Dr. Laura I. Rendón University of Texas-San Antonio

Laura I. Rendón is a Professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Her current research focuses on access, retention and graduation of low-income, first-generation college students and the transformation of teaching and learning to emphasize wholeness and social justice.

Rendón earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She holds a M.A. in counseling and guidance and psychology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (1975). She earned a B.A. in English and journalism from the University of Houston (1970), and holds an associate of arts degree from San Antonio College. Rendón also attended Laredo Community College.

Rendón is the author of Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation. She is also is co-editor of Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color, Educating a New Majority, and Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education ASHE Reader. Moreover, Rendón is co-editor of the ASHE/Lumina Policy Briefs and Critical Essays Series, and serves as faculty co-editor of Educational Policy and Practice Perspectives. Her scholarly work on access and achievement has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and the PBS documentary, The College Track. She has received numerous awards including the ASHE Distinguished Service Award, and the NASPA Latino Knowledge Community Outstanding Faculty Award. Rendón has also been inducted into the Iowa Academy of Education.

Rendón is Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Naropa University, and is past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the nation’s premier scholarly organization focusing on higher education research. Rendón has also been a fellow of the Fetzer Institute.