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.