Welcome to The Vermont Connection (TVC)! TVC is the official organization of all current students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration graduate program at the University of Vermont. TVC consists of all current HESA students, known as the Full Board, and the Executive Board, an eight-member board elected each year by the Full Board. The goals and objectives of TVC are in line with HESA historical traditions and regularly adjust to fulfill the needs of its membership.
TVC’s first priority is to publish a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal of high integrity, addressing the student affairs profession and the field of higher education. This journal has been a tradition of the HESA program for over three decades. Learn more at About The Vermont Connection.
TVC is also responsible for providing opportunities to develop members’ educational and professional skills in order to prepare them for their future careers. TVC helps to foster cohesion and camaraderie within the organization, as well as provide ways for its members to enrich their graduate experience.
Current Volume: Volume 46 (2025) Coalition and Insurgence: Responding to the Anti-DEI Climate in Higher Education.
Journal Cover
Editor's Notes
Editors' Note
Steve Zatarain and Sherif Ayodeji Alao
Foreword
Resistance and Imagination: Navigating and Combating the Anti-DEI Climate in Higher Education
Roman Christiaens
Articles
The Last Director, not the Last Hope: Personal Reflections on DEI persistence in an anti-DEI climate
Carlton R. Smith
From Personal Loss to Advocacy: Navigating Mental Health Self-stigma and Emotional Intelligence in Higher Education
Jolina G. Halloran
A Global Approach to Navigating DEI in American Higher Education: Integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Evan W. Faidley, Leticia de la Garza, and Leah Horton
University Policies for Student Protests and Implications for Student Voices in Social Justice Movements
Bailey S. Gengel
Redefining Success: Unveiling the Diverse Realities of Asian American Students in U.S. Education
Jolina G. Halloran
Critical Thinking and Critical Theory: Interdisciplinary Strategies for Social Responsibility in Business Education
Joshua Ravenscroft
Navigating the Frontlines: Advocating for Neurodiverse Students in a Shifting DEI Climate
MaryEllen Stephens
Navigating Anti-CRT Legislation: Black Chief Diversity Officers' Experiences in Higher Education
O'juan Edwards
Inequity and Injustice: The Impact of Financial Aid Policy for Higher Education Students
Ayodele Abel Akinsanya
Swimming Against the Tides: Lived Experiences and Challenges of Sub-Saharan African Graduate Students Studying in the U.S.
Sherif Ayodeji Alao
Reflection
Reflection
Grace Peterson
Acknowledgement
TVC 46 Executive Board
- Executive Director
- Lydea Rowell
- Managing Director
- Melissa Ochoa
- Co-Content Editors
- Steve Zatarain & Sherif Alao
- Membership & Community Development Chair
- Ayodele Abel Akinsanya
- Growth & Aspirations Chair
- Peter Hibbeler
- Legacy & Alumnx Relations Chair
- Christopher Huago
- Public Relations Chair
- Bailey Gengel