About Us – CSSR
Vision & Mission
The long-term vision for the Center for Student Success Research (CSSR) is to be a national leader in facilitating, conducting, and disseminating state of the art research on postsecondary access and success, leading to policies and practices that promote equity and lead to improved outcomes for underrepresented and understudied student populations.
CSSR facilitates research, evaluation, and organizational assessment aimed at promoting postsecondary access and success for underrepresented and understudied student populations. Social scientists associated with the CSSR utilize diverse methodological and theoretical perspectives to produce research identifying institutional and societal factors that limit or promote equitable pathways into and through higher education. Actionable findings and recommendations inform institutions, policymakers, and other change agents concerning ways to improve conditions for student success.
Faculty and staff
Ryan Wells
Director of the Center for Student Success Research
Program Coordinator, Higher Education
Ryan Wells investigates questions of college access, equity, and success for marginalized student populations.
Betul Iscan
Center Coordinator
Betul Iscan is an doctoral student in the Higher Education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Genia Bettencourt
Genia Bettencourt is an Assistant Professor of Higher and Adult Education in the Department of Leadership at the University of Memphis.
Katrina Calhoun
Katrina A. Calhoun (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education.
Bridgette Davis
Bridgette Davis is an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy.
Robert Feldman
Robert S. Feldman is Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Rachel E. Friedensen
Rachel E. Friedensen is an Assistant Professor in Higher Education Administration at St. Cloud State University.
Alexandra Lauterbach
Dr. Alexandra A. Lauterbach is interested in learning how dimensions of teacher cognition influence teacher quality and achievement of students with SLD.
Victoria Malaney-Brown
Victoria Malaney-Brown is the Director for Academic Integrity at Columbia University.
Catherine Manly
Catherine Manly is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education-Data Analytics at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Chrystal George Mwangi
Chrystal A. George Mwangi is an Associate Professor in the Higher Education Program at George Mason University.
Emily Perlow
Emily Perlow is Associate Dean of Students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Musbah Shaheen
Program Coordinator, Higher Education
Shaheen is interested in the impact of college on students, focusing on student identity development and productive interactions across social identities.
Ashley Woodman
Ashley Woodman is the Program Director for the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services at UMass Amherst.
Betty Annan
Betty is a doctoral student in the Higher Education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Kate Farmer
Kate Farmer is a graduate student in the Higher Education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Mujtaba Hedayet
Mujtaba Hedayet is a doctoral student in the Higher Education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Sadaf Latafat
Sadaf Latafat is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education program and an Assistant Residence Director at UMass Amherst.
Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada is a doctoral student in the Higher Education program.