Title: Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, School of Education, Howard University
Tenured: No
Age: 38
Education: B.A., international business, Taylor University; M.A., student affairs administration/higher education, Ball State University, Teachers College; Certificate, College and University Teaching, Ball State University, Teachers College; Ph.D., educational leadership and policy, University of Texas at Austin, College of Education
Career mentors: Dr. Victor B. Sáenz, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Pamela L. Eddy, William & Mary; Dr. Melanie Carter, Howard University; Dr. Robert T. Palmer, Howard University; Dr. Audrey J. Jaeger, NC State University; and Dr. Richard J. Reddick, University of Texas at Austin
Words of wisdom/advice for new faculty members: “Make your career journey what you want it to be and don’t wait for others to define it for you.”
For Dr. Jorge Burmicky, an assistant professor of Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University, his time in doctoral studies was transformative to his career in higher education. He returned to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. with a desire to delve into research on the issues he’d seen firsthand.
“Before joining the academy, I was a student affairs professional, so I’m always thinking, how can my research be translated or put into the hands of practitioners that can actually implement and make a difference,” says Burmicky. “For me to be able to do that, I have to contextualize my research within the various identities of my participants and also within the context which they’re in. Otherwise, the research becomes irrelevant.”