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Higher ed. alumna joins college administration in Jamaica

UF higher education administration alumna Zaria Malcolm (PhD ’11) was recently appointed vice principal of academic affairs and institutional advancement at Excelsior Community College in Kingston, Jamaica.

Malcolm, a native of Jamaica, earned her doctorate at UF with a concentration in qualitative research methodology.

“The program and degree from UF was the best possible preparation for the work I’m doing now,” she said.

During her UF studies, Malcolm received major scholarships, including the Graduate School Fellowship, the university’s most prestigious graduate student award. The fellowship program is intended to recruit the most qualified students to pursue graduate-level study and research at UF.

She attended UF under a special Fulbright scholarship awarded to select students who come to UF from abroad to pursue their graduate studies with an expectation that they will return to their home country upon graduation and contribute to national development.

“I always had it in the back of my mind that I was going home to contribute to Jamaica’s education system,” she said.

As an administrator, Malcolm has a special interest in providing more opportunities for both students and faculty at Excelsior to receive international exposure and experience.

“In the field of education, I think we need to help to develop not just national citizens but global citizens,” she said

Malcolm said she has a lifelong connection to her alma mater and appreciates the Gator Nations’ involvement with the rest of the world. With such a wide reach, she believes the higher education program at UF can contribute to the development of educational leadership not just in the United States, but internationally.

“There are really good people and programs in the College of Education,” she said. “I think we need to highlight that in order to take the Gator Nation even higher.”

 

CONTACTS
   SOURCE: Zaria Malcolm,vice principal of academic affairs and institutional advancement , Excelsior Community College; zariamalcolm@gmail.com 
   WRITER: Candice Wynter, communications intern, UF College of Education; cwynter@ufl.edu
   MEDIA CONTACT: Larry Lansford, communications director, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

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Institute hires emerging scholar in higher education policy, economics

The University of Florida’s higher education administration program has appointed a new assistant professor with more than a decade of research experience in higher education economics and policy, especially at the state level.

KRAMER, Dennis (crppd)

Dennis A. Kramer II

Dennis A. Kramer II, an acting assistant professor of higher education at the University of Virginia, will join the UF College of Education faculty in August and serve as the associate director for the college’s Institute of Higher Education. Kramer specializes in advanced quantitative research methods for studying such issues as the impact of financial aid policies on secondary and postsecondary success, and the economic influences on the college choice process. He also has a strong research interest in institutional decision-making and financial issues and trends in college athletics. 

Prior to his University of Virginia post, Kramer worked from 2010-2013 as a senior research and policy analyst for the Georgia Department of Education, where he managed Georgia’s policy development and evaluation research. He also has been an adjunct instructor at Georgia State University. 

He served as the graduate policy and research fellow for the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics from 2008-2010. His analysis of intercollegiate athletic spending and student-athlete academic success has been reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside HigherEd and numerous academic publications and news media outlets.

Kramer is due to receive his doctorate in higher education economics and policy evaluation in May from the University of Georgia Institute of Higher Education. He received his M.Ed. in postsecondary administration and educational policy in 2008 from the University of Southern California and has a bachelor’s in psychology from San Diego State University.

“This opportunity at the University of Florida will enable me to not only work with high-quality faculty and graduate students, but also to engage in scholarly research that can contribute to both state and national education policy development,” Kramer said.

Kramer currently contributes on a $500,000 research grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study the impact of physical activity on academic achievement and social behaviors. He recently completed a study analyzing effective school disciplinary practices, funded by the National Association of State Boards of Education.

“Dennis Kramer is an emerging scholar in higher education research and policy analysis,” said Dale Campbell, head of UF’s higher education administration program and the Institute of Higher Education. “He will help us continue our rich tradition of scholarship and leadership development as we look to shape the future in today’s rapidly changing world of higher education.”

CONTACTS
   SOURCE: Dennis A. Kramer II; dkramerii@gmail.com; 714-514-6442
   SOURCE: Dale Campbell, director, UF Institute of Higher Education; dfc@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4300
   WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

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