Matthew P. Ison

Instructor

Department

Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)

Ison teaches courses in Qualitative Methodology, Public Policy, Higher Education Finance and Administration. His teaching and research approach employ theoretical perspectives from organizational theory, political theory and economics to explore policy implementation's role in shaping student access and retention within community colleges.

Three interrelated strands of inquiry anchor this research agenda: (1) examining neoliberal ideology as an animating force in public life and its subsequent effect on higher education governance and policymaking; (2) investigating the financial structures of federal, state, and institutional policy on student access and retention, with specific concern for students of color, low-income students, and traditionally underserved student populations; and (3) exploring the implementation of dual enrollment policies and its impact within the community college sector.

He has more than 11 years of higher education leadership and administrative experience, most of which was spent within the community college sector.

Education

• Ph.D., Ohio University (Higher Education Administration)
• M.S.Ed., University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education)
• B.A., Wittenberg University (Philosophy)
• A.A., Clark State Community College (Liberal Arts – General Transfer)

Select Referred Publications

Ison, M.P. (In press). Data and research as evidence in tuition-free community college legislation. New Directions for Community Colleges. Manuscript Accepted for Publication.

Ison, M.P. (2022). Dual enrollment, performance-based funding, and the completion agenda: An analysis of post-secondary credential outcomes of dual enrollment students by credential type. Community College Review, 50(1). 51-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521211047673

Ison, M.P. (2022). The viability of tuition-free community college. Educational Policy, 36(5), 1054-1077. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904820951119

Ison, M.P., Cicchetti, E., Tolle, M., & Hernandez, T. (2022). One college program, seventy different campuses: Dual enrollment, community colleges, and the unique challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 46(1-2), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2021.1974604

Ison, M.P. (2021). Unpaid tuition balances at community colleges: An exploratory analysis of delinquent tuition debt on graduation. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251211038733

Ison, M. P., & Nguyen, D. J. (2021). The opportunities and challenges for community college faculty teaching dual enrollment programs. New Directions for Community Colleges, 195, 119-128. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20471

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