Amy Hawley Alvarez
For nearly 30 years, I have dedicated my career to education. From being an ESL teacher to an editor for English language teaching materials at two major publishers to leading the programming for a university-assisted community school (Teachers College Community School)—I have devoted my expertise to working collaboratively on teams focused on improving education. I have BAs in music and French, and an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Northern Iowa. I also have an MA and an EdM in Higher & Postsecondary Education from Teachers College (TC), and in Fall 2023, I began my PhD studies in the same program.
I am currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships, Office of the President at TC. In this role, I work closely with the President’s Office team on the execution of special projects, including the Medal for Distinguished Service, Columbia Community Service, and Teachers College Community School. In addition, I am also the program lead for the Zankel and Milman Fellowships.
I have also been an editor for over 25 years, specializing in educational publishing and the Americanization of British textbooks and trade publications. For more information on my editorial work, please check out my experience in my resume or on LinkedIn.
PhD Dissertation Proposed Research Question
What factors help or hinder academic persistence for housing-insecure/homeless [COLLEGE NAME TBD] students?
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Housing insecurity among college students and how institutional supports encourage students to remain in college is one I undertake because I believe institutions are often focused on the cost of tuition, but not the complete cost of attendance, housing being one of the most significant costs.
Pinpointing the exact number of homeless college students is challenging, and so is providing support services. In a large metropolitan area such as NYC where there are numerous higher education institutions, there are immense possibilities for homeless services—it is just a matter of connecting the right resources (Paden, 2012).
Amy Hawley Alvarez