Devon L. Graves, Ph.D.

Educational Scholar & Leader

 
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 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

 
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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.

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