Ty's Research

Overall, my research agenda examines the interactions amongst rurality, social class, queerness, and higher education. Growing up as a rural, poor and working-class, gay student on a farm and ranch in Wyoming greatly influenced these scholarly interests. Despite obstacles in understanding higher education norms and processes, such as financial aid and application procedures (Ardoin, 2018), I was fortunate to enroll at the University of Wyoming. However, I felt overwhelmed by a different environment than what I was used to in my rural, poor and working-class hometown. Campus felt larger and less supportive and socially-connected. I was reprimanded for actions like not attending professor’s office hours, not understanding financial aid polices, even dressing unprofessionally. Consequently, I nearly failed out and was forced to learn these, and more, norms to eventually navigate college.

Inspired by such events, I chose to pursue a career supporting postsecondary students. Through the Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s program at the University of Connecticut, I gained expertise in working with and empowering college students. It was during this degree that a professor asked me, “Why aren’t you considering a doctorate?” Like my fellow rural, poor and working-class populations, who often consider work over education (Tieken, 2016), I was not sure if a doctoral degree was in my near future. I was also stumped by her subsequent question, “What are your research interests?” I responded to the professor, “It seems no one is talking about rural, poor students like me in higher education.” Months later, I applied to and enrolled in Teachers College, Columbia University’s Higher and Postsecondary Education doctoral program. As I pursued my doctoral classes and publishing, it turns out my thoughts regarding rurality and social class being oftentimes disregarded in education academic, policy, and practice conversations were accurate (Koricich et al., 2018; Lavalley, 2018; Rubin et al., 2014; Schafft & Biddle, 2014; Thier et al., 2021). Such marginalization is particularly unfortunate, as rural, poor and working-class populations face some of the lowest college enrollment and attainment rates in the country (National Student Clearinghouse, 2022; Wells et al., 2019).

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In recent years, I have come to recognize and understand more fully how my rurality and queerness interact. While queer people make their lives in rural communities around the U.S. (Ajilore & Willingham, 2019), being queer in oft-conservative rural America comes with fear, self-hatred, discrimination, and a lack of support for many within the queer community (Annes & Redlin, 2012; Gorski et al., 2013; Lee & Quam, 2013). For many queer people who live in rural locations, the pursuit of higher education is seen as a chance at freedom from the confines of hiding identities within less supportive environments (Annes & Redlin, 2012; Rhoads, 1994). Yet some higher education institutions may not feel like the welcoming environments rural, queer-identified students want them to be, since rural students face many postsecondary access and attainment barriers. Limited scholarship centers these topics. This is why I focus on discussing the particular journeys to and through higher education for rural, queer students. 

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I seek to fill such gaps in the literature about rural populations. In particular, my research agenda examines: 1) college access and equity for rural students, especially those who come from poor and working-class backgrounds and those who are queer; 2) teaching and learning at rural postsecondary education institutions; and 3) faculty affairs and development at rural postsecondary institutions. Through this agenda, I illuminate the experiences, strengths, and institutionalized challenges of rural students and faculty, especially those who also identify as poor and working-class and/or as queer. Doing so enables me to inform practice and policy aimed at enhancing access, equity, and positive postsecondary experiences for such people from and within rural spaces.