Gudrun Nyunt

Associate Professor
ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholar

Department

Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)

Gudrun Nyunt (she/her) is a higher education scholar who bridges research and praxis by conducting applied research projects that strive to foster more inclusive higher education environments. Gudrun, who has been at NIU since fall 2018, teaches courses on applied research designs, qualitative methodologies, college student development, and higher education administration. Gudrun’s professional experiences include seven years of working full-time in Residence Life (Miami University, University of North Florida, University of Connecticut), conducting research and supporting programmatic initiatives of an NSF-sponsored ADVANCE grant (University of Maryland, College Park), working as front desk manager at Webster University's branch campus in Vienna, Austria, and serving as a resident director for Semester at Sea for the fall 2012 voyage.

Gudrun has been an active member of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) – College Student Educators for over 20 years. She has been involved in the commission space, been a member of the 100 Year Anniversary Steering Committee, served as ACPA’s vice president of membership and currently provides strategic guidance to ACPA President Kelvin Rutledge as a senior presidential advisor.

Education

• Ph.D., Student Affairs, University of Maryland, College Park
• M.A. in Education with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs, University of Connecticut
• B.A. in Journalism, State University of New York at New Paltz

Research Activities and Interests

Gudrun strives to conduct research that addresses problems of practice and provides guidance to practitioners in the field of higher education and student affairs. Her research focuses on three, at times overlapping strands:

• Employment in higher education and student affairs
• Student mobility
• Mental well-being

Her scholarly inquiry aims to highlight issues of equity and inclusion related to each of her three research strands. For example, her research on employment utilizes critical approaches to understand how white supremacy culture shapes work environments. Similarly, her research on student mobility has examined the experiences of marginalized populations in study abroad and the ways in which study abroad may reinforce global inequities.  

Gudrun serves as associate editor for the Journal of College and University Student Housing. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development, the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Gudrun has received grant funding to support her research from the ACPA Foundation, the NASPA Foundation, the Association of College and University Officers-International (ACUHO-I), and NASPA Region IV-East. ACPA’s Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development recognized Gudrun with the Excellence in International Research Award at the 2024 ACPA Convention.

Select Referred Publications

Nyunt, G., Hutchings, Q., López, N., Dominguez, N., Hernandez, D., Santos, K., and Kpodo, F. (2026). “I’m stuck and not sure what the solution is”: Navigating higher education environments as racially minoritized HESA master’s students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 19(2), 479-492.

Nyunt, G., Pridgen, R., and Thomas, I. (2024). Disrupting student affairs departure: Examining needed changes to the field of student affairs to attract and retain a diverse workforce. Journal of College Student Development, 65(2), 183-200.

Nyunt, G., O’Meara, K., Bach, L.  and LaFave, A. (2024). Tenure undone: Faculty experiences of organizational justice when tenure seems or becomes unattainable. Equity & Excellence in Education, 57(1), 107-121.

Nyunt, G., Veron, R.  and Sledge, K. (2024). Shaped by intersecting identities: BIPOC women’s stories of their study abroad experiences. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(4), 622-633.

Nyunt, G., Niehaus, E.  and Benavides, M. (2024). A catalyst for learning or reinforcement of inequities: Using a critical hope lens to understand the potential and limitations of short-term study abroad in fostering students' ability to effectively interact across differences. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(3), 346-357. 

Nyunt, G., Zhou, Y.  and Sandoval, E. (2024). Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: Improving praxis in residence life to foster staff well-being. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 50(2), 32-51.

Nyunt, G., McMillen, J., Oplt, K., and Beckham, V. (2024). Flourishing (or lack thereof) during COVID-19: College students’ social psychological well-being during the Fall 2020 semester. Journal of American College Health, 72(1), 177-187.

Nyunt, G., Mac, J., Birch, Z., Veron, R., and Scoma, P. (2023). There should be more outrage: Making meaning of racial identity during times of increased anti-Asian hate. Journal of College Student Development, 64(6), 679-696.

Nyunt, G., Niehaus, E., Light, A., Boryca, A., and Bryan, A. (2023). Online + international: Utilizing theory to maximize the intercultural learning in virtual exchange courses. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 35(1), 325-344.

Nyunt, G., Brown, D., Jensen, A., and Schaefer, C. (2023). Motivations to pursue an Ed.D. in higher education: A qualitative case study. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 60(5), 688-701.

Nyunt, G., Hoekstra, D., Geiseman, B., and Teso, L. (2022). Serving as a resident assistant while Black: How race shapes Black student staff members' motivations for working in residence life and their experiences on staff. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 48(3), 42-57.

Koo, K., and Nyunt, G. (2022). Mom, Asian international student, doctoral student, and in-between: Asian international doctoral student mothers' mental well-being. Journal of College Student Development, 63(4), 414-431.

Edited Book

Nyunt, G., Koo, K., Witkowsky, P., and Andino, M. (Eds.) (2023). International student identities and mental well-being: Beyond the single story. STAR Scholar Academic Book Series.

Select Book Chapters and Monographs

Nyunt, G., and Lee, I. (2026). The complexities of internationalizing the curriculum to create inclusive classroom environments: Examples from student affairs and counseling.  In T. O. Soetan, O. S. Umukoro, O. O. Odeh, & D. H. K. Nguyen (Eds.), Identity, inclusion, and the career pathways of international students in North America: A multidisciplinary examination (pp. 87-103). Routledge.

Roberts, D., and Nyunt, G. (2024). Incorporating an international perspective in leadership training. In J. Kroll, C. Beatty, & A. Manning-Ouellette (Eds.), New directions for student leadership, 184: Facilitating leadership development in training contexts (pp. 53-64).

Nyunt, G. and Chin, L.-C. (2024). Cultural humility for student affairs professionals. In D. L. Roberts & R. Ammigan, Supporting international students in US higher education: A theory-based approach (pp. 237-251). Palgrave Macmillan.

Zhou, Y., and Nyunt, G. (2024). Navigating racial identities away from home: Experiences of Black and Asian international students. In D. L. Roberts and R. Ammigan, Supporting international students in US higher education: A theory-based approach (pp. 133-147). Palgrave Macmillan.

Nyunt, G. and Montag, J. (2024). The importance of a community of practice: Turning disillusionment into a catalyst for change. In S. Smith Budhai & D. Hill (Eds.), The impact of the scholarly practitioner doctorate: Developing socially-just leaders to make equitable change (pp. 71-86). Myers Education Press.

Nyunt, G. (2023). Working together: Education abroad and virtual exchange in 2023 and beyond. The Forum on Education Abroad and The Stevens Initiative/The Aspen Institute.

Awards and Honors

• Mentoring Award, Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL (2026)
• Diamond Honoree, ACPA Foundation (2026)
• McKinley “Deacon” Davis Diversity Award, Presidential Commission on Race and Ethnicity, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL (2025)
• Anne S. Pruitt-Logan Presidential Citation, ACPA – College Student Educators International (2025)
• Excellence in International Research, Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development, ACPA – College Student Educators International (2024)
• Betty L. Harrah Journal Manuscript of the Year Award, Journal of College and University Student Housing, Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) (2022)
• Distinguished Commission Chair, Overall Commission Awards, ACPA – College Student Educators International (2018)

Contact

815-753-9373
gnyunt@niu.edu
Gabel 201D