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| ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association for the Study of Higher Education |
| Abbreviation | ASHE |
| Formation | 1976 |
| Type | Scholarly association |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Leader title | President |
ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education) is a scholarly association focused on research about postsecondary institutions, policy, and practice. Founded in the 1970s, it brings together scholars, administrators, and policymakers from across North America and internationally to advance study of colleges and universities. The organization convenes conferences, publishes scholarly journals, and administers awards that intersect with broader networks in higher education research.
The organization was established in the mid-1970s amid debates involving Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Spencer Foundation, and scholars associated with Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and University of Chicago. Early leadership included faculty who had connections to programs at Teachers College, Columbia University, Michigan State University, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and Ohio State University. The association’s formative years overlapped with policy developments involving the U.S. Department of Education, debates following reports by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, and influences from foundations such as the Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
ASHE’s mission foregrounds rigorous inquiry linking empirical research and normative debate involving institutions like Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and George Washington University. Activities include peer review processes modeled on practices at American Educational Research Association, collaborative projects with entities such as Pew Charitable Trusts, and consultation with state systems including California State University, University of California, State University of New York, and Texas A&M University System. ASHE also partners with international bodies similar to European University Association, OECD, and universities like University of Toronto, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University of Melbourne.
Membership has historically included faculty, graduate students, and administrators from institutions such as Florida State University, Arizona State University, Vanderbilt University, Rice University, Emory University, University of Minnesota, Purdue University, Michigan State University, and Pennsylvania State University. Governance structures mirror nonprofit boards affiliated with organizations like American Council on Education and Association of American Universities, featuring elected officers, an executive committee, standing committees, and regional representatives drawn from campuses such as Rutgers University, University of Washington, University of Florida, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Arizona.
ASHE convenes annual meetings that attract presenters from institutions including London School of Economics, Sciences Po, Humboldt University of Berlin, National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Seoul National University, McGill University, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Conference themes have engaged issues addressed in venues like United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization symposia and policy forums similar to Brookings Institution events. Workshops and institutes linked to professional development have drawn collaborators from Council for Higher Education Accreditation, American Association of University Professors, and research centers at University of California, Los Angeles and Columbia Business School.
ASHE sponsors and supports scholarly publication outlets and special issues that connect to journals and presses such as Harvard Educational Review, Review of Higher Education, Sage Publications, Johns Hopkins University Press, Oxford University Press, and Routledge. Research topics have intersected with studies by scholars affiliated with Stanford Graduate School of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, and University of Michigan School of Education. Work published under ASHE auspices often dialogues with findings from reports by the National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, Lumina Foundation, and policy analyses from RAND Corporation.
The association administers awards recognizing scholarship analogous to honors from Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship, Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, and named awards comparable to those from American Educational Research Association. Recipients have included faculty and doctoral students associated with University of Chicago, Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Michigan, Duke University, Brown University, and Northwestern University. Awards acknowledge contributions to research on access, finance, governance, pedagogy, and equity, themes also recognized by institutions such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed.
ASHE has influenced policymaking, institutional strategy, and scholarly agendas through conferences, publications, and networks that intersect with U.S. Congress hearings, state legislatures, and international policy forums like World Bank education programs. Critics have argued that membership and leadership frequently reflect elite research universities including Ivy League, Big Ten Conference institutions, and other well-resourced campuses such as University of California, Berkeley and University of Michigan, raising questions echoed in critiques aimed at organizations like American Council on Education about representativeness, disciplinary dominance, and the balance between theory and practice. Defenders point to partnerships with community colleges, minority-serving institutions such as Howard University and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and initiatives targeting historically underrepresented regions like Appalachia and Tribal Colleges.