The Association for the Study of Higher Education: A Comprehensive Overview
Introduction
The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) stands as a central scholarly society dedicated to advancing the understanding of higher education. With a vibrant community of over 2,000 members, ASHE fosters research, dialogue, and professional development to promote equitable higher education for the public good. This article provides an overview of ASHE, including its mission, membership, structure, activities, and its commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
Mission and Values
The primary mission of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) is to foster scholarly inquiry for the purpose of increasing knowledge about and the understanding of higher education. ASHE promotes collaboration among its members and others engaged in the study of higher education through research, conferences, and publications, including its highly regarded journal, The Review of Higher Education.
ASHE values rigorous scholarly approaches to the study of higher education and practical applications of systemic inquiry. Through its peer-reviewed publications, annual conference sessions, webinars, and other intellectual and professional activities, ASHE promotes scholarly discourse and debate about important issues, ideas, questions, problems, and possibilities in the study of higher education.
ASHE is committed to inclusivity and diversity, recognizing the importance of reckoning with the past and promoting equitable higher education.
Membership
ASHE is the scholarly home to over 2,000 higher education researchers, practitioners, and students. Members hail from all 50 states in the United States and more than 20 other countries. The membership comprises faculty, staff, and students from institutions of higher education as well as policymakers, independent scholars, and others enthusiastic about higher education research. Approximately 40% of the members are full-time graduate students undertaking master’s or doctoral degrees in various areas, including education and other social sciences. About half of ASHE members are university faculty, mostly in academic programs that focus on some aspect of higher education, such as administration, leadership, or policy. ASHE members also include researchers working in non-university settings, including government, think-tanks, and advocacy organizations. A small percentage of ASHE members are from outside the United States.
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ASHE has experienced perpetual growth in membership, events, and scholarly recognition. As one example to showcase the development of ASHE and its impact, conference proposals jumped significantly, highlighting the robust research being conducted about higher education issues.
ASHE offers several membership categories to accommodate various individuals interested in the study of higher education:
- General Members: This category encompasses persons who engage or are interested in the study of higher education and who do not otherwise qualify for another membership category.
- Graduate Student Members: This category encompasses persons who engage or are interested in the study of higher education and who are graduate students in a master's or doctoral program or undergraduate students.
- Post-Doctoral Members: This category encompasses persons who engage or are interested in the study of higher education and who are in a post-doctoral position at an institution, organization, etc.
- Part-Time Faculty Members: This category encompasses persons who engage or are interested in the study of higher education and who serve primarily as part-time faculty.
- Retired/Emeritus Members: This category encompasses persons who engage or are interested in the study of higher education and who have retired and/or been granted emeritus status.
Effective January 2025, members from Low GDP countries are provided with a 50% discount on membership. These countries are classified by the World Bank as Low GDP Countries and include: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Dem. People's Rep. of Korea, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, Uganda, and Rep. To be eligible for registration at “Low GDP Country” ASHE Member rates, individuals must have residency in, be currently living in, and be a citizen of a qualifying country. The applicable membership rate will automatically show up for a member based on their address in the ASHE membership system.
Structure and Governance
ASHE operates with both a salaried professional office staff and an unpaid, volunteer board of directors. The board comprises 17 members: 9 with voting rights and 8 ex-officio board members. Voting members of the board are elected by the ASHE membership and include a president, president-elect, immediate past president, 4 members-at-large, and 2 graduate student representatives. The ex-officio members are appointed or elected to serve by their councils. Terms of service typically range from 2-3 years, although the budget chair, legal counsel, and publications chair have served significantly longer terms, which provides needed continuity and institutional history for the board. The executive director also serves as an ex-officio member of the ASHE board of directors.
Since the end of 2008, ASHE has been hosted within the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). ASHE will be headquartered there through 2024. Previously, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, and Texas A&M University all hosted the Association, which provides office space and access to university resources. As of 2019, there were three full-time employees who worked in the ASHE office at UNLV: an executive director, a director of conferences and special events, and a director of finance and business operations. Additional employees include graduate assistants, work study students, Upward Bound interns, and interns from the UNLV higher education master’s and doctoral programs. These staff members report to the executive director, and in turn, the executive director reports to the board of directors. Together, they all set the vision and priorities that provide direction for the Association.
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As of 2019, there are four councils: the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP), Council for Ethnic Participation (CEP), Council for International Higher Education (CIHE), and Council for Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE). Standing committees lead activities related to fundraising and philanthropy, publications, awards, position taking, and nominations for elected officers. Presidential commissions, ad hoc committees, and self-formed groups of mutual interests (e.g., athletics, philanthropy, LGBTQ research, studies of liberal arts colleges) exist in a range of formats in- and outside the official governance structure.
Activities and Initiatives
ASHE offers a number of resources and professional development opportunities that benefit its members and keep them informed of the latest challenges to colleges and universities and to higher education at large. The Association fulfills its mission through various activities and initiatives:
Annual Conference
The annual conference provides opportunities for higher education scholars to present their research. Conference content is peer-reviewed. About half of the proposals are accepted each year. Authors are then invited to present their work as stand-alone papers, roundtable papers, or posters, or in self-designed paper and symposium sessions. An annual conference program committee is formed each year, and other committees are appointed on an ad hoc basis. The #ASHE2026 Call for Proposals and Volunteers for the ASHE 51st Annual Conference is now OPEN.
Publications
ASHE supports researchers through dissemination of research in publications and its annual conference. ASHE owns the academic journal Review of Higher Education, which is published by Johns Hopkins University Press in four issues per annual volume. The Review of Higher Education is considered one of the leading research journals in the field. ASHE has overseen several publications designed to advance the study of higher education. With changes to scholarly communication and the ability to access publications electronically, some of these formats were discontinued.
Professional Development
ASHE also engages in supporting members’ professional development by offering opportunities for ongoing learning. Activities include workshops at the annual conference, synchronous online webinars on research topics or methods, and asynchronous learning through social media and archived material. Some councils offer mentoring programs for early- or mid-career scholars, and periodically ASHE partners with a foundation to sponsor seminars or symposia related to specific topics or research methods.
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Councils and Committees
ASHE's councils and committees play a vital role in shaping the association's activities and priorities. These groups focus on specific areas of higher education, such as international higher education, public policy, ethnic participation, and the advancement of higher education programs. By engaging in these councils and committees, members can contribute to the development of the field and network with colleagues who share their interests.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Like the various institutions, organizations, and professional communities that ASHE members represent, the association recognizes itself as a byproduct of the colonial university system. ASHE recognizes this history and the importance of reckoning with the past. ASHE's commitment to inclusivity and diversity is reflected in its programs, membership, and the engagement of graduate students and emerging scholars in its activities.
ASHE is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members, regardless of their background or identity. The association actively promotes diversity in its leadership, membership, and activities. ASHE also supports research that examines issues of equity and inclusion in higher education.
Origins and Evolution
ASHE was incorporated in 1976 in Washington, DC, USA. It emerged from another association, the now-defunct American Association for Higher Education (AAHE). Originally founded in 1976 as a subgroup of the American Association for Higher Education, founding members created a separate organization that has evolved into a diverse association of higher education scholars. ASHE is managed by a full-time executive director and governed by a board of directors elected by the membership.
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