Dr. Alisa Hicklin Fryar is a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma. In her research, she draws on the literature in public administration and public policy to investigate the roles of accountability pressures, state governance, institutional leadership, and organizational dynamics in shaping student success and equity in outcomes. Dr. Fryar earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Lamar University, a public regional university in Southeast Texas, and her Ph.D. in political science from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Andrew Koricich is an associate professor of higher education at Appalachian State University and an Education Policy Center research fellow at the University of Alabama. Influenced by his experiences growing up in a rural, Pennsylvania town, Dr. Koricich’s research focuses primarily on issues regarding the postsecondary pathways of rural populations, rural and rural-serving postsecondary institutions, and how community factors influence students’ choices and outcomes. He also examines the effects of driving distance on student finances and outcomes. Dr. Koricich earned both his Ph.D. in higher education and B.S. in information sciences & technology from Pennsylvania State University. He earned his M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University. 

Dr. Kevin R. McClure is an associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). His research examines college finance, management, and leadership, with a focus on regional public universities. He is an active member on several faculty senate committees and professional organizations, including the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr. McClure earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in international education policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. He earned his B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of Richmond.

Dr. Cecilia Orphan is an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Denver. Her research examines the effects of neoliberal policy discourses on higher education’s public purposes and equity pursuits, the role of regional comprehensive universities in facilitating educational opportunity and regional wellbeing, and administrative strategies that promote equity and democracy. From 2006-2011, she directed the American Democracy Project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Dr. Orphan holds a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in political science from Portland State University.