As a Research Fellow, Dr. Elvira Abrica will work alongside members of the ODI leadership team to research, assess and develop data collection approaches and frameworks that strengthen assessment of diversity-related metrics at UNL. Abrica hopes to help connect, integrate, and strengthen critical data practices to support student equity goals at UNL.
Abrica is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Ph.D. Program Coordinator in the Department of Educational Administration (EDAD) in the College of Education and Human Sciences. Abrica conducts research focused on increasing access to higher education for historically underrepresented groups across post-secondary institutional contexts.
Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary lenses and critical theories, her work focuses on contexts of 1) two-year community colleges, 2) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and 3) institutional research and assessment. Her work is funded by the CENTER for the Study of Community College, National Science Foundation, and the University of Nebraska Research Council. It appears in Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, The Review of Higher Education, Association of Mexican American Educators (AMAE) Journal, and The Urban Review.
Abrica has worked professionally in institutional research and assessment at both two-year community colleges and four-year universities. Abrica received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).