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David Pérez II

David Perez II headshot
Associate Professor
Phone: 315.443.8784
Address: 511 Huntington Hall
Academic Program Area Focus: Higher Education

Dr. David Pérez II is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the School of Education at Syracuse University.

Dr. Pérez’s research focuses on increasing student success in higher education.  In 2014, he launched The National Study on Latino Male Achievement to explore how undergraduates employ different forms of capital to thrive at twenty selective institutions.  This study was supported by grants from the NASPA Foundation, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and ACPA Foundation.  He is currently conducting a longitudinal study, The Pedagogy of Student Success Project, that explores how exposing graduate students to anti-deficit research informs their practice as aspiring scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in higher education.

The American College Personnel Association and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators recognized Dr. Pérez as an emerging scholar for his contributions to research.  His most recent publications are featured in the Journal of College Student Development, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, and a coedited book — Latinx/a/o in Higher Education: Exploring Identity, Pathways, and Success — which addresses the experiences of Latinx graduate students, faculty, and staff in student affairs and higher education.

Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Dr. Pérez served as a student affairs practitioner at Syracuse University and New York University.  During his tenure in the profession, he engaged undergraduate and graduate students in residential leadership, peer education, and social justice advocacy.  Dr. Pérez was a Posse Scholar and earned his B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Administration at Vanderbilt University.

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Education, August 2012
    Pennsylvania State University – University Park, PA
  • Master of Education, General Administrative Leadership, May 2001
    Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
  • Bachelor of Science, Human and Organizational Development, May 1997
    Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN

Honors

  • Diversity Scholar, National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, 2019 – Present
  • Outstanding Faculty Member, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Latino/a Knowledge Community, 2017
  • Faculty Fellow, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, 2016
  • Faculty Affiliate, Project M.A.L.E.S., The University of Texas at Austin, April 2015 – Present
  • Emerging Scholar, American College Personal Association, 2014
  • Emerging Scholar, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 2013
  • Alumni Association Dissertation Award, Pennsylvania State University, Spring 2012
  • David L. Clark Graduate Fellow, University Council for Educational Administration, April 2011
  • Graduate Fellow, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, 2008 – 2010

Courses Taught

  • HED 605: American Colleges and Universities
  • HED 616: Understanding Educational Research
  • HED 621: Principles and Practices of Student Affairs Administration
  • HED 725: Gender and Race in Higher Education