Emily VanZoest, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Research and Evaluation
ervanzoe@ncsu.eduBio
Emily VanZoest, Ph.D. is the associate director of research and evaluation at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University. At the Belk Center, Emily leads the NC Reconnect adult learner research team through qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. She also leads qualitative research on various Center-wide projects, including continuing education and teaching and learning. Emily’s research centers on adult learners and NC Reconnect efforts in North Carolina, faculty and instructional staff professional learning, women and gender issues in higher education, and higher education governance. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development specializing in Higher Education at NC State University. Her master’s degree is in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University, and her bachelor’s degree is in Social Relations and Policy also from Michigan State University. Previously, she has worked in career advising, enrollment management, and higher education and leadership consulting.
Publications
- Prioritizing Processes: Removing Barriers for Adult Learners at Community Colleges Through Process Improvement , New Directions for Community Colleges (2025)
- Innovative Advising Techniques: How NC Reconnect Colleges Meet the Advising Needs of Adult Learners , (2024)
- The Five Ps of the Adult Learner Journey through the Community College: A Conceptual Framework , Innovative Higher Education (2024)
- Adult learner guidebook: A guide to recruit and retain adult learners at North Carolina community colleges , (2023)
- Equity in Action: Reconnecting Adult Learners to Community Colleges in North Carolina , Journal of Applied Research in the Community College (2023)
- Inclusion at the Center: Teaching and Learning in the Community College Context , Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (2023)
- Adult learner guidebook: A guide to recruit and retain adult learners at North Carolina community colleges , (2022)