The planning team for the trip were Clinical Professor Betty Overton and Assistant Director Melinda Richardson. The support of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, the School of Education, and the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good have made this opportunity possible.
Please see below for brief biographies of the planning team members:
Betty Overton-Adkins is a Professor of Clinical Practice in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) and the Director of the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. Betty’s interests include the development of a body of research specifically around student success and institutional effectiveness within US minority-serving institutions. Betty served as Provost at Spring Arbor University for a decade, where she was responsible for all aspects of the academic program. She received her Ph.D. in educational leadership from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Her undergraduate and master’s degrees in English are from Tennessee State University and she has done further study at Harvard University. In CSHPE, Betty teaches courses in the history of higher education, race and ethnicity, access and equity, philanthropy and development, and, most recently a course focused on minority serving institutions.
Melinda Richardson is Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) at the University of Michigan. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Center, and supports the planning and implementation of program initiatives. Her past experiences include positions within central administration at U-M and at Stanford University, as well as K-12 classroom instruction and group travel coordination. Melinda holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Michigan.