Careers in the Classroom—Findings from the Survey of U.S. Faculty

Nicola Blake, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College

Nicola Blake, Ph.D., a seasoned leader with 23 years of experience in academia, has significantly impacted higher education. Instrumental in launching Guttman, New York's first new community college in over four decades, Dr. Blake led collaborative efforts to create a student-centered, equity-driven environment. Her groundbreaking work notably improved retention and graduation rates by removing completion barriers. Currently, Dr. Blake spearheads Guttman's academic transformation, aligning it with the City University of New York's overarching mission. She focuses on fostering innovative thinking, cross-divisional collaboration, and fundraising for new academic programs. She oversees diverse areas, including academic departments, the Career Innovation Hub, faculty development, and external partnerships. Simultaneously a full-time faculty member in Guttman's English department, Dr. Blake maintains a crucial connection to the classroom. Internationally recognized for curriculum development, she participated in the US Fulbright Specialist Program and serves as an accreditor for education departments. Her accolades include the ACE Fellowship, HERS alumna, Harvard Institute for Higher Education, and AACC Future Presidents Institute. In 2023, she joined the prestigious Complete College America Fellowship Program. With a B.A. from the City College of New York and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, Dr. Blake is an accomplished author, contributing to her field and children's literature. Her dynamic leadership, commitment to equity, and academic expertise mark her as a transformative force in higher education.

Ashley Finley, VP for Research, American Association of Colleges and Universities

Ashley Finley is the vice president for research and senior advisor to the president at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She was previously associate vice president for academic affairs and founding dean of the Dominican Experience at Dominican University of California and national evaluator for Bringing Theory to Practice. Currently, Dr. Finley oversees AAC&U’s research agenda through the coordination of projects and reports on pressing issues in higher education. She also advises on strategic initiatives to support member campuses. Dr. Finley’s campus engagements focus on aligning learning outcomes, vocational exploration, and assessment with students’ holistic development and equity goals. Her publications include The Career-Ready Graduate: What Employers Say About the Difference College Makes; A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment of High-Impact Practices; and The Effects of Community-Based and Civic Engagement in Higher Education: What We Know and the Questions that Remain. Dr. Finley received a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MA and Ph.D., both in sociology, from the University of Iowa.

Mary Gatta, Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE

Mary Gatta, Ph.D., is the director of research and policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), where she leads research on the employment of the college educated, and forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks starting salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks. She has more than 20 years of teaching, research, and advocacy experience working on issues of career education and workforce development in colleges and nonprofit associations. Prior to joining NACE, Dr. Gatta served as an associate professor of sociology at City University of New York-Guttman and faculty director of the Ethnographies of Work program. In addition, she was the research director at the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work and a senior scholar at Wider Opportunities for Women in Washington D.C. She has written numerous books, articles, and policy papers on education and work. Dr. Gatta also served on NJ Governor Phil Murphy's Labor and Workforce Development Transition Team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Providence College and a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from Rutgers University.

Patrick Green, Executive Director, Loyola University Chicago - CELTS

Patrick M. Green, Ed.D., is an expert in experiential learning and high-impact practices, currently serving as the executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS) and a clinical assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago's School of Education. He teaches courses in experiential learning, including community-based learning, academic internships, global service-learning, and undergraduate research, along with graduate courses in the higher education program. Dr. Green is the editor of the Metropolitan Universities Journal for the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) and has contributed to various publications, including co-editing books such as "Re-conceptualizing Faculty Development in Service-Learning/Community Engagement" and "Crossing Boundaries: Tension and Transformation in International Service-Learning." He has also served as guest editor for several journals, including the Metropolitan Universities Journal, Jesuit Higher Education Journal, and the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Dr. Green holds prestigious roles as a scholar-in-residence with the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSCLE), an engaged scholar with the Society of Experiential Education (SEE), and an engaged scholar with National Campus Compact. In 2022, he received the Barbara A. Holland Scholar-Administrator Award from CUMU in recognition of his outstanding contributions to administrative leadership and impactful scholarship.