Working class kid who got lost on a college campus | Aspiring to lead an analog life | Cat lady | TEDxMileHigh speaker | Co-Director @arrc.bsky.social | I spend a lot of time thinking about higher ed's role in democracy, especially right nowhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lzoa3t3ntk2sI spoke w/ Amy Morona of @signalcleveland.bsky.social about [RPUs] and Ohio State and said RPUs “have really thought about ‘how do we create a campus environment that’s supportive to first-generation college, low-income students [and] students who have children." https://signalcleveland.org/ohio-state-free-tuition-public-colleges/25 Sep 2025 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzoa3t3ntk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lw7oyyea5s2zHow adequately does your state acknowledge and fund its broad access institutions? We created a scorecard to evaluate states, published and funded by @sheeoed.bsky.social (thanks, SHEEO!). Check it out here. https://sheeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Orphan-et-al.pdf Co-authors: Katie Kleinhesselink and Essa Njie12 Aug 2025 16:07 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lw7oyyea5s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lshmrkxl722oI’m looking forward to discussing the vital role of Regional Public Universities at this City Club of Cleveland event! Look, ma, I’ll be on WVIZ PBS! 📺 https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2025/06/27/the-evolving-role-of-regional-public-universities25 Jun 2025 22:08 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lshmrkxl722ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lmwyws2xnk2rI spoke w/@nbcnews.com about higher ed finance and research that hang in the balance with the current Trump Admin attacks. "When you cut the research funding, that means [cancer-fighting] research will cease or it will be greatly diminished.” [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Apr 2025 16:24 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmwyws2xnk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3llhsceihac2nI spoke w/@propublica.org reporter Molly Parker about the challenges facing Regional Public Universities during the Trump and said "This is definitely one of those baby-in-the-bathwater moments..." as Trump goes after elite institutions but creates chaos for all. https://www.propublica.org/article/regional-public-universities-trump-funding-dei28 Mar 2025 21:50 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3llhsceihac2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3llf3do2dl22uMy advice to @ashegrads.bsky.social re: self care while conducting equity-focused research during this era? Spend time in spaces of innocence (w/children, pets, in nature), identify your sphere of influence and focus your energies there. This is a marathon. We must care for ourselves as we fight. 🥊 https://ashegrads.bsky.social27 Mar 2025 19:54 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3llf3do2dl22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lkqyvgb7x22jPhil Hill with EdTech used our Regional Public University (RPU) list to analyze enrollment and grad programs. He found that enrollment has declined slightly in the sector since 2012 (6.7%) and online grad programs have grown. https://onedtech.philhillaa.com/p/diverging-fortunes-in-public-4-year-institutions19 Mar 2025 20:17 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkqyvgb7x22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lko5qqls7k22Take action in support of Tribal Colleges and Universities! Call your Rep or Senator and read the script prepared by the American Indian College Fund. https://standwith.collegefund.org/issues-impacting-indian-country/we-need-your-voice-right-now/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=digital&utm_campaign=CUL&utm_id=25NAL9000C3&utm_term=CF&utm_content=Email_NewsAlert_Haskell18 Mar 2025 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lko5qqls7k22https://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lk7arkfzpk2zI truly believe that Regional Public Universities provide the best possible answer to questions about what value/ROI higher education provides society, which is why I co-wrote a @thirdwayedu.bsky.social brief about them. New publication 🚨! https://www.thirdway.org/report/regional-public-universities-expanding-higher-educations-roi-for-students-and-communities12 Mar 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lk7arkfzpk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3ljbal7uvbc2j@drandrewk.bsky.social and I had a wonderful time visiting Western Carolina University, a rural-serving Regional Public University, to help campus leaders think about how to tell their stories of impact and transformation. @arrc.bsky.social28 Feb 2025 20:27 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljbal7uvbc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3likdlvjs4c23I am grateful for Joe Garcia's leadership and service to Colorado. Sad to see him retire, but I know his legacy will live on. Happy retirement, Joe! https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/02/18/colorado-community-college-system-leader-joe-garcia-retirement/19 Feb 2025 17:50 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3likdlvjs4c23https://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lihr5jowos2wA new episode of Mile Higher Ed podcast just dropped. "Administration, Practice, and Scholarship in Medicine" a conversation with a DUHigherEd graduate Dr. Sylk Sotto. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f86zAbCdktVp8zqAuTBvY18 Feb 2025 17:14 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lihr5jowos2whttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3li5unhkngk2wI researched the failure of ideal-centered change and found that failure occurred when campuses failed to create ongoing cultural engagement with the ideal, involve naysayers, or assess the effects of the change. Perhaps lessons for the attacks on DEI? https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221546.2020.180926914 Feb 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3li5unhkngk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lhuu6ppzic25Glad my @arrc.bsky.social colleagues thought to download IPEDS data last week. This is wild. [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Feb 2025 04:48 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhuu6ppzic25https://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lggcwnjvq22kToday I'm tuning into the Denver Democracy Summit hosted by DU's Korbel School of International Relations. It's helpful to get a global perspective on democracy and elections, given everything happening in the U.S. right now. 🗳️ Join here: https://korbel.du.edu/news-events/denver-democracy-summit23 Jan 2025 16:37 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lggcwnjvq22khttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lfpytv6lh22nCalling all Higher Ed nerds and policy wonks (particularly those in Colorado)! Consider providing feedback on CO's performance funding model for higher education (responses due 1/17). 📣🍏💰 https://cdhe.colorado.gov/colorado-higher-education-funding-formula14 Jan 2025 19:38 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfpytv6lh22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/ceciliaorphan.bsky.social/post/3lfnmip6xy22rIf you don't find this alarming, you should. "About one-quarter of faculty members report feeling pressure to match their political views with those held by administrators and other professors at their institutions" in a survey by @aaup.bsky.social + @aacu.org https://www.highereddive.com/news/1-in-3-faculty--declines-academic-freedom-survey-aacu-aaup-norc/737085/13 Jan 2025 20:51 +0000at://did:plc:ay2icuruvwbpcwgrxfoxbi6p/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfnmip6xy22r