Courtney L. Luedke, Ph.D.

My research focuses on transforming Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students’ experiences within higher education. Within this broader context, my research agenda focuses on: (a) educational access for BIPOC students across the educational pipeline; (b) challenging racist institutional and organizational practices; and (c) re-imagining and generating validating and inclusive educational environments.

Ask critical questions.

My research is grounded in my own experiences. During my first year of college, I participated in a program that introduced me to undergraduate research. This program, quite literally, changed the path of my life.

Participating in undergraduate research provided me with a space where my constant questioning was accepted. It provided an avenue to interrogate the inequity I observed and experienced throughout education; this experience led me to engage deeply in undergraduate research and has propelled my work as a scholar.

I adopt critical approaches to examine inequitable educational experiences and to challenge normative power structures.

Dra. Luedke’s CV ->

My research is published in outlets such as Teachers College Record, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, American Educational Research Journal, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, and the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education (among others).

I hold a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BA in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

My dissertation, titled We lift as we climb centers the stories of twenty-eight (28) BIPOC students. The second study I conducted focused specifically on the undocu/DACAmented student population and related policies. I have also worked alongside my mentors, Drs. Rochelle Winkle-Wagner and Dorian L. McCoy, and colleagues, to examine student experiences within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Currently, I am a co-Principal Investigator (PI) on a National Science Foundation grant studying sociocultural and interpersonal dynamics within STEM research mentoring relationships. Additionally, I am the sole PI on a study exploring how Faculty of Color Collectives support one another within the academy and empower one another to engage in equity-driven institutional change. 

I am a proud mama scholar and co-founder of #ChingonaSisterScholar, a collective group of Latina faculty on the tenure track in education programs across the United States.