College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Gresham Donald Collom

  • Pronouns: he/him

  • Assistant Professor

Areas of interest

  • Tribal/Indigenous Nation education policy
  • Higher education finance, economics, and governance
  • Critical approaches to education policy analysis
Degrees
  • Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (Certificate in
    Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement)
  • M.S. in Education, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Higher Education Leadership
  • B.A., University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Criminal Justice
Biography

My experiences as a first-descendent of Wisconsin’s Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Tribe and a first-generation student directly inform how I approach my role as an educator and scholar. I strive to uplift communities historically underrepresented in education by disrupting the systematic perpetuation of inequality in our educational systems. I prioritize conducting research which directly supports students, communities, and other stakeholders through practical applications and improves educational policy and theory through rigorous, critical analysis.

Publications

Collom, G. D., Cooper, A. R., Biddix, J. P, & Hartley, L. (forthcoming). “If I go, I'll probably end up dropping out too”: College enrollment choices in a free-college context. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. Pre-print link. 

Hyder, Z. J., Collom, G. D., & Biddix, J. P. (2024). A quasi-experimental analysis of Tennessee Promise’s effect on college enrollment by family income. Texas Education Review, 12(2), 148-166. https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/51989

Collom, G.D. (2023, June). Indigenous American scholarships may fall short. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/06/09/indigenous-american-scholarships-may-fall-short-opinion

Collom, G. D. (2023). A quasi-experimental investigation of adult learner enrollment responses following the implementation of Tennessee Reconnect. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 47(7), 478-493. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2022.2050838 

Luedke, C. L., Collom, G. D., & Henderson, T. N. (2023). Developing a collective community consciousness through mentoring in a transitional undergraduate research program. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. Online version. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2023.2164991 

Hyder, Z. J., Collom, G. D., & Yan, J. (2023). A policy inventory and analysis of career and technical education (CTE) promise programs. In D. A. Smith, C. M. Cain, & J. M. Friedel (Eds.), Free college: Budgets, mission, & the future. New Directions for Community Colleges, 203, 99–109. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20590

Biddix, J. P., & Collom, G. D. (2023). Development and validation of a survey to identify predictors of college choice and early departure among Promise grant recipients. Journal of College Student Development, 64(3), 364 - 369. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/901174

Collom, G.D. & Cooper, A. R. (2022). Tuition-free college in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative analysis. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 51(1), article 2. https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1781 

Collom, G. D., Biddix, J. P., & Svoboda, B. L. (2021). “I’m not letting nothing stop me this time”: Transitions among adult students using the Tennessee Reconnect grant. Community College Review, 49(4), 413-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521211026679