Amy Elizabeth Hawley Alvarez

Amy’s career in education spans nearly 30 years. From being an ESL/EFL teacher to an editor for English language teaching materials at two university presses to leading the programming for TC’s university-assisted community school (Teachers College Community School)—Amy works collaboratively on teams focused on improving education for all. Amy has a B.A. in Music and French, and an M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Northern Iowa. She also has an M.A. and an Ed.M. in Higher & Postsecondary Education from TC, where she began her Ph.D. studies in the same program in Fall 2023. Currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships at TC, Amy works closely with the President’s Office on the execution of special projects, including the Medal for Distinguished Service and Columbia Community Service. She also works closely with the Vice Dean of Teacher Education & Community Partnership on Teachers College Community School, as well as the Zankel and Milman Fellowships programs. Amy’s primary research interest is the civic mission of higher education institutions and how it impacts the communities where higher education institutions are located. She hopes to utilize the civic mission of higher education to research the factors that help or hinder academic persistence for housing-insecure college students.