Meredith S. Billings 116 Meigs Hall Athens, GA 30602 meredith.billings@uga.edu EDUCATION University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - Ph.D., Higher Education 2018 Concentration: Research, Evaluation, & Assessment University of Maryland, College Park - M.A., Higher Education 2008 The College of William and Mary - B.S. Neuroscience, Cum Laude 2004 DISSERTATION Free college for all: The impact of promise programs on college access and success Committee: Susan Dynarski (chair), Stephen DesJardins, Brian McCall, Awilda Rodriguez Paper 1: Policy diffusion and reinvention of promise programs Paper 2: Cultivating a college-going culture: Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise Paper 3: The echo of a promise: The impact of state-designated Michigan promise zones AWARDS & HONORS University of Michigan, School of Education Summer Research Grant 2016 University of Michigan, CEW Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar 2014-2015 University of Michigan, Rackham Regents Fellowship 2011-2012 North East Association for Institutional Research, Best Paper [co-authored] 2010 North East Association for Institutional Research, Best First Paper 2009 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE University of Georgia, Institute of Higher Education 2017 - present Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Associate Act as a liaison between IHE and the University System of Georgia (USG) Office of Research and Policy Analysis and conduct research utilizing the USG data, build capacity for externally funded research projects, and teach courses in the higher education program Tufts University, Office of Institutional Research & Evaluation 2008-2011 Senior Research Analyst (2010-2011) Research Analyst (2008-2010) Developed and analyzed 5-10 survey research projects per semester for internal campus units, wrote institutional reports for university decision makers, and provided guidance and training on statistics, data analysis, and research methodology to IR staff and university administrators. University of Maryland, Office of Undergraduate Admissions 2006-2008 Graduate Assistant Reviewed internal and external transfer students for admission to the nine limited enrollment programs (majors) and presented 16 business school admission workshops per semester. University of Maryland, Undergraduate Psychology Office Summer 2007 Academic Advisor (Intern) Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 1
Advised undergraduate students on course selection, major requirements, and research/internship opportunities and coordinated the marketing and planning for the new Neuroscience minor. Middlebury College, Alliance for Civic Engagement 2005-2006 AmeriCorps *VISTA Coordinated the biannual volunteer fair and strengthened campus-community partnerships addressing poverty issues through co-leading an anti-poverty task force and planning poverty awareness events. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE University of Michigan Research Assistant for Susan Dynarski and Brian Jacob 2014-2017 Education Policy Initiative Ford School of Public Policy Projects: IES-funded random control trial of 103 Tennessee high schools to evaluate the effect of offering a dual-credit mathematics course on high school and college outcomes and IES-funded evaluation of the Michigan Promise Scholarship (broad-based merit aid program) on college outcomes using a regression discontinuity design Research Assistant for Stephen DesJardins and Brian McCall 2012-2014 Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education School of Education Projects: Examined how changes in family wealth affect college enrollment decisions and the evaluation of the Science Learning Center at the University of Michigan Tufts University Co-Principal Investigator 2009-2016 Tisch College Outcomes Evaluation PIs: Dawn Terkla and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg Project: Twelve year time-series study on the development of civic engagement activities and attitudes of college students during college and as alumni American Council on Education Research Fellow Summer 2012 Center for Policy Analysis Projects: Analyzed key trends of chief academic officers from a national survey and documented the presidential roundtable about management and leadership during campus crises TEACHING EXPERIENCE University of Georgia, Instructor EDHI 8910 & 8910L: Quantitative Methodology in Higher Education I with Lab Fall 2017 Graduate-level course of 12 students Teaching and designing curriculum for a three credit course and one credit lab using Stata on quantitative methodology in higher education. Covers descriptive statistics and inferential statistics through ANOVAs. Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 2
University of Michigan, Instructor Assistant Fall 2015 EDUC 768: Economics of Education Faculty: Brian McCall Graduate-level course of 11 students Met with students during weekly office hours and graded and provided written feedback on biweekly essays and individual classroom presentations. University of Michigan, Grader and Tutor Winter 2014 EDUC 794/PUBPOL 639: Quantitative Methods of Program Evaluation Faculty: Susan Dynarski Graduate-level course of 65 students Graded and provided written feedback on biweekly problem sets and the final exam. Tutored 3 students on the course material. University of Maryland, Facilitator Fall 2006 & EDHI 338: Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue Spring 2007 Men/Women (Fall 2006), LGBT/Heterosexual (Spring 2007) Undergraduate-level course of 12-15 students Co-taught and designed curriculum for a 1 credit, 8 week dialogue course that explored complex, controversial topics between social groups with historic tension. Assigned readings and graded students on journal reflections, participation, and final project. Middlebury College, Instructor January 2006 SimVillage 2006: What if Vermont Were a Village of 100 People Undergraduate-level course of 15 students Taught and designed curriculum for a non-credit, 4 week service learning course that explored poverty in Vermont and partnered with four local non-profit organizations to complete projects that addressed poverty issues. PUBLICATIONS Billings, M. S. (accepted). The echo of a promise: The impact of state-designated Michigan promise zones. In L. Perna and E. Smith (Eds.), Improving Research-Based Knowledge of Promise Programs. American Education Research Association. Cook, B.J., Nellum, C.J., & Billings, M.S. (2015). New realities and lingering stereotypes: Key trends from the National CAO Census. In Martin, J. and Samels, J. E. (Eds.), The Provost s Handbook: The Role of the Chief Academic Officer (pp. 10-20). Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2014). The impact of the campus culture on students civic activities, values, and beliefs. In D.G. Terkla and L. Schuler (Eds.), New Directions in Institutional Research, no. 162 (pp. 43-53). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Billings, M.S. (2013). Every dollar matters: Examining young alumni giving behavior. In N. Drezner (Ed.), Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education: Engaging Non-Traditional Donors (pp. 102-119). New York: Rutledge. Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 3
Bataille, G.M., Billings, M.S., & Nellum, C. J. (2012). Leadership in times of crisis: Cool head, warm heart. Washington, DC: American Council on Education. Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2011). Using a structural equation model to describe the infusion of civic engagement in the campus culture. Journal of General Education, 60(2), 84-100. WORKS IN PROGRESS Billings, M. (in preparation). Cultivating a college-going culture: Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise (to be submitted to Research in Higher Education). Billings, M. (in preparation). Policy diffusion and reinvention of promise programs (to be submitted to Review of Educational Research). PEER REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Billings, M.S. (2018, March). Echo of a promise: The impact of state-designated Michigan promise zones. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Portland, OR. Billings, M.S. (2017, October). Echo of a promise: The impact of state-designated Michigan promise zones. Paper presented at the Improving Research-based Knowledge of College Promise Programs conference, Philadelphia, PA. Billings, M.S. (2017, March). Cultivating a college-going culture: Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Washington, D.C. Billings, M.S. (2016, November). Cultivating a college-going culture: Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Columbus, OH. Billings, M.S. (2015, November). The adoption of innovative tuition pricing policies across states: A critical research synthesis. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Denver, CO. Billings, M.S. & Gross, J. (2014, April). The adoption and the spread of the community college baccalaureate. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, Washington, DC. Billings, M.S. (2013, April). Every dollar matters: Examining young alumni giving behavior. Roundtable discussion at the annual conference for the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. Billings, M.S. & Conoscenti, L. (2012, June). Will they come? Examining quantitative and qualitative approaches to predicting yield in undergraduate admissions. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Institutional Research, New Orleans, LA. Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 4
Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2011, May). Cultivating active citizens: An evaluation of the citizenship and public scholars program. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Institutional Research, Toronto, Canada. Billings, M.S. (2010, November). Development of social activism during college. Paper presented at the annual conference for the North East Association for Institutional Research, Saratoga Springs, NY. Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2010, November). Using SEM to describe the infusion of civic engagement in the campus culture. Paper presented at the annual conference for the North East Association for Institutional Research, Saratoga Springs, NY. Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2010, October). Civic engagement trends in undergraduates: The role of the institution in cultivating active citizens. Paper presented at the Assessment Institute, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis. Billings, M.S. & Terkla, D.G. (2010, June). Using SEM to describe the infusion of civic engagement in the campus culture. Paper presented at the annual forum for the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago, Illinois. Billings, M.S. (2009, November). Every dollar matters: Examining young alumni giving behavior. Paper presented at the annual conference for the North East Association for Institutional Research, Baltimore, Maryland. Terkla, D.G., Billings, M.S., & Reid, J.H. (2009, October). A comprehensive approach to measure civic engagement at a national research university. Paper presented at the Assessment Institute, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis. INVITED TALKS AND WORKSHOPS Billings, M.S. (2018, February). Stata intermediate programming. Workshop given for the Research Roundtable seminar series, Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Billings, M.S. (2017, February). The echo of a promise: The impact of state-designated Michigan promise zones. Talk given at the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, M.S. (2017, February). Completing the dissertation: A CCIRF research workshop on lessons learned. Panelist for a workshop sponsored by the Community College Interdisciplinary Research Forum, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, M. S. (2016, August). Cultivating a college-going culture: Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise. Talk given at the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 5
Billings, M.S. (2015, November). Commitment from the community: Michigan promise zones and educational outcomes. Talk given at the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, M.S. (2015, June). Choosing methods & launching your dissertation. Panelist for a workshop sponsored by the Community College Interdisciplinary Research Forum, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, M.S. (2014, January). The impact of an early academic warning policy on community college students. Talk given at the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Billings, M.S. (2011, April). Staying connected: Institutional challenges in tracking graduate students after completion. Talk given at a panel discussion for the annual meeting of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools, Boston, MA. SERVICE University of Michigan Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar Co-Coordinator 2015-2017 School of Education Diversity Advisory Committee Member 2015-2017 School of Education Student Advisory Board Member 2014-2016 CSHPE Doctoral Admission Committee Member 2015 University of Maryland Higher Education Preview Program Employer Relations Co-Chair 2008 Higher Education Master and Doctoral Admission Committee Member 2008 Higher Education Master s Representative to Faculty 2007-2008 Higher Education Preview Program Student Relations Chair 2007 Tufts University Arts & Sciences Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee 2009-2010 External Education Organizations Action Center for Educational Services and Scholarships (ACCESS) Mentor 2009-2011 Let s Get Ready!, SAT Coach Summer 2004 Journal Referee Review of Educational Research, AERA Open PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS Association for the Study of Higher Education 2009 - present Association for Education Finance and Policy 2017 - present Association for Institutional Research 2008-2015 Council for the Study of Community Colleges 2014-2015 American Educational Research Association 2013-2014 Billings, Meredith C.V., last updated 3/29/2018 6