The Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education is pleased to announce that Mimi Benjamin is the recipient of the College of Education and Communications’ Faculty Research award, which recognizes “outstanding achievement and success in scholastic endeavors.” She joined the SAHE faculty in 2013.
Benjamin is a highly prolific scholar who is generating high-quality scholarship which makes important contributions to the field of student affairs in higher education. She has published her research with leading journals and publishers, and has presented at the major conferences in the student affairs field and beyond. Since joining the SAHE faculty, she has written or edited three books, published seven journal articles, written five book chapters, and presented more 20 times at conferences.
Benjamin has established herself as one of the leading scholars on residential learning communities in higher education. Much of her scholarship has been in this area. She edited Learning Communities from Start to Finish which was published in 2015. She and her co-authors published their book, Living Learning Communities that Work: A Research-Based Model for Design, Delivery, and Assessment, with Stylus, a leading publisher in our field. She has also published several journal articles and a book chapter on learning communities.
As a result of her expertise, Benjamin was invited to co-lead Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning Research Seminar on Residential Learning Communities for a three-year term. Another indication of the higher education’s recognition of Benjamin’s scholarship in this area include multiple national presentations at conferences focused on learning communities, and invitations to participate in webinars and podcasts on this area of her scholarship. She and two of her co-authors of Living Learning Communities that Work are also under contract with Stylus to write a follow-up book.
Another area of focus for Benjamin in her scholarship are faculty experiences with making the transition from administration to graduate faculty member. She identified a gap in the literature and assembled a team to explore these experiences. She and her co-authors published two refereed journal articles based upon this research. They also presented two conference programs at the 2018 NASPA Conference which built upon their research, to help administrators considering this transition. She has also co-authored a book chapter on the topic which was published in Careers in Student Affairs: A Holistic Guide to Professional Development in Higher Education.
Over the course of her career, Benjamin has engaged in a variety of projects which examine student learning outcomes associated with various activities. Benjamin was engaged in a project with a colleague examining the outcomes associated with working in the library at IUP, which resulted in a journal article that was subsequently recognized for its contribution to the literature. She has also undertaken previous research projects regarding student learning outcomes associated with serving on student conduct boards and as resident advisors, both of which resulted in referred journal publications.
Benjamin was presented her award at the College of Education and Communications’ annual Scholarship Reception on Thursday, October 18, 2021.