Isabel McMullen
@isabelmcmullen.bsky.social
Polisci PhD student🦡 UW-Madison IES Pre-doc fellow
Politics and Higher Ed
Proud 〽️ichigander and Kalamazoo Promise Alum
Politics and Higher Ed
Proud 〽️ichigander and Kalamazoo Promise Alum
Pinned
The political stakes of who sits on university boards
Isabel McMullen shares research on the demographics of public higher education boards and how representative they are of students and faculty.
www.brookings.edu
With all of the targeting of higher ed, it's critical that we have a good understanding of who governs our institutions - I wrote this piece for Brookings to summarize what we know. I also show some new data on the politics and representativeness of public boards.
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
Excellent explainer and even-toned reminder from @katharinemeyer.bsky.social about the potential harms to student borrowers that can arise from both policy AND runaway narratives that social media enables
www.brookings.edu/articles/def...
www.brookings.edu/articles/def...
Defining professional programs: Why evidence and clarity matter in ED’s rulemaking | Brookings
Katharine Meyer discusses recent changes to student loan caps and clarifies misconceptions on the borrowing limits established by OBBBA.
www.brookings.edu
December 2, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Excellent explainer and even-toned reminder from @katharinemeyer.bsky.social about the potential harms to student borrowers that can arise from both policy AND runaway narratives that social media enables
www.brookings.edu/articles/def...
www.brookings.edu/articles/def...
Helpful report for situating boards within broader inter/national trends of partisan control of higher ed. I increasingly think we need focus on reforms that fall between letting boards oversee themselves and those that rise to state constitutional amendment
www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...
www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...
How University Governing Boards Can Protect the Independence of Colleges and Universities
Shifting toward merit-based selection of public university board members can better protect academic freedom than politically appointed boards, which have increasingly exerted influence over state col...
www.americanprogress.org
December 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Helpful report for situating boards within broader inter/national trends of partisan control of higher ed. I increasingly think we need focus on reforms that fall between letting boards oversee themselves and those that rise to state constitutional amendment
www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...
www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
Attending #2025APPAM? Check out IRP scholar @isabelmcmullen.bsky.social of the Dept of Poli Sci at the UW-Madison, presenting this paper: “Exploring the Mechanisms and Direct Impact of College Access Advising: The Case of AdviseTN.” Th 11/13, 3:30-5pm, Hyatt Regency Seattle, 5th Flr, Rm: 505
November 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Attending #2025APPAM? Check out IRP scholar @isabelmcmullen.bsky.social of the Dept of Poli Sci at the UW-Madison, presenting this paper: “Exploring the Mechanisms and Direct Impact of College Access Advising: The Case of AdviseTN.” Th 11/13, 3:30-5pm, Hyatt Regency Seattle, 5th Flr, Rm: 505
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
A new analysis by the Upjohn Institute finds that the Rx Kids program delivers measurable economic benefits to families and the broader local economy in Flint, Michigan. Read the full report
www.upjohn.org/research-hig...
www.upjohn.org/research-hig...
October 30, 2025 at 2:11 PM
A new analysis by the Upjohn Institute finds that the Rx Kids program delivers measurable economic benefits to families and the broader local economy in Flint, Michigan. Read the full report
www.upjohn.org/research-hig...
www.upjohn.org/research-hig...
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
🍎🦡 I'm recruiting a PhD student in Ed Policy (fall '26) at @uwmadison.bsky.social! Come work with me on college access, admissions, & fin aid in our top-ranked, fully-funded program. I’m especially excited for this student to immediately join our direct admissions RCT team.
October 1, 2025 at 3:23 PM
🍎🦡 I'm recruiting a PhD student in Ed Policy (fall '26) at @uwmadison.bsky.social! Come work with me on college access, admissions, & fin aid in our top-ranked, fully-funded program. I’m especially excited for this student to immediately join our direct admissions RCT team.
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
Good morning, Badgers. Welcome to the Fall 2025 semester.
We wish you a successful start to your academic year.
Let’s begin.
We wish you a successful start to your academic year.
Let’s begin.
September 3, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Good morning, Badgers. Welcome to the Fall 2025 semester.
We wish you a successful start to your academic year.
Let’s begin.
We wish you a successful start to your academic year.
Let’s begin.
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
An @afm-union.bsky.social and @sagaftra.org gal.
An NFLPA guy.
We love a union love story. Congrats Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce!
An NFLPA guy.
We love a union love story. Congrats Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce!
August 26, 2025 at 6:05 PM
An @afm-union.bsky.social and @sagaftra.org gal.
An NFLPA guy.
We love a union love story. Congrats Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce!
An NFLPA guy.
We love a union love story. Congrats Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce!
This piece pulls together a lot of recent examples of board-driven actions in higher ed, and rightfully points out that when boards become politicized, they are then subject to those politics at all levels of government: apnews.com/article/harv...
Far beyond Harvard, conservative efforts to reshape higher education are gaining steam
Far beyond Harvard University and its standoff with the Trump administration, Republican officials in several states have been pushing for changes at public universities.
apnews.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
This piece pulls together a lot of recent examples of board-driven actions in higher ed, and rightfully points out that when boards become politicized, they are then subject to those politics at all levels of government: apnews.com/article/harv...
The job market for PhDs may be terrible, but the spectrum internet person that just helped me transfer my internet ended the call by telling me I'm gonna do great things with my degree, so there's that.
July 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The job market for PhDs may be terrible, but the spectrum internet person that just helped me transfer my internet ended the call by telling me I'm gonna do great things with my degree, so there's that.
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
In our 2024 U.S. Post-Election Reflection via
@apsa.bsky.social, Rebecca Jacobsen and I preview some of our ongoing research on how partisanship and nationalization influence on-cycle local school board elections.
@apsa.bsky.social, Rebecca Jacobsen and I preview some of our ongoing research on how partisanship and nationalization influence on-cycle local school board elections.
Local Elections, National Tides: The Role of Partisanship in School Board Elections: 2024 Post-Election Reflection Series -
Prior to the 2024 US Presidential Election, APSA’s Diversity and Inclusion Programs Department issued a call for submissions, entitled 2024 APSA Post-Election Reflections, for a PSNow blog series of political science scholars who reflect on [...]
wp.me
June 26, 2025 at 8:00 PM
In our 2024 U.S. Post-Election Reflection via
@apsa.bsky.social, Rebecca Jacobsen and I preview some of our ongoing research on how partisanship and nationalization influence on-cycle local school board elections.
@apsa.bsky.social, Rebecca Jacobsen and I preview some of our ongoing research on how partisanship and nationalization influence on-cycle local school board elections.
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
Morning! I did a lil analysis and turns out that, when ED employees are illegally fired and contracts are canceled, ED is unable to fulfill its congressional mandate to publish national statistics on the condition of education.
Why does that matter? Well...
www.brookings.edu/articles/the...
Why does that matter? Well...
www.brookings.edu/articles/the...
June 26, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Morning! I did a lil analysis and turns out that, when ED employees are illegally fired and contracts are canceled, ED is unable to fulfill its congressional mandate to publish national statistics on the condition of education.
Why does that matter? Well...
www.brookings.edu/articles/the...
Why does that matter? Well...
www.brookings.edu/articles/the...
This piece picks up on a lot of important threads of board dynamics, one of which is that for publics, while there isn't the same conspicuousness as with Harvard/Columbia, the same politics are playing out, just more quietly and with less opportunity to rally against
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/u...
Republicans Trying to Control Indiana University Meet Little Resistance
www.nytimes.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
This piece picks up on a lot of important threads of board dynamics, one of which is that for publics, while there isn't the same conspicuousness as with Harvard/Columbia, the same politics are playing out, just more quietly and with less opportunity to rally against
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/u...
Governing boards are at the center of every higher ed story these days. What do we know about board governance? What does board composition look like nationwide, and how is it shaped by partisan appointments? My new working paper introduces new data to these questions:
edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1212
edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1212
Portraying Governance: Demographic Misalignment in University Board Representation
Higher education governing boards are important bodies with far-reaching powers over the institutions they oversee. Yet little is known about individual board members, how the composition of boards va...
edworkingpapers.com
June 4, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Governing boards are at the center of every higher ed story these days. What do we know about board governance? What does board composition look like nationwide, and how is it shaped by partisan appointments? My new working paper introduces new data to these questions:
edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1212
edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1212
You might as well just hold on to your convictions, since abandoning them all is clearly not a viable strategy against eroding higher ed governance
The presidential search at the U. of Florida — which ended dramatically on Tuesday with the rejection of Santa Ono, the sole finalist — drove debate about whether a traditional academic leader could be trusted to advance conservative policy goals, such as dismantling DEI efforts. chroni.cl/4khVHwW
Statewide Board Rejects Santa Ono’s Bid to Become U. of Florida President
The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors voted down the former University of Michigan president’s appointment Tuesday, ending a bid that came to resemble a political campaign.
chroni.cl
June 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
You might as well just hold on to your convictions, since abandoning them all is clearly not a viable strategy against eroding higher ed governance
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
The Upjohn Institute is looking for a research analyst to support our research on employment issues. Please share with your networks. #econsky #hiring
www.upjohn.org/employment-o...
www.upjohn.org/employment-o...
Employment Opportunities | Upjohn Institute
www.upjohn.org
April 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The Upjohn Institute is looking for a research analyst to support our research on employment issues. Please share with your networks. #econsky #hiring
www.upjohn.org/employment-o...
www.upjohn.org/employment-o...
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
Weather is getting nice, what if 10 million people went outside at the same time
April 18, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Weather is getting nice, what if 10 million people went outside at the same time
Reposted by Isabel McMullen
Board composition, transparency, and accountability to stakeholders matters to the future of higher ed. Inclusive boards of trustees have the intellectual dexterity and structural muscle to make insightful, valued-based decisions that serve missions in harmony with the needs of the stakeholders.
With all of the targeting of higher ed, it's critical that we have a good understanding of who governs our institutions - I wrote this piece for Brookings to summarize what we know. I also show some new data on the politics and representativeness of public boards.
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
The political stakes of who sits on university boards
Isabel McMullen shares research on the demographics of public higher education boards and how representative they are of students and faculty.
www.brookings.edu
April 15, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Board composition, transparency, and accountability to stakeholders matters to the future of higher ed. Inclusive boards of trustees have the intellectual dexterity and structural muscle to make insightful, valued-based decisions that serve missions in harmony with the needs of the stakeholders.
Playing this as my hype music before my dissertation proposal defense today
"this chick who's new for me, i don't her before, but i like her." 😂
April 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Playing this as my hype music before my dissertation proposal defense today
With all of the targeting of higher ed, it's critical that we have a good understanding of who governs our institutions - I wrote this piece for Brookings to summarize what we know. I also show some new data on the politics and representativeness of public boards.
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
The political stakes of who sits on university boards
Isabel McMullen shares research on the demographics of public higher education boards and how representative they are of students and faculty.
www.brookings.edu
April 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
With all of the targeting of higher ed, it's critical that we have a good understanding of who governs our institutions - I wrote this piece for Brookings to summarize what we know. I also show some new data on the politics and representativeness of public boards.
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
www.brookings.edu/articles/und...
Wisconsin is critical for any presidential candidate, and Wisconsin LOVES when a sharp, no-nonsense, hometown woman on the ballot. Just saying.
April 2, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Wisconsin is critical for any presidential candidate, and Wisconsin LOVES when a sharp, no-nonsense, hometown woman on the ballot. Just saying.
Calling results from November "overwhelming" means we need a new word to describe this massive 10 point win by Crawford. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Results 2025: Crawford vs. Schimel
Get live results and maps from the 2025 Wisconsin spring elections.
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Calling results from November "overwhelming" means we need a new word to describe this massive 10 point win by Crawford. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...