Higher Education Doctoral Program Produces Faculty, Staff

Members of the Higher Education doctoral program will begin faculty and staff positions this fall. Recent graduates Dr. Lisa Rubin and Dr. Joe Ervin will assume assistant professor and visiting assistant professor positions, respectively. Doctoral candidate Nathan Slife will begin his duties as the Coordinator of the College of Education’s First and Second Year Seminars.

Dr. Lisa Rubin

Dr. Rubin is headed to Kansas State University this fall as an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs. In this role, she will facilitate the department’s efforts in the Student Affairs in Higher Education and College Student Development program. Dr. Rubin graduated from the Higher Education program in 2012 after successfully defending her dissertation, Comparing Division 1A Scholarship andNon-Scholarship Student-Athletes: A Discriminant Analysis of AcademicPerformance. Since graduating, she has maintained an active teaching load at Nevada State College, while assisting with Career Services within UNLV’s Hotel College.

Dr. Joe Ervin

Dr. Ervin will serve as a visiting assistant professor for UNLV’s Academic Success Center (ASC). In this role he will teach the ASC’s First Year Seminar and contribute to the development of the undergraduate experience at UNLV. Dr. Ervin graduated this past May. His dissertation, Runnin’ with the Rebels: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Highly Identified College Student Sports Fans, examined sports fandom at UNLV. 

Nathan Slife

Nathan Slife has created and taught both First Year Seminar (FYS) and Second Year Seminar (SYS) courses with the College of Education. In this position, Nathan will be responsible for scheduling and teaching courses, hiring instructors, and generating information and data about the FYS and SYS. Nathan successfully presented his dissertation proposal and is currently in the data collection phase.

The FYS is a 2-3 credit general education course requirement that introduces undergraduate students to five specific learning outcomes outlined by the university. The SYS is a 3-credit course that is also a general education requirement. It explores contemporary global society issues presented through relevant and historical literature.