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Chandra Myrick wins ACUHO-I Dissertation of the Year Award

Chandra Myrick

Chandra Myrick, assistant vice chancellor for Student Life and executive director for University Housing

Chandra Myrick, assistant vice chancellor for Student Life and executive director for University Housing, was recently awarded the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) Dissertation of the Year Award.

ACUHO-I is the leading organization for campus housing and residence life professionals, serving more than 17,000 professionals from around the globe. This award is designed to recognize exceptional work by doctoral students and encourage the highest levels of scholarship, research, and writing to contribute to the college housing profession.

I am completely honored to receive this recognition from ACUHO-I. I became interested in the topic when I noticed Black women were not represented in senior housing officer positions in the same manner as other positions within housing and residence life. I thought it would be important to better understand the experiences of Black women who were in those roles in an effort to recruit and retain more in the future. I cannot begin to fully explain how much my dissertation journey impacted me as these women took time out of their lives while managing the myriad of challenges that came with COVID-19 on their individual campuses. I hope elevating their voices will inspire other Black women to seek SHO roles and benefit our profession as a whole.

Chandra Myrick, assistant vice chancellor for Student Life and executive director for University Housing/footer>

Myrick focused her dissertation on the lived experiences of Black women senior housing officers at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs), sharing how the intersection of racial and gender identities contributed to their experiences.

Her dissertation, “I’m Speaking: Narratives of Black Women Serving in Senor Housing Officer Roles at Predominately White Institutions”, shares the narratives of 10 Black women who often faced racism and sexism, and provides guidance to professionals seeking to advance in the housing profession as well as those interested in making PWIs more welcoming and inclusive for Black women administrators.

I am thrilled to hear that ACUHO-I has bestowed this honor on Dr. Myrick. She is an outstanding student life professional and her scholarly contributions to the housing profession will help advance campus climate and culture for the next generation of women leaders. I couldn’t be happier for her to receive this award!

Frank Cuevas, Vice Chancellor for Student Life

Myrick previously worked in housing and residence life at Florida State University, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia. She earned a doctoral and master’s degree in higher education from Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from Troy State University.