Tracy Poon Tambascia

  • Professor of Higher Education
  • Veronica and David Hagen Chair in Women鈥檚 Leadership

Research Concentration

  • Higher Education

Education

EdD, 海角论坛 School of Education

Expertise

  • Higher Education Administration 鈥 University Student Affairs 鈥 International Higher Education
Tracy Poon Tambascia

Contact Information

Websites and Social Media

Bio

Dr. Tracy Poon Tambascia听is the听Veronica and David Hagen Chair in Women鈥檚 Leadership and听Professor of Higher Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Her areas of interest include international higher education, higher education policy, student affairs, and student access and success in higher education. At Rossier, she teaches courses in the doctoral programs and chairs dissertations.

Tambascia is Chair of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), former President of the USC Academic Senate, and has served on the Board of Directors for NASPA.

Tambascia鈥檚 scholarly activities include a book chapter, 鈥淟etters to my 25-year-old self: Lessons learned in a changing higher education environment,鈥 in the Handbook of Research on Leading Higher Education Transformation With Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion (IGI Global, 2021). She also co-authored two book chapters, 鈥淐ulturally-aligned mentorship of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) graduate students and educational leaders,鈥 in听Best Practices and Programmatic Approaches for Mentoring Educational Leaders鈥 (IGI Global, 2023) and听鈥淏uilding cultural capital and workforce skills for immigrants through adult education in the United States鈥 in the Handbook of Research on Promoting Social Justice for Immigrants and Refugees Through Active Citizenship and Intercultural Education听(IGI Global, 2021). Tambascia听has also served on numerous invited panels, presented at national conferences, and held various editorial roles with national higher education journals and publications.

Prior to this faculty role, Tambascia worked in student affairs administration. She was Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and Dean of Students at Whittier College. She has also led student affairs departments at Mount St. Mary鈥檚 College and Occidental College. Tambascia has supervised offices such as residential life, counseling services, student life, disability services, financial aid, admissions, career development, registrar and financial aid. She also wrote and managed grants, including several from the James Irvine Foundation and Title V.

Tambascia earned her Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Southern California, M.A. in psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, and B.A. in psychology from Occidental College.

Awards and Grants

2022听听听 Veronica and David Hagen Chair in Women鈥檚 Leadership

2022听听听 Mentor, Asian Pacific Women in Leadership, Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)

2022听听听 Title IX Trailblazer, USC

2020听听听 Distinguished Faculty Service Award, USC Academic Senate

2019听听听 Rossier Mentoring Award

2018听听听 NASPA API KC Distinguished Contribution to Research and Scholarship听Award

2014听听听 Professor of Color Recognition Award, Undergraduate听 Student听Govt, USC

2003听听听 Marilyn Veitch Outstanding Contribution Award, Whittier听 College

Courses Taught

  • Student Affairs in College听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
  • Fieldwork
  • Master鈥檚 Seminar
  • Directed Research听听听听听听听
  • Higher Education Administration in China听听听听听
  • Creating Communities of Interest听听听听听听听听
  • Higher Education Seminar听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听
  • Critique of Research听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听
  • Dissertation Seminar听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听
  • Educational Organizations: Governance and Finance in Higher Education
  • Making Choices: Deciding Among Policy Alternatives
  • Proseminar in Higher Education
  • Locating Educational Performance Problems
  • Implementing Policy in Educational Systems

Publications

Professional Affiliations and Memberships

  • Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
  • Dean of Students, Whittier College, Whittier, CA

Research

Select Conference Presentations & Lectures

  • 2021, April. 鈥淭he Big Picture II: Doing the Work - DEI Initiatives We Can Learn From.鈥澨齅oderator for opening plenary panel discussion, Academic Resource Conference, WSCUC, online.
  • 2019, February. 鈥淓ngaging faculty in accreditation in a changing higher education environment.鈥 Keynote address for University of Guam, Faculty Development Day.
  • 2019, April. Moderator for keynote address by Dr. Lande Ajose. Academic Resource Conference, WSCUC, Garden Grove, CA.
  • 2019, October. 鈥淎 part yet apart: Looking at the APIDA community(s) through a critical lens.鈥 (APIDALA). Panel member, with Anna Gonzalez, Roderick Labrador, and Mahealani Quirk.听
  • University of Hawai鈥檌, HI.2018, August. 鈥淪tudent affairs and college student success and completion: Challenges and opportunities.鈥 Keynote address for the Charles Drew University, Los Angeles, CA, Provost鈥檚 Retreat.
  • 2017, March. 鈥淪tudent Personnel Point of View: 80 Years Later Where are We Now?鈥 Panel discussion with Natasha Croom, George Kuh, and Laura Sponsler.
  • 2017, March. Moderator for the NASPA Faculty Institute. Panel and facilitated discussion by Shaun Harper and Susana Munoz.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2017, March). The global classroom: Perspectives on teaching, learning, and international student engagement in a global doctorate of education program. Presentation at the annual NASPA National Conference, San Antonio, TX.
  • Hoffman, J., Tambascia, T. P. & Alsandor, D. (2017, March). So much to do, so little time: Exploring the work life balance/integration of faculty members in college student personnel programs. Presentation at the annual NASPA National Conference, San Antonio, TX.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2016, March). Student affairs in Taiwan. Presentation at the annual NASPA National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Tambascia, T. P. & Welti, Jennifer C. (2016, March). The impact of student-parent relationships on low-income community college students. Presentation at the annual NASPA National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Tambascia, T. P. & Tcheng, B. (2015, April). Transitions and intersecting identities: Asian American and Pacific Islander student veterans and model minority stereotypes. 听Presentation at the annual APAHE Conference, San Francisco, CA.
  • Tambascia, T. P., Wang, J., Tcheng, B. & Corporal, G. (2015, March). Transitions and intersecting identities: Asian American and Pacific Islander student veterans and model minority stereotypes. Presentation at the annual NASPA National Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2015, March). Transitions and intersecting identities: Asian American and Pacific Islander student veterans and model minority stereotypes. Presentation at the annual ACPA National Conference, Tampa, FL.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2015, March). Student affairs in Taiwan. Presentation at the annual ACPA National Conference, Tampa, FL.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2014, April). Balancing identities: Undocumented Asian American students and the model minority myth. Presentation at the annual ACPA National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Tambascia, T. P., & Hernandez, R. (2014, April). Lifelong development 鈥 undergraduate adult learners, advisement, and self-authorship.听 Presentation at the annual ACPA National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Tambascia, T. P., & Tcheng, B. (2014, March). Balancing identities: Undocumented Asian American students and the model minority myth. Paper presented at the annual NASPA National Conference, Baltimore, MD.
  • Tambascia, T. P., Wang, J., & Tcheng, B. (2013, December). Balancing identities: Undocumented Asian American students and the model minority myth. Paper presented at the 2013 NASPA Multicultural Institute, Las Vegas, NV.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2013, May).听 Multimedia inside & outside the classroom. Presentation at the USC Teaching with Technology Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Tambascia, T. P., & Flores, J. (2013, March). Student parents: Factors contributing to student engagement in community college. Presentation at the ACPA National Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2001, November). Identifying your weakest link: Supporting under-represented students and reality TV.听 Presentation at the NASPA Region VI Conference, Maui, HI.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (2000, March). Whittier College: The tradition and challenges of a diversity leader.听 Presentation at the American Association for Higher Education National Conference, Anaheim, CA.
  • Tambascia, T. P. (1997, February). Designing a training program with wide appeal. Presentation at the National Association of Campus Activities Far West Regional Conference, Los Angeles, CA.