Elisa Abes

Educational Credentials

Ph.D., Higher Education & Student Affairs, School of Educational Policy & Leadership, The Ohio State University
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., English, summa cum laude, Honors in the Liberal Arts, Distinction in English The Ohio State University,

Biography

Elisa Abes (she/her) has been teaching in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program since 2005 and has served as the Graduate Studies Director for over 10 years. She primarily teaches courses related to college student development theory. In doing so, she uses critical theoretical approaches to re-imagine student development theory to push back against systems of oppression such as ableism, racism, and heterosexism. In her research, Elisa is studying the identity of Jewish college students in the context of antisemitism. She also uses critical theories to study the experiences and identities of disabled college students, emphasizing that it is not the disabled students who are the problems to be fixed, but instead, it is ableism in higher education that needs to be dismantled. Elisa is the co-editor (with Dr. Susan R. Jones and Dr. D-L Stewart) of Rethinking College Student Development Theory Using Critical Frameworks (Stylus, 2019); editor of Critical Perspectives on Student Development Theory (Jossey Bass, 2016); and co-author (with Dr. Susan R. Jones) of Identity Development of College Students: Advancing Frameworks for Multiple Dimensions of Identity (Jossey Bass, 2013). Prior to teaching at Miami, Elisa taught for two years at the University of South Florida. Elisa was an attorney for four years prior to starting her career as a student affairs faculty member. Student development theory explains much of her career transition. Elisa graduated from The Ohio State University with her bachelor’s degree (1992) and doctorate (2003). She received her law degree from Harvard Law School (1995). Elisa and her partner, Amber, are the mothers of two kind children, Shoshana and Benjamin, ages 16 and 14, and their dog, Billie. Elisa loves to be outside as much as possible, dog walking, running, hiking, biking, gardening, and chasing sunsets.

Key Professional Appointments

Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Student Affairs in Higher Education
Department of Educational Leadership
Miami University, Oxford, OH
July 2011 – present

Assistant Professor
Student Affairs in Higher Education
Department of Educational Leadership
Miami University, Oxford, OH
August 2005 – June 2011

Assistant Professor
College Student Affairs
University of South Florida
August 2004 – July 2005

Visiting Assistant Professor
College Student Affairs
University of South Florida
August 2003 - July 2004

Litigation Attorney
Frost & Jacobs LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
1995 - 1999

 

Awards and Honors

• Miami University, Women’s Center, Women’s Leadership Faculty Award, 2015
• The Ohio State University Higher Education and Student Affairs Program Maude Stewart
• Distinguished Alumni Award, 2015
• American College Personnel Association, Standing Committees Advocate Award, 2014
• American College Personnel Association, Diamond Honoree, 2012
• American College Personnel Association Emerging Scholar, 2006
• American College Personnel Association Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional, 2006

 

Select Publications/Presentations

Note: For a full listing of publications and presentations, please view her CV linked above.

Books

• Abes, E. S., Jones, S. R., & Stewart, D-L (Eds.) (2019). Rethinking college student development theory using critical frameworks. Stylus.
  • Designated by the Chronicle of Higher Education as a “New and Notable Book”
• Jones, S. R., & Abes, E. S. (2013). Identity development of college students: Advancing frameworks for multiple dimensions of identity. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.

Monographs

• Abes, E. S. (Ed.) (2016). Critical perspectives on student development theory. New Directions for Student Services. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals

• Abrams, E., *Floyd, C., & Abes, E. S. (2024). Prioritizing crip futures: Applying crip theory to create accessible academic experiences in higher education. Disability Studies Quarterly, 43(4).
• Duran, A., Abes, E. S., Jones, S. R., & Stewart, D-L (2024). Looking back, moving forward, and everything in between: Revisiting student development's relevance and enduring concepts. Journal of College Student Development 65(2), 121-136 [note this was an invited and peer-reviewed piece in a special issue commemorating ACPA's 100th anniversary]
• Denton, J. M., & Abes, E. S. (2022). The art of masked advocacy: HIV positive gay college men’s care of the self. Journal of College Student Development, 63(4), 383-398.
• *Abrams, E. J., & Abes, E. A. (2021). "It’s Finding Peace in My Body": Using Crip Theory to Understand Authenticity for a Queer, Disabled College Student." Journal of College Student Development Theory, 62(3), 261-275
• *Abes, E. S., & Wallace, M. M. (2020). Using crip theory to re-imagine student development theory as disability justice. Journal of College Student Development Theory, 61(5), 574-592.
• *Abes, E. S., & Zahneis, M. E. (2020). A duoethnographic exploration of disability ally development. Disability Studies Quarterly, 40(3).
• *Abes, E. S, & Darkow, D. C. (2020). Using crip theory to create campus cultures that foster students’ disability disclosure. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 33(3), 223-231.
• *Abes, E. S., & Wallace, M. M. (2018). People see me but they don’t see me: An intersectional study of college students with physical disabilities. Journal of College Student Development Theory, 59, 545-562.

Book Chapters

• Abes, E. S. (2019). Crip theory and student development theory. In E. S. Abes, S. R. Jones, & D-L Stewart (Eds.), Rethinking college student development theory using critical frameworks (pp. 64-72). Stylus.
• Abes, E. S., Jones, S. R., Stewart, D. L. (2019). Student development theory: Looking ahead. In E. S. Abes, S. R. Jones, & D-L Stewart (Eds.). Rethinking college student development theory using critical framework (pp. 239-252). Stylus.
• Abes, E. S. (2016). Situating student development theory in paradigms. In E. S. Abes (Ed.). Critical perspectives on student development theory. New Directions for Student Services. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
• Abes, E. S., & Hernandez, E. (2016). Critical and post-structural perspectives on self-authorship. In E. S. Abes (Ed.). Critical perspectives on student development theory. New Directions for Student Services. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
• Jones, S. R., & Abes, E. S. (2016). The nature and uses of theory. In Schuh, J., Jones, S. R. & Torres, V. (Eds.) Student services: A handbook for the profession (6th ed). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Book Reviews

• Abes, E. S. (2014). Why aren’t we there yet? Taking personal responsibility for creating an inclusive campus. [Review of the book]. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 858-861.
• Abes, E. S. (2011). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). [Review of the book]. Journal of College Student Development, 52, 131-133.
• Abes, E. S. (2005). Identity development of diverse populations: Implications for teaching and administration in higher education [Review of the book]. Journal of Higher Education, 76, 117-119.

Referred Professional Conference Presentations

Presentations marked with an asterisk (*) are collaborations with students

• Exploring the Identity of Jewish College Students in the Wake of Post-October 7 Antisemitism: Living in the Tension Between the Joy and Oy. Research paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. November 2024.
• *Applying Crip Theory in Student Affairs Practice (with E. Abrams, D. Darkow, C. Floyd, & M. Wallace). Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Remote Conference. March 2021.
• *Applying Critical Student Development Theory in a Time of Covid-19 (with E. Abrams, K. Calhoun, & D. Darkow). Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Remote Conference. March 2021.
• Making Waves in Student Development Theory (with A. Duran, E. Hernandez, S. Jones, & V. Torres). Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Nashville, TN, March 2020.
• Disability and Difference in Graduate Program Curricula: A Missing Piece (with E. Broido, L. Burdette-Williams, A. French, S. Schoper, S., & S. Scruggs). Panel presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Nashville, TN, March 2020.
• *Applying Intersectional Disability Justice to Resist Ableism in Higher Education (with M. Wallace). Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Boston, MA. March 2019. Sponsored by the ACPA Coalition on Disability.
• Teaching Critical Perspectives on Student Development Theory in Graduate Preparation Programs (with A. Duran, S. R. Jones, C. Robbins, & D-L Stewart). Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Boston, MA. March 2019.

Public Scholarship

• Understanding and Supporting Jewish College Students, Student Affairs NOW Podcast, October 2, 2024