By: Bonniejean Zitske, Associate Director, SSTAR Lab
This month I sat down with Derek Kindle, the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management and our number one supporter! Derek was the Director of Financial Aid when SSTAR Lab was established, and he’s championed our success as a research practice partnership for over five years. His commitment to access and student success is central to the work we do in the Lab. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
Bonniejean Zitske: What drew you to a career in higher education?
Derek Kindle: I fell into higher education, like many people do. As a pre-law undergraduate student at Howard University, I began as a student volunteer in admissions, serving as a student ambassador. Then, I took a student hourly position in the business operations unit of Enrollment Management. During my sophomore year, I ended up working for the Vice President of Enrollment management on a wide range of issues and due to their confidential nature, I was made a full-time employee. By the time I graduated, there was an opportunity for me to transition the Office of Admissions and then later in the Office of Financial Aid my first year in graduate school.
I love working in higher education because there’s never a dull moment and I’m constantly challenged. One of my goals is to protect the “bubble” of the college experience. It’s one that I had as a college student and know that I want others to have their experience. It was a journey of growth and exploration—one that’s so important for the human experience. I loved my time in college, and I love being around people who are experiencing that same magic.
BZ: You were instrumental in developing SSTAR Lab. What value do you see in a research practice partnership?
DK: We have an incredible opportunity to reimagine and reset the relationships and work of researchers and practitioners in this space – the space of enrollment and specifically, financial aid. Engaging at the level at which the work is done is incredibly powerful. Ideally, we are collaborators in producing researchers that understand there are people and hidden processes to inform their work that is just as important as the data they have. On the flip side, there is a value to having researchers examine the systems in place, those that practitioners might take for granted or in which they may be too mired to see other angles. Overall, the greatest positive impact should be on students—the reason for it all.
BZ: Are there higher ed issues on the horizon for which you anticipate using research to find solutions?
DK: Yes, several. Where to start? First, the legal landscape of higher ed as it applies to identify, especially those historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in US higher education. One such emerging legal challenge will likely be on gender. Specifically, any seeming ‘benefit’ that women receive over men. Those who sought to overturn the use of race in admissions are moving forward towards gender. I do not believe that we, as a collective of higher education professionals, are taking up the mantle on these issues, protecting these groups—neither practitioners nor researchers.
Next, the proliferation of noise around the value of a college degree. There is a much larger question behind these campaigns that say college isn’t worth it. For whom is it not ‘worth it?’ I believe there is a long and moneyed campaign to discourage certain groups who are already disadvantaged from pursuing postsecondary education which impacts funding and funding sources for higher education. The question is how has this campaign been so successful?
Third, and this gets in the weeds a bit, but dual enrollment vs AP coursework. There is research that dual enrollment is far less predictive of success in college-level coursework than AP coursework. However, dual enrollment has more political sway. There is a concern that super selective institutions are going to stop accepting dual enrollment credits to satisfy degree requirements. What happens then?
And finally, the question of direct admissions. There is a lot of data that isn’t tapped into—many countries already apply a version of direct admit to their process, yet all the equity gaps in those countries remain constant. I wonder if there is a certain value in the application process. It creates a layering effect of processes that help them understand what college life is going to be like. Also, direct admissions can track students into lesser options than represents the full universe of offerings.
BZ: SSTAR Lab just celebrated its five-year anniversary. What would you like to see us accomplish in the next five years?
DK: This is a great question. The Lab is meant to be semi-autonomous. I have high hopes for SSTAR Lab, but only for what they want to be. I’m just here to be a supporter and facilitate the partnership between researchers and practitioners. My role is to stay out of the way, and to be an advocate and defender of the great work done in the Lab. My greatest wishes for the Lab are that people love to work there, they produce high quality work, maintain engagement with practitioners, and support the development of multifaceted, talented researchers.
BZ: How in the world do you read so many books? And what is the best non-work-related book/article that you read this past summer?
DK: I used to only appreciate hard copies. Letters on the page, the feel of the paper, the way the words are constructed, the typeface and kind of paper used, you know…an actual book. But when I started to travel more, it became difficult to carry a book (or two books in case I finished one). It was cumbersome. So I started Audible a couple of years ago and now I listen to all of my books on 1.75x or 2x the speed. I listen walking to work, in between meetings, on the plane, in the airports, in taxis, I’m always listening. I love books that are recommended by bookstore employees or that have a cool cover. The best book I read this summer was a book called Ours: A Novel by Phillip B. Williams. It takes place in antebellum America and the main character is a conjurer. It’s a long book, 23 hours, but I loved everything about it.