About
Biography
Devon Graves is an Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Dr. Graves serves in the Department of Educational, Leadership, Policy, & Human Development where he teaches in the community college leadership doctoral programs. Additionally, he serves as a Faculty Scholar at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. Prior to joining NC State, Dr. Graves served as an Assistant Professor at California State University, Stanislaus. His research focuses on community colleges, financial aid, and race and racism.
In addition to his research, Dr. Graves has served on two of California’s higher education governing boards. From 2013-17 he served as a gubernatorial appointee on the California Student Aid Commission, the state agency that administers $2 billion in state financial aid programs. In this role Dr. Graves chaired the commissions’ Student Impact committee, which had direct oversight of the Cal Grant, Dream Act, and Middle Class Scholarship programs. In 2017, he was appointed the 44th Student Regent on the University of California Board of Regents. As a regent, Dr. Graves served as chair of the Regents’ Special committee on Basic Needs and vice chair of the Regents’ Public Engagement and Development committee.
Dr. Graves is a proud product of California’s public higher education system. He received his B.A. from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and M.A. and Ph.D. from UCLA.
Curriculum Vitae
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership & Faculty Scholar
North Carolina State University
Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research
August 2023 - present
Assistant Professor
California State University, Stanislaus
Aug 2020 - May 2023
Faculty Scholar
Community Equity Research Center, CSU Stanislaus
2021 - 2023
Research Fellow
Success Center, Foundation for California Community Colleges
2019-2020
Research Analyst
UCLA Higher Education Research Institute
2016-2019
Education
Ph.D. & M.A. Education
University of California, Los Angeles
B.A. Political Science
Cal Poly Pomona
Educational Leadership
Regent
University of California
2017-2019
Commissioner
CA Student Aid Commission
2014-2017
Research Agenda
Community Colleges
Community colleges are arguably the most important segment of higher education, providing open access to higher education for underserved student populations. My interest in these colleges lies in understanding how students navigate the community college sector and how race and racism influence their pathways.
Financial Aid
My interest in financial aid stems from my own experience as a first-generation college student navigating the complex and bureaucratic financial aid process. My service on the California Student Aid Commission further deepened my understanding of the politics and policy of managing the country’s largest financial aid programs. As higher education becomes increasingly less affordable, my scholarship seeks to eliminate the barriers students encounter on their educational journeys.
Race & Racism in Higher Education
I am committed to uncovering how systemic racism permeates higher education institutions, policies, and practices. Employing critical race theory, I contextualize financial aid policies and practices to expose the embedded racism within contemporary aid processes.
Scholarships & Funding
Selected Publications
Graves, D. L. (2024). Financial Aid as Whiteness as Property: Implications for Research and Practice. The Journal of Higher Education, 1-23.
Graves, D. (2024). Students Experiencing Barriers in the Financial Aid Process in an Urban Community College Setting: A Critical Race Policy Analysis. In E.A. Smith and M.T. Miller (eds.), Understanding the Complexities and Roles of Urban Community Colleges, New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 204 (pp 67-81). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20602
Graves, D. L. (2023). Latinx community college students experiencing financial aid income verification: A critical race analysis. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Cesar-Davis, N., Huerta, A., Graves, D., Rios-Aguilar, C., & Deil-Amen, R. (2023). The Procedural Traps and Barriers to Receiving Aid: A Case Study of the Financial Aid Ecosystem in a Hispanic Serving Community College Students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 1-5.
Rios-Aguilar, C., Martinez, P., Lyke, A., Graves, D., Lopez, D., & Deil-Amen, R. (2018). The promise of strategic nudging to increase student awareness and access to financial aid. Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research, Research Brief, 3(4), 8.
Funded Research
Co-PI
National Science Foundation
Upward Transfer Pathways to Graduate Programs in Computer Science: Removing Structural Barriers to Graduate Study (2024-2029).
Teaching
NC State University
EAC 787 Organizational Theory in Higher Education
CSU Stanislaus
EDEL 9071 Leadership, Policy, & Organizational Governance in the Community Colleges
EDEL - 9072 Institutional Planning, Assessment, & Accountability in the Community Colleges
EDEL - 9002 Quantitative Research for Educational Practitioners
EDEL - 9005 Policy Creation, Implementation and Evaluation for Equitable Outcomes
UCLA
EDUC - 263 Sociology of Community Colleges (Teaching Assistant) Graduate Program Fall, 2018
EDUC 122 - Perspectives on the American College: Student Activism, Diversity, and the Struggle for a Just Society (Teaching Assistant) Undergraduate Minor Fall 2016 & 2017
Contact
Contact Dr. Graves for invitations to guest lecture or key note at an event. Fill out the provided form or send an email to dlgrave2@ncsu.edu.