Audrey J. Jaeger

Audrey J. Jaeger, Ph.D., is W. Dallas Herring Professor at NC State University. Examining relationships and experiences among faculty and students in postsecondary institutions, her research illuminates issues of transition, access, equity, climate, agency and community engagement. Additionally, it explores how various aspects of the environment, from labor market conditions to institutional policies, affect faculty and students. Her work has been published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, Educational Policy, Community College Review, Journal of College Student Development, and the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement.

Jaeger’s research has been funded by prestigious organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). In 2018, upon securing $11 million from the John M. Belk Endowment to strengthen efforts to support North Carolina’s 58 community colleges, Jaeger founded the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State. Through professional development and applied research, the center enables community college leaders to make evidence-based decisions, advance equitable student success, transform communities and support the long-term economic vitality of North Carolina.

Her scholarship and academic contributions earned her entrance into The Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship, as well as the Academy of Outstanding Teachers and the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension and Engagement at NC State. She is the recipient of several teaching and mentoring awards, including the Champion of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Award; the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Mentor Award; the Robert H. Shaffer Award for Academic Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member; the Council of Southern Graduate Schools’ Outstanding Mentor Award; and The National Panhellenic Conference’s Women in Higher Education Achievement Award.

Prior to NC State, Jaeger held student and academic affairs administrative positions at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and at Bucknell University (PA), Additionally, she worked as an adjunct faculty member at Baruch College (CUNY). Her Ph.D. is from New York University.