Grants

Dr. Kristen Renn is Professor of Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education at Michigan State University, has been a member of the Association since 1997, served as ASHE president in 2018-2019, where she led and guided us through a strategic planning process as we prepared for our 50th Anniversary, and is one of the leading researchers of LGBTQ issues in higher education.

Dr. Melissa McDaniels is Associate Executive Director & Associate Scientist at the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) in the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has over twenty-five years of experience as a researcher, policy-maker, and leader in the service of inclusive and equitable institutional practices that support the professional development of academics of all career stages, and has been a member of the Association since 2003.

Research Grant

The Drs. Kristen Renn & Melissa McDaniels Dissertation Research Grant will provide dissertation support for a doctoral student studying sexual orientation and/or gender identity in higher education or mentorship in higher education.

The 2024 Renn & McDaniels Dissertation Research Grant will be an award of $500.

Evaluation Criteria

To qualify for the grant, an applicant must be:

• A current member of ASHE at the time of application.

• A graduate student at the time of application who has defended their proposal and/or received IRB approval for their dissertation study.

• Completing dissertation research on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in higher education or mentorship in higher education.

When reviewing applications, the Grants Committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

• The applicant’s relevant research and academic experience.

• Significance of the research question or purpose.

• The conceptual clarity and potential contribution of the proposal.

• The relevance to higher education.

• The strength of the methodological model and proposed analysis.

• Significance of the applicant's need for funding.

Expectations of Recipients

As a recipient of this grant, you agree to the following:

1. Submit a thank you letter or video for the grant donors. More information will be sent to you after the conference.

2. Grantees will be required to submit their final dissertation.

3. Grantees will submit a 1-2 page summary of how the funding impacted their work.

4. Materials should be submitted electronically to the Association’s Executive Director.

All reporting requirements and deadlines will be outlined in the award letter.

Application Materials

A completed application, submitted through the link below, will include the following:

• First and Last Name

• Email Address

• Telephone Number

• Institution

• Agreement to ASHE Policies: Applicants will be required to review and agree to uphold various policies of ASHE including membership policies, ethics policies, conflict of interest policies, and diversity policies.

• Title of Dissertation

• A MASKED* description of the dissertation study (up to 500 words) and should include:

  • A masked bio of the researcher, suggested 50-100 words

  • The research question or purpose and significance to higher education, suggested 200-250 words

  • The research study methods and analysis plan, suggested 200-250 words

• A MASKED* budget that includes:

  • An itemized list of anticipated research-related expenses

  • A narrative that indicates the applicant's need for funding in no more than 150 words.

• A MASKED* Letter of Support (uploaded as a PDF): Applicants should upload a letter of support from their faculty advisor, dissertation committee chair, and/or a member of their dissertation committee. This should include the status of the applicant's advancement to candidacy and either application and/or receipt of IRB approval for the study.

Submit an Application

Dr. jeni hart is the Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri, as well as a Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA). She has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to higher education through her scholarship on faculty work, gender and feminisms, and campus climate. Her research focuses on how organizational structures shape the experiences of faculty, particularly women and feminist scholars. Prior to her faculty appointment, she served for nine years as a student affairs educator across multiple colleges and universities. Her leadership extends beyond her institution, as she served as ASHE President in 2024 and has contributed to the field through her editorial work with the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and the NASPA Journal about Women in Higher Education.

Research Grant

Inspired by the 2024 Presidential Theme “I Am A Scholar,” the Community Impact Dissertation Grant will provide dissertation support for a doctoral student whose career aspirations extend beyond faculty/academia.

The 2025 Community Impact Dissertation Grant will be an award of $500.

Evaluation Criteria

To qualify for the grant, an applicant must be:

• A current member of ASHE at the time of application.

• A graduate student at the time of application who has defended their proposal and/or received IRB approval for their dissertation study.

• A scholar with career aspirations beyond academia.

When reviewing applications, the Grants Committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

• The applicant’s relevant research and academic experience

• Significance of the research question or purpose

• Career Aspirations & Community Impact

• Alignment Between Research & Career Impact

• The strength of the methodological model and proposed analysis

• Significance of the applicant's need for funding

Expectations of Recipients

As a recipient of this grant, you agree to the following:

1. Submit a thank you letter or video for the grant donors. More information will be sent to you after the conference.

2. Grantees will be required to submit their final dissertation.

3. Grantees will submit a 1-2 page summary of how the funding impacted their work.

4. Materials should be submitted electronically to the Association’s Executive Director.

All reporting requirements and deadlines will be outlined in the award letter.

Application Materials

A completed application, submitted through the link below, will include the following:

• First and Last Name

• Email Address

• Telephone Number

• Institution

• Agreement to ASHE Policies: Applicants will be required to review and agree to uphold various policies of ASHE including membership policies, ethics policies, conflict of interest policies, and diversity policies.

• Title of Dissertation

• A MASKED* description of the applicant, dissertation study, and the connection to their career aspirations (up to 500 words; uploaded as a PDF) and should include:

  • A masked bio of the researcher including a description of the applicant’s career aspirations, suggested 100-150 words

  • The research question or purpose and significance to higher education and/or community, suggested 200-250 words

  • A description of how the dissertation supports these career aspirations, suggested 50-100 words

• A MASKED* budget (uploaded as a PDF) that includes:

  • An itemized list of anticipated research-related expenses

  • A narrative that indicates the applicant's need for funding in no more than 150 words.

• A MASKED* Letter of Support (uploaded as a PDF): Applicants should upload a letter of support from their faculty advisor, dissertation committee chair, and/or a member of their dissertation committee. This should include the status of the applicant's advancement to candidacy and either application and/or receipt of IRB approval for the study. The letter should speak to potential for candidate to offer community impact and/or shape a career outside of the academy. 

Submit an Application

The Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP) has a mission to enrich the teaching and learning experiences of students and faculty in the Association's constituent Higher Education Programs within North America and around the world. The mission is also to facilitate exchange among program coordinators/directors, faculty, students, and other interested members of the Association - both internally and externally.

Research Grant

The inaugural CAHEP Research Grant will provide important financial assistance to scholars conducting research about higher education graduate preparation programs including, but not limited to, topics such as the organization, administration, delivery, and outcomes of graduate higher education programs; pipelines to graduate programs; teaching and learning within programs; and graduate student and faculty experiences, such as recruitment, socialization, mentorship, retention, and success. 

The annual grant will provide funds to support research expenses. The CAHEP Awards Committee will support scholarship that advances the field of higher education’s understanding of programs that prepare higher education scholars, practitioners, and leaders, broadly defined. 

 In 2025, CAHEP plans to make one grant of $400. All applicants will be notified about the status of their application prior to the annual conference. The award will be announced at the CAHEP Business Meeting at the annual conference.

Evaluation Criteria

To qualify for the grant, an applicant must be:

• A current member of ASHE at the time of application.

• Conducting research about higher education graduate preparation programs including, but not limited to, topics such as the organization, administration, delivery, and outcomes of graduate higher education programs; pipelines to graduate programs; teaching and learning within programs; and graduate student and faculty experiences, such as recruitment, socialization, mentorship, retention, and success.

When reviewing applications, the CAHEP Grants Committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

• Significance of the research question or purpose.

• The relevance to higher education graduate preparation programs.

• The strength of the methodological model and proposed analysis.

• Significance of the applicant's need for funding.

Expectations of recipient

Grant recipients will be expected to deliver:

• A final report of 3-5 double spaced pages submitted within one year of receiving the grant.

• Submit a proposal about the project and associated results to the CAHEP pre-conference or the main ASHE conference at the next available opportunity (within one to two years of receiving the grant). Proposals submitted to the CAHEP pre-conference will receive priority consideration for acceptance as a Featured Session.

Application Materials

A completed application, submitted through the link below, will include the following:

• First and Last Name

• Email Address

• Telephone Number

• Institution or Organization

• Agreement to ASHE Policies: Applicants will be required to review and agree to uphold various policies of ASHE including membership policies, ethics policies, conflict of interest policies, and diversity policies.

• A MASKED* description of the proposed project up to 1,000 words, uploaded in a PDF that should include:

  • Title of project.

  • The research question or purpose and significance to higher education graduate preparation programs, including any relevant background information/literature (suggested 500 words).

  • The research study methods and analysis plan (suggested 500 words). This should include the status of any partnerships that will be necessary to the project and/or IRB approval for the study, if needed. (IRB approval prior to applying is not required.)

  • References (these do not count toward the word limit).

• A MASKED* budget, uploaded as a PDF, that includes an itemized list of anticipated research-related expenses. This can include travel expenses related to data collection but not for dissemination/presentation of results.

Submit an Application