Cathryn Bennett

My work prioritizes expanding educational equity, access, and community-university advocacy through educational research in localized (international/comparative) higher education.

I pursue these equity commitments in higher education with first generation to college, refugee, newcomer, and historically minoritized college students’ strengths, assets, and knowledge amid interlocking systems of oppression (Patricia Hill Collins). I aim to cultivate anti-oppression and anti-racism to mitigate the structurally harmful effects of exclusion.

Experiencing disparate social and educational cultures in 34 countries and 5 continents over the last decade required savvy intercultural communication skills and flexibility in difficult situations. These skills remain advantageous in my approaches to research, evaluation, assessment, and instruction across contexts of two- and four-year colleges and universities where I work.