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Cecilia Orphan

@ceciliaorphan.bsky.social
247 followers 151 following 66 posts

Working class kid who got lost on a college campus | Aspiring to lead an analog life | Cat lady | TEDxMileHigh speaker | Co-Director @arrc.bsky.social | I spend a lot of time thinking about higher ed's role in democracy, especially right now

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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I spoke w/ Amy Morona of @signalcleveland.bsky.social about [RPUs] and Ohio State and said RPUs “have really thought about ‘how do we create a campus environment that’s supportive to first-generation college, low-income students [and] students who have children." signalcleveland.org/ohio-state-f...
signalcleveland.org
How Ohio State’s free tuition program could impact other Ohio colleges
The state's flagship institution will soon offer free tuition for in-state students for more students who begin at a regional campus.
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
How adequately does your state acknowledge and fund its broad access institutions? We created a scorecard to evaluate states, published and funded by @sheeoed.bsky.social (thanks, SHEEO!). Check it out here. sheeo.org/wp-content/u... Co-authors: Katie Kleinhesselink and Essa Njie
sheeo.org
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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 07/07/2025
This feels like a ✨prime✨ week to close the book on Amazon.
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
I’m looking forward to discussing the vital role of Regional Public Universities at this City Club of Cleveland event! Look, ma, I’ll be on WVIZ PBS! 📺 www.cityclub.org/forums/2025/...
cityclub.org
The Evolving Role of Regional Public Universities | The City Club of Cleveland | June 27, 2025
Ohio’s regional public universities — including Cleveland State, and the Universities of Akron and Toledo — collectively serve more students than any single university in the state, including the stat...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
I spoke w/@nbcnews.com about higher ed finance and research that hang in the balance with the current Trump Admin attacks. "When you cut the research funding, that means [cancer-fighting] research will cease or it will be greatly diminished.”
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readywriting @readywriting.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Does anyone know/remember a published study (may have been in IHE/CHE) about the small number of institutions that are talked about in the media? Looking for a stat or two...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
I spoke w/@propublica.org reporter Molly Parker about the challenges facing Regional Public Universities during the Trump and said "This is definitely one of those baby-in-the-bathwater moments..." as Trump goes after elite institutions but creates chaos for all. www.propublica.org/article/regi...
propublica.org
A University, a Rural Town and Their Fight to Survive Trump’s War on Higher Education
The administration’s research funding and DEI cuts present an existential threat to regional public universities like Southern Illinois University, the economic backbone of the conservative rural regi...
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Also recommend this white paper that documents the importance of the 474 regional public universities across the US. It's from @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social and Mac Wetherbee at @thirdway.bsky.social. 4/ www.thirdway.org/report/regio....
thirdway.org
Third Way
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
My advice to @ashegrads.bsky.social re: self care while conducting equity-focused research during this era? Spend time in spaces of innocence (w/children, pets, in nature), identify your sphere of influence and focus your energies there. This is a marathon. We must care for ourselves as we fight. 🥊
ashegrads.bsky.social
ASHE Grads (@ashegrads.bsky.social)
Official BlueSky account for @asheoffice Graduate Students. Join us for #ASHE2025 in Denver! Moderated by the Graduate Student Committee (GSC).
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Nice plug for the important work from ARRC with @drkevinrmcclure.com, @drandrewk.bsky.social, & @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Phil Hill with EdTech used our Regional Public University (RPU) list to analyze enrollment and grad programs. He found that enrollment has declined slightly in the sector since 2012 (6.7%) and online grad programs have grown. onedtech.philhillaa.com/p/diverging-...
onedtech.philhillaa.com
Diverging Fortunes in Public 4-year Institutions
Regional Public Universities deserve more attention for their mission, but the trends aren't looking good
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Meredith Billings @billingsmer.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
New pub with @itspgr.bsky.social & Denisa Gandara examining how state policymakers in New Mexico frame their support or opposition to the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, a statewide promise program that has a flexible and generous design. #edusky #highered epaa.asu.edu/index.php/ep...
epaa.asu.edu
View of “There’s something ennobling…about struggling”: State policymakers’ framing of deservingness in the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Take action in support of Tribal Colleges and Universities! Call your Rep or Senator and read the script prepared by the American Indian College Fund. standwith.collegefund.org/issues-impac...
standwith.collegefund.org
We need your voice, right now. | Standwith
Eliminating the Department of Education would devastate public schools, hurt students with disabilities, strip away civil rights protections for millions of ...
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Third Way Education @thirdwayedu.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
🗣️Regional public universities offer greater upward mobility than any other type of institution. For many Americans, RPUs provide access, affordability, and quality education, paving the way for economic stability and job security. More from @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social & Mac Wetherbee
buff.ly
Regional Public Universities: Expanding Higher Education's ROI for Students and Communities
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
I truly believe that Regional Public Universities provide the best possible answer to questions about what value/ROI higher education provides society, which is why I co-wrote a @thirdwayedu.bsky.social brief about them. New publication 🚨! www.thirdway.org/report/regio...
thirdway.org
Third Way
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
@drandrewk.bsky.social and I had a wonderful time visiting Western Carolina University, a rural-serving Regional Public University, to help campus leaders think about how to tell their stories of impact and transformation. @arrc.bsky.social
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
I am grateful for Joe Garcia's leadership and service to Colorado. Sad to see him retire, but I know his legacy will live on. Happy retirement, Joe! www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
Colorado’s Joe Garcia plans to retire after 25 years in higher education
Garcia said his own college education helped him realize a career he never knew was possible.
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
A new episode of Mile Higher Ed podcast just dropped. "Administration, Practice, and Scholarship in Medicine" a conversation with a DUHigherEd graduate Dr. Sylk Sotto. open.spotify.com/episode/4f86...
open.spotify.com
Administration, Practice, and Scholarship in Medicine with Dr. Sylk Sotto
Mile Higher Ed Podcast · Episode
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
I researched the failure of ideal-centered change and found that failure occurred when campuses failed to create ongoing cultural engagement with the ideal, involve naysayers, or assess the effects of the change. Perhaps lessons for the attacks on DEI? www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
tandfonline.com
How Change Unravels: The Failure of Ideal-centered Organizational Change at Regional Comprehensive Universities
This multiple-case study examined the factors promoting or impeding ideal-centered change efforts focused on reclaiming the founding civic commitments of three Regional Comprehensive Universities. ...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Glad my @arrc.bsky.social colleagues thought to download IPEDS data last week. This is wild.
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Appalachian Learning Initiative @appli.org · 10/02/2025
#DidYouKnow? Nearly 3 out of every 4 adults (73.3%) living in #Georgia's #Appalachian counties struggle with basic #Math. Learn more by visiting our page about #GA on our website: www.appli.org/georgia 1/2
The image features a dark blue silhouette of the state of Georgia on a white background. At the top of the silhouette are five simplistic human figures in a row; four are white, and one on the far right is gold. Below these figures, in large white text, is a statistic reading "Nearly 3 out of 4." In smaller text beneath, it states, "adults living in Georgia’s Appalachian counties struggle with basic math." To the right of the silhouette, the text "Appalachian Learning Initiative" appears in dark blue. Further down on the right, the text "APPLI is building solutions" is displayed. At the bottom left, there's a logo for the Appalachian Learning Initiative and a website link "www.appli.org." Icons for various social media platforms are at the bottom right, with the mention to follow "@APPLIOrg." The source of the statistics is noted as the National Center for Education Statistics, 2020.
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Julian Go @juliango.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
One small thing we can do for now, to help set up an infrastructure for organizing: join the @aaup.bsky.social. They have officially declared they will be more aggressive in defending academic rights
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Scholars Strategy Network @scholars.org · 03/02/2025
A recent report suggests tuition discounts for nearby out-of-state students to expand college access. @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social says that broad-access institutions often do much more for their communities than confer degrees. @saraweissman.bsky.social , @insidehighered.com
buff.ly
New report: Too many communities lack broad-access colleges
A new report found that millions of Americans don’t have any colleges with high acceptance rates nearby, or they have only one, causing geographic disparities in college access.
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Today I'm tuning into the Denver Democracy Summit hosted by DU's Korbel School of International Relations. It's helpful to get a global perspective on democracy and elections, given everything happening in the U.S. right now. 🗳️ Join here: korbel.du.edu/news-events/...
korbel.du.edu
Watch the 2025 Denver Democracy Summit Here | International Studies
Emerging from a global election year, January's 2025 Denver Democracy Summit will feature a dynamic gathering of leaders, thinkers, and changemakers tackling the most pressing challenges and opportuni...
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Dr. Genia Bettencourt @drgmbettencourt.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
New publication in Research in Higher Education! Does it matter to #FirstGen student success if a first-gen student lives with a first-gen roommate or floormates instead of continuing-gen peers? Learn more: link.springer.com/10.1007/s111...
link.springer.com
How the Ingroup Representation of First-Generation Students in Residence Halls Predicts Short-Term and Long-Term College Success - Research in Higher Education
Despite a burgeoning literature on first-generation college student success, little is known about how the presence of first-generation or continuing-generation peers may facilitate desired outcomes a...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Calling all Higher Ed nerds and policy wonks (particularly those in Colorado)! Consider providing feedback on CO's performance funding model for higher education (responses due 1/17). 📣🍏💰 cdhe.colorado.gov/colorado-hig...
cdhe.colorado.gov
Colorado Higher Education Funding Formula | Colorado Department of Higher Education Home
The funding allocation formula is an integral part of Colorado's commitment to postsecondary education. The current funding formula was created by House Bill 20-1366. The goals of the current funding ...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
If you don't find this alarming, you should. "About one-quarter of faculty members report feeling pressure to match their political views with those held by administrators and other professors at their institutions" in a survey by @aaup.bsky.social + @aacu.org www.highereddive.com/news/1-in-3-...
highereddive.com
One-third of faculty report recent declines in academic freedom, survey finds
The results show an “alarming erosion” of faculty rights, according to the head of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
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Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 13/01/2025
Some L.A. Colleges to Reopen This Week, Others Stay Closed Amid Wildfires Institutions that plan to reopen spent the weekend cleaning their campuses and purifying the air. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/4j6uxcp
bit.ly
Some L.A. colleges to reopens, others stay closed amid wildfires
Institutions that plan to reopen spent the weekend cleaning their campuses and purifying the air.
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David Tandberg @davidtandberg.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Really enjoyed this conversation about Adams State, direct admissions, The Adams Promise, the One Stop, the San Luis Valley, and our mission: www.edupexperience.com/DavidTandberg/
edupexperience.com
How Rural Universities Drive Life-Changing Economic Mobility - with Dr. David A. Tandberg, President, Adams State University
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, #1,002, President Series ( Powered By ⁠⁠⁠ Ellucian ⁠⁠⁠ ) #325, & brought to …
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Did you know that Regional Public Universities exist all around the world? In May 2024 Madagascar opened their first RPU. Like RPUs in the U.S. and other countries, the Madagascan RPU has a mission to foster postsecondary access and regional development. www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?sto...
universityworldnews.com
First regional university aims to ensure equal opportunities
The official inauguration of the University of Fénérive-Est in Madagascar has taken place. It is the first of several new regional public universiti...
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Prof. Anthea Butler @antheabutler.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
There are families who will never be able to come back from this devastation, and many of them were in generational homes, passed down from people who bought homes in the 1970sand 80's in Altadena. All of the fires are a tragedy, but especially for those who don't have the resources to rebuild.
bet.com
Eaton Fire Devastates Historic Altadena, Displacing Black Families and Destroying Legacies
While celebrity losses grab headlines, the Eaton Fire has destroyed nearly 1,000 structures in Altadena, displacing Black families who’ve shaped the community for generations. Here's a brief history o...
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AERA @aeraedresearch.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
AERA is now accepting applications for the 2025 Annual Meeting Graduate Student Assistance Fund. AERA graduate student members are encouraged to apply by January 31 at 11:59 pm PT. View the full Call for Applications here: www.aera.net/Portals/38/2...
2025 Annual Meeting Graduate Student Assistance Fund
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 08/01/2025
As we witness these heartbreaking scenes from the fires in LA, an important reminder that incarcerated people make up over 30% of California’s forest firefighters.
motherjones.com
30 percent of California's forest firefighters are prisoners
About 4,000 inmates battle blazes in the Golden State's woodlands.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Meta's policy is that group-based harassment is generally bad and forbidden *except for this one particular group*
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Great @cprnews.bsky.social story about Colorado Mesa U, a Regional Public, and its efforts to serve first-gen students. Colorado created a designation for first-gen colleges. No 💰 for designation, which is frustrating given how underfunded Regionals are, but it recognizes the unique role they play.
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Third Way Education @thirdwayedu.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
We got a LOT done in 2024! ✨ 📚 Launched the Higher Ed Value Metrics website 📚 Unveiled voter insights on higher ed value 📚 Debunked myths about the U.S. Dept. of Ed 📚 Proposed reforms for graduate education Big things ahead in 2025—stay tuned! buff.ly/3PclVmO
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
New Year, new pub🚨 I have wanted to write this for a long time. It was fun to write w/current and former students Steve Jenks & John Macikas. "Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of Regional Public Universities" in Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. link.springer.com/referencewor...
link.springer.com
Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of Regional Public Universities
Regional Public Universities (RPUs) serve a critical role in fostering postsecondary access, upward mobility, and regional well-being, providing support and services beyond just educational opportunit...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
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Axios @axios.com · 18/12/2024
The number of first-year Black and Hispanic students enrolled at Harvard Law School this year plummeted almost by half, according to enrollment data released this week.
axios.com
Harvard Law enrollment plummets for Black and Hispanic students
The class is the first to be admitted after affirmative action was struck down by the Supreme Court.
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Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 18/12/2024
I'm seeking an assistant/associate professor of practice to lead our growing online master's program in higher education. This can be a fully remote position, and application review will begin February 15. Please share! apply.interfolio.com/160931
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Thanks again to the ECMC Foundation for their support of this @arrc.bsky.social and Child Trends Project! We're excited to get started on our #RSI typology project and to learn from the other funded projects. CC: @drandrewk.bsky.social www.ecmcfoundation.org/news/foundat...
ecmcfoundation.org
Rural Impact Initiative’s 2024 Research on Advancing Rural Postsecondary Education Recipients Announced
Funded research projects were those that examined the college experiences of rural learners, the roles of rural postsecondary institutions, and policies that affect rural postsecondary education.
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EdTrust @edtrust.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Why We Need the Department of Education Here are several reasons why eliminating the Department of Education is a foolish and destructive idea. edtrust.org/blog/why-we-...
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
I enjoyed discussing the importance of transparency in the college choice and admissions process for international students as part of a panel for ShfitedED hosted by GradRight. One point I made is the importance of timely, well packaged information that is meaningful for international students. 🌏
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
While I'm skeptical of the unintended consequences of institutional striving to become R1 I'm proud of the work we did on the Carnegie Classifications Technical Review Panel to address inequities w/how this status is determined to designate more HBCUs as R1s. www.insidehighered.com/news/institu...
insidehighered.com
Howard expects to gain R-1, with other HBCUs soon to follow
Howard University would be the only historically Black institution to earn the Carnegie Foundation’s coveted classification, but certainly not the last.
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Cecilia Orphan @ceciliaorphan.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
I appreciate this research by SHEEO showing that "the highest levels of funding are directed toward institutions with the lowest proportion of students of color, and students of color on average are attending institutions with the lowest per-student funding." www.highereddive.com/news/how-equ...
highereddive.com
How equitable is funding for public colleges?
Colleges with low shares of students of color receive the highest levels of funding, research finds.
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