Erich N. Pitcher
Oregon State University, Diversity & Cultural Engagement, Associate Director for Research and Communication
I use organizational perspectives in the study of diversity related topics. My research focuses on the lived experiences of minoritized individuals within higher education, with particular attention to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and transgender academics.
In my role as a Graduate Assistant for Research and Assessment with the Neighborhoods Student Success Collaborative, I engage in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods explorations of student success, especially for students in developmental math and writing courses, students who are Pell-eligible, and first generation college student.
As a PhD candidate, I am completing a national, qualitative interview study that uses a transformative research paradigm to understand the ways that organizations shape the experiences of transgender academics from varied institutional, disciplinary, and personal histories. Through this study, I seek to advance knowledge about this highly underrepresented population for which there is a dearth of research. This rich data set including two interviews and a narrative response from each of the 39 participants allowed me to develop a three findings chapters with plans to develop a book and produce several articles within the next two years.
The primary motivation within my research is to advance critical social justice within higher education. Given the changing higher education environments–reductions in state support and inequitable college access being two notable trends–I am particularly interested in understanding how individuals with minoritized gender identities and sexual orientations experience, disrupt, and reshape the academy.
I use organizational perspectives–including feminist, institutional logics, and critical trans politics–to study issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. More specifically, I study the ways that organizational norms, practices, and policies influence the experiences of LGBTQ individuals within higher education. The goal of my research is to improve the experiences of queer and trans faculty, staff, and students in higher education. I am primarily a qualitative researcher with the requisite skills to conduct mixed methods research. I use methods such as content analysis, interviewing, and focus groups. Additionally, I plan to develop mixed methods studies that align with my research agenda.
I have a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My BA in social sciences and gender and sexuality studies is from Antioch College.
I am interested in a career as a faculty member and researcher.
Supervisors: Kristen A. Renn, Elton Crim, Ann Austin, and Christine Smith
In my role as a Graduate Assistant for Research and Assessment with the Neighborhoods Student Success Collaborative, I engage in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods explorations of student success, especially for students in developmental math and writing courses, students who are Pell-eligible, and first generation college student.
As a PhD candidate, I am completing a national, qualitative interview study that uses a transformative research paradigm to understand the ways that organizations shape the experiences of transgender academics from varied institutional, disciplinary, and personal histories. Through this study, I seek to advance knowledge about this highly underrepresented population for which there is a dearth of research. This rich data set including two interviews and a narrative response from each of the 39 participants allowed me to develop a three findings chapters with plans to develop a book and produce several articles within the next two years.
The primary motivation within my research is to advance critical social justice within higher education. Given the changing higher education environments–reductions in state support and inequitable college access being two notable trends–I am particularly interested in understanding how individuals with minoritized gender identities and sexual orientations experience, disrupt, and reshape the academy.
I use organizational perspectives–including feminist, institutional logics, and critical trans politics–to study issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. More specifically, I study the ways that organizational norms, practices, and policies influence the experiences of LGBTQ individuals within higher education. The goal of my research is to improve the experiences of queer and trans faculty, staff, and students in higher education. I am primarily a qualitative researcher with the requisite skills to conduct mixed methods research. I use methods such as content analysis, interviewing, and focus groups. Additionally, I plan to develop mixed methods studies that align with my research agenda.
I have a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My BA in social sciences and gender and sexuality studies is from Antioch College.
I am interested in a career as a faculty member and researcher.
Supervisors: Kristen A. Renn, Elton Crim, Ann Austin, and Christine Smith
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stressors that trans* individuals face in academic workplaces. Using interview data from 10 trans* college and university faculty, I fill a noted gap in the literature
and examined the unique stressors that these faculty faced within the academy. In this study, microaggressions, a kind of minoritized stress, included: (mis)recognition, including misgendering and mispronouning, being an impossible
person, and tokenization. Additionally, trans* faculty reported strategies to resist these stressors. These findings suggest that trans* academics navigate hostile academic work environments and experience minoritized stress deriving from their minoritized gender identities. Implications for research indicate that addressing the personal and professional consequences of minoritized
stressors is an important step in understanding how microaggressions affect trans* academics. Implications for practice include the need for rethinking cisnormative assumptions within academe.