Consultant in International Higher Education
Instructor , Higher Education Administration and Policy
joan.gillespie@northwestern.eduBiography
Joan Gillespie has worked in international higher education and study abroad for many years. Joan began working at International Education of Students (IES) starting in 1996 and most recently serving as associate vice president for academic affairs and assessment. She recently left IES to accept a position as the vice president and director of off-campus study programs with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM).Joan earned her PhD in English literature from Northwestern after attending Vassar College for her undergraduate coursework. Her foundation in the liberal arts informs her current roles, which enable her to work with multiple campus partners within the ACM consortium.
Joan teaches a course on comparative higher education that considers colleges and universities and the global context. This course introduces students to the higher education systems of other countries and how each system is confronting the rapid changes explicit in the politics and economics of globalization. Specific issues of internationalization, the demand for greater access, accountability and quality control, the worldwide knowledge network and research ethics, reform movements and management challenges are examined. Joan is also interested in the influence of historical and cultural contexts as universities address these multiple challenges.
Research/Scholarship
Education
| Year | Degree | Institution |
| BA | Vassar College | |
| PhD, English | Northwestern University |