All Penn AHEAD Papers
AHEAD creates and advances knowledge by conducting high-quality research and disseminating results in scholarly publications and books, meetings of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, and the popular media. The knowledge produced by these research projects informs our capacity-building work and professional-development programs. These projects focus on improving understanding of:
- The role of public policies and institutional practices in reducing and perpetuating stratification in the opportunity to participate and benefit from higher education;
- The societal forces that promote and limit the public purposes of higher education institutions;
- The internal and external forces that limit and promote full engagement in the shared governance of a higher education institution; and
- Ways to empower students to become future civic leaders and agents of change in a democratic society.
Submissions from 2021
Will college promise programs improve or reduce equity? Understanding the contextual conditions that influence implementation, Laura Perna, Jeremy Wright-Kim, and Elaine W. Leigh
Submissions from 2020
Is a College Promise Program an Effective Use of Resources? Understanding the Implications of Program Design and Resource Investments for Equity and Efficiency, Laura W. Perna, Jeremy Wright-Kim, and Elaine W. Leigh
The Diffusion of Education Policy in the 21st Century: Lessons from Other Fields, Alan Ruby and Aisi Li
Submissions from 2019
An International Visitors Guide to Understanding University Governing Boards in the United States of America, Peter D. Eckel
Evaluating Board Effectiveness for Advancing Autonomy: A Strategy for Newly Autonomous Universities in Kazakhstan, Peter D. Eckel
Why Governing is So Difficult: A Synthesis of the (Other) Literature, Peter D. Eckel
Questioning the Calculations: Are Colleges Complying with Federal and Ethical Mandates for Providing Students with Estimated Costs?, Laura W. Perna, Jeremy Wright-Kim, and Nathan Jiang
Questioning the Calculations: Are Colleges Complying with Federal and Ethical Mandates for Providing Students with Estimated Costs?, Laura W. Perna, Jeremy Wright-Kim, and Nathan Jiang
Submissions from 2018
The dangling carrot: Proprietary institutions and the mirage of college choice for Latina students, Amalia Z. Dache-Gerbino Ph.D., Judy Marquez Kiyama Ph.D., and Vicki T. Sapp Ph.D.
Government Models for Financing Higher Education in a Global Context: Lessons from the US and UK, Pedro Villarreal III and Alan Ruby
Publications from 2017
Institutional Governance for a Shared Glocal Engagement Mission, Peter D. Eckel
What to Consider When Closing an Academic Program, Peter D. Eckel
What’s AHEAD Poll # 13: Undocumented Students and Sanctuary Campuses, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 14: Freedom of Speech on College Campuses, Laura W. Perna
An Updated Look at Student Loan Debt Repayment and Default, Laura W. Perna, James Kvaal, and Roman Ruiz
Market Analysis for Law School Admissions, Robert Zemsky, Patricia Burch, and Richard Morgan
Publications from 2016
The Interesecting Authority of Boards, Presidents, and Faculty: Toward Shared Leadership, Peter D. Eckel and Adrianna Kezar
Higher Education Internationalization in the Context of Ongoing Economic-Political Transitions: Insights from Former Soviet and Eastern Bloc Nations, Kata Orosz and Laura W. Perna
Delivering On the Promise: Structuring College Promise Programs to Promote Higher Education Attainment for Students from Underserved Groups, Laura W. Perna
Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Ten Ways to Ensure that Higher Education Research Continues to Matter, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 10: Closing Gaps in Higher Education Attainment, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 11: Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Shared Governance, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 12: November 2016 U.S. Election Results, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 8: Sexual Violence on Campus, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 9: What Presidential Candidates Need to Know About Promoting College Student Success, Laura W. Perna
Technology: The Solution to Higher Education's Pressing Problems?, Laura W. Perna and Roman Ruiz
Submissions from 2015
What’s AHEAD Poll # 6: Public Perceptions of Higher Education: Is it Worth the Cost?, Peter D. Eckel and Laura W. Perna
Improving College Access and Completion for Low-Income and First-Generation Students: The Role of College Access and Success Programs, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 5: Higher Education Leaders: What Institutional Decisions Do They Influence?, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 7: College Affordability: Is Free Community College Tuition the Answer?, Laura W. Perna
Understanding the Human Capital Benefits of a Government-Funded International Scholarship Program: An Exploration of Kazakhstan's Bolashak Program, Laura W. Perna, Kata Orosz, and Zakir Jumakulov
Are There Metrics for MOOCS From Social Media?, Alan Ruby, Laura W. Perna, Robert Boruch, and Nicole Wang
Publications from 2014
Lessons Learned about Student Learning: Eight Test Cases, Peter D. Eckel
Renewing the Promise: State Policies to Improve Higher Education Performance, Joni E. Finney, Laura W. Perna, and Patrick M. Callan
Renewing the promise: State policies to improve higher education performance, Joni E. Finney, Laura W. Perna, and Patrick M. Callan
Promoting College Access and Success for All Students: The Promise of New Technology, Laura W. Perna
Promoting College Access for All Students, Laura W. Perna
Promoting Workforce Readiness for Urban Growth, Laura W. Perna
Reflections on Tinto's South Africa Lectures, Laura W. Perna
What Might We Learn From Research About Traditional Colleges And Universities, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 1: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 2: Accountability and the Obama College Scorecard, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 3: Fall Enrollment: A Common Topic of Conversation Among Higher Education Leaders, Laura W. Perna
What’s AHEAD Poll # 4: Intercollegiate Athletics: An Important Component of Higher Education?, Laura W. Perna
Improving Higher Education Attainment for All Students: A National Imperative, Laura W. Perna and Joni E. Finney
State of Attainment: Three Ways That States Can Help More Students Access Higher Levels of Education, Laura W. Perna and Joni E. Finney
Why State Leadership Matters for Improving Access to Higher Education, Laura W. Perna and Joni E. Finney
Minimising Brain Drain – The Pros and Cons, Laura W. Perna, Kata Orosz, and Zakir Jumakulov
Sequential Flow. Excerpt from unpublished manuscript, Life cycle of a million MOOC users., Laura W. Perna, Alan Ruby, and Robert Boruch
Making Sense of a Looking Glass World, Robert M. Zemsky, Susan Shaman, and Laura W. Perna
Publications from 2013
What Presidents Really Think About Their Boards, Peter D. Eckel
The Last 100 Days of a Presidency: What Boards Need to Know and Do, Sandra S. Johnson and Peter D. Eckel
Apples and Oranges: Comparing the Backgrounds and Academic Trajectories of International Baccalaureate (IB) Students to a Matched Comparison Group, Henry May, Awilda Rodriguez, Philip M Sirinides, Laura W. Perna, April L Yee, and Tafaya S. Ransom
Inside the College Gates: How Class and Culture Matter in Higher Education by Jenny M. Stuber (Review), Laura W. Perna
Introduction to Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs in Metropolitan America, Laura W. Perna
Publications from 2012
College Prices, Costs, and Outcomes: Who's Minding the Gap Between Higher Education and the Public?, Peter D. Eckel
Prescriptions for Change: Can Ideas from Health Care Cure Higher Education's Ills?, Peter D. Eckel
Éire Higher Education: What American Can Learn from Ireland, Joni E. Finney and Laura W. Perna
Perpetuating Disparity: Performance and Policy in Georgia Higher Education, Joni E. Finney, Laura W. Perna, and Patrick Callan
Publications from 2011
Presidents Leading: The Dynamics and Complexities of Campus Leadership, Peter D. Eckel and Adrianna Kezar
Publications from 2010
Closing Academic Programs: Pitfalls and Possibilities, Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 2009
Toward a Clearer Understanding of Privatization, Peter D. Eckel and Christopher C. Morphew
Publications from 2008
Developing Academic Strategic Alliances: Reconciling Multiple Institutional Cultures, Policies, and Practices, Peter D. Eckel and Matthew Hartley
The Dynamic Nature of Knowledge: Future Challenges and Opportunities for College and University Leaders., Peter D. Eckel and Matthew Hartley
Publications from 2007
Redefining Competition Constructively: The Challenges of Privatisation, Competition and Market-Based State Policy in the United States, Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 2005
The Dilemma of Presidential Leadership, Robert Birnbaum and Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 2003
Counsel on Program Elimination, Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 2002
Assessing Change and Transformation in Higher Education: An Essential Task for Leaders, Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 2001
Navigating the Currents of Change, Barbara Hill, Madeleine Green, and Peter D. Eckel
Publications from 1999
Learning for Organizing: Institutional Reading Groups as a Strategy for Change, Peter D. Eckel, Adrianna Kezar, and Devorah Lieberman