Cecilia Marie Orphan

Associate professor of Higher Education, University of Denver

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About Cecilia

Orphan's research focuses on Regional Public Universities; Rural-Serving Postsecondary Institutions; higher education organization administration; and public policy. Prior to her doctoral program; she directed the American Democracy Project (ADP); a national initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The 240 Regional Public Universities involved in ADP focus on higher education's role in educating informed; engaged participants for U.S. democracy. Orphan's research agenda is informed by her experiences as a working class; first-generation college student who received maximum Pell grants to attend college.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Why Regional Comprehensive Universities are Vital Parts of U.S. Higher Education

Key Findings Brief, July 2018

How to Advocate for Regional Comprehensive Universities

Key Findings Brief, July 2018

In the News

Quoted by Kimmy Yam in "Why Colleges Like Harvard Can’t Easily Use Endowments to Replace Federal Funding," NBC News, April 15, 2025.

Quoted by Jason Gonzales in "Colorado Hopes a New Higher Education Funding Formula Will Make a Difference for Students. It May Not Be Easy.," The Colorado Sun, August 12, 2020.

Quoted by Jaime Adame in "Board approves Drale to serve two-year term as UALR chancellor," Arkansas Democrat Gazette, September 13, 2019.

Quoted by Madeline St. Amour in "Some faculty worry president’s new positions make CU system admin-heavy," Daily Camera, July 20, 2019.

Quoted by Rick Seltzer in "Squeezed From All Sides: Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Public Universities," Inside Higher Ed, July 8, 2019.

Publications

"The Company Regional Comprehensive Universities Desire to Keep: Choosing Institutional Membership Associations" (with Graham N. S. Miller). The Journal of Higher Education (2019).

"Fostering Collective Impact: Measuring and Advancing Higher Education’s Contributions to Civic Health and Equity in Colorado" (with Deborah Romero and Liliana Diaz-Solodukhin). International Journal of Research on Service-Learning & Community Engagement 6, no. 1 (2019): Article 5.

"State of rhetoric: neoliberal discourses for education in state of the state addresses and gubernatorial press releases" Journal of Education Policy (2018).

"Student Political Engagement in the Co-Curriculum: Understanding the Role of Senior Student Affairs Officers" (with Demetri L. Morgan). eJournal of Public Affairs 5, no. 2 (2016): 10-39.

Uncovers how the socialization of senior student affairs officers influences approaches to student civic/political development.

"Public Purpose under Pressure: Examining the Effects of Neoliberal Public Policy on the Missions of Regional Comprehensive Universities" Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 22, no. 2 (2018).

Presents a qualitative case study of four regional comprehensive universities grappling with their public purposes within a state policy and funding context shaped by neoliberal ideology. Carries long-term implications for the future of community-engaged research, the civic education of students, and the public purposes of higher education.

"'Building Bridges, Not Fences': A History of Civic Engagement at Private Black Colleges and Universities, 1944-1965" (with Marybeth Gasman and Dorsey Spencer). History of Education Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2015): 346-379.

Draws on how the unique histories of these various sectors of higher education position them for civic engagement work as well as the institutional efforts to engage local communities.