving Black Communities at HSIs. About Campus

Vega, B.E., Liera, R., Boveda, M. (2022). Hispanic Serving Institutions as Racialized Organizations: Elevating Intersectional Consciousness to Reframe the "H" in HSIs. AERA Open

Vega, B.E. (2022). Becoming First Generation. Journal of Multicultural Education

Vega, B. E., Nienhusser, H. K., & Saavedra, M. (2022) “When I Would Hurt”: Undocumented Students’ Responses to Obstacles Faced During the College Choice Process. Educational Forum.

Vega, B.E. (2021). What is the Real Belief on Campus? Perceptions of Racial Conflict at an MSI and HWI. Teachers College Record.

Leon, R. A., & Vega, B. E. (2019). Perceptions of State-Regulated Reform: Desire, Dedication, and Uncertainty in Policy Implementation. Higher Education Policy, 1-21.

Vega, B.E. (2019). Lessons from an Administrative Closure. The Curious Case of Black Space at an MSI. Frontiers in Education.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Vega, B.E. (2023). Black Spaces: Resistance and Critical Hope in Higher Education. Prepared for Critical Conversations: Black Scholarship in a White Academy edited volume. Editors: Dr. Alonzo Flowers, Drexel University; Dr. Robert T. Palmer, Howard University; Dr. Sosanya Jones, Howard University

Vega, B.E. (2022). Notes from a Scholar Mami: Establishing Boundaries, Building Community, and Sharing Strategies for Advancing in the Teaching-oriented Institution. Prepared for Bridging the Research-Practice Nexus: Resources, Tools, and Strategies to Navigate Mid-Career in the Academy. Co-Editors: Drs. Vicki L Baker, Aimee LaPointe Terosky

Abeyta, M. E., Acevedo, N., Burgos-López, L. N., Cammarota, J., Labandera, E., McNamee, T. C., ... & Vega, B. E. (2022). Working beyond borders to cultivate knowledge and support for Puerto Rican colleges and universities: Post-traditional student characteristics, STEM outcomes, and financial context in Puerto Rico. Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Vega, B.E. & Rivera Rodas, E. (2020). Centering Central American Students in Higher Education Research: A Proposal for Central American Student Self-Report (CASSR). In C. Salinas, N. Garcia, & J. Cisneros (Eds.), Studying Latinx/a/o Students in Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of Concepts, Theory, and Methodologies. Routledge

MEDIA APPEARANCES and PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP

Invited Guest on Que Pasa HSI? Hosted by Dr. Gina Ann Garcia https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast-201

Invitation to appear on The View from Venus a podcast related to the University of Venus blog at Inside Higher Ed: https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/7-4-racial-conflict-and-color-evasion-with-blanca-vega/id1487375227?i=1000607765780

Invited Guest on Encuentros Politicos hosted by Dr. Edwin Mayorga: “Higher education, futuros under the Biden/Harris Administration”: (March 26, 2021)

Invited Columnist: A look forward: How the 1776 report protects Trump and other racists. January 2021. Latino Rebels. https://www.latinorebels.com/2021/01/29/1776report/

Invited Columnist: Call me Doctora. December 2020. Latino Rebels. https://www.latinorebels.com/2020/12/18/callmedoctora/

Invited Guest on Encuentros Politicos hosted by Dr. Edwin Mayorga: “Radio: Racial Complexities of College Admissions, a convo w/ Drs. OiYan Poon and Blanca Vega” (April 14, 2019)

Quoted in Slate: “How Exactly Will SAT Test Takers’ “Adversity Score” Be Calculated?” (May 21, 2019)

Quoted in The New York Times: “Colorblind Notions Aside, Colleges Grapple with Racial Tension” (February 24, 2014)

Parenting and the Pandemic - Wallet Hub: https://wallethub.com/blog/school-reopening-survey/78092/#expert=blanca-e-vega

Specialization

Dr. Vega specializes in higher education access, equity, and success. Dr. Vega has publications in the areas of higher education finance, undocumented immigrants and policymaking, campus racial climate and culture, Minority Serving Institutions and racialized organizational conflict; and racial ideologies in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) and predominantly white Institutions (PWI).