Elvira Abrica named acting chair of Educational Administration

21 Nov 2023    

Elvira Abrica, Ph.D., has been named acting chair of the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The announcement comes following the appointment of Nick Pace as acting dean of CEHS in October.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Abrica has agreed to provide energetic, collaborative, equity-minded leadership in the Department of Educational Administration while I serve as acting dean of CEHS,” Pace said. “She brings a record of highly effective, student-centered teaching and mentoring, impactful research on increasing access to higher education among historically underrepresented groups, and extensive service.”

Abrica is a tenured, associate professor of higher education. She has most recently served as Ph.D. program coordinator in Educational Administration, a research fellow with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at UNL, co-chair of the CEHS research committee, and is an elected member of the board of directors for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges.

“I am committed to ensuring that we continue to move forward in all of the wonderful and exciting things that EDAD is engaged in across the state and world,” Abrica said. “I deeply value my colleagues, our students, alumni, staff, and friends of the department and want to support our individual and collective efforts as best I can. I am honored and hope-filled l as I step into this role.”

Abrica conducts research on student equity and success, examining historically underrepresented groups across post-secondary institutional contexts. Abrica is the lead UNL researcher and co-PI of a National Science Foundation-funded research project examining culturally engaging and inclusive learning environments within STEM. She has professional experience and academic expertise in critical approaches to institutional research and assessment for student diversity and success in higher education. Her work appears in several peer-reviewed outlets, including Race, Ethnicity, and Education; Community College Journal of Research and Practice; Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; The Review of Higher Education; Association of Mexican American Educators Journal; and The Urban Review.

Abrica received a bachelor of arts, master of arts and doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The Department of Educational Administration (EDAD) offers rigorous, accessible and forward-thinking programs that serve over 300 graduate students in both P-12 and higher education in Nebraska, across the USA, and globally. EDAD alums serve as principals, superintendents, student affairs professionals, admissions counselors, residence life coordinators, academic advisors, directors, and more. To learn more about the department visit cehs.unl.edu/edad.