MALAPHONE PHOMMASA

College of Education & Professional Development

Marshall University
100 Angus E. Peyton Drive
South Charleston, WV 25303
Phone: 304-746-1981
Email: phommasa@marshall.edu

EDUCATION
University of California, Santa Barbara
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Degree Expected: June 2016 Ph.D., Education
Emphasis: Cultural Perspectives and Comparative Education
Dissertation: Bridging Their Own Worlds: How Southeast Asian
American Students Persist in the University
Committee: Richard P. Durn (Chair), Mary Betsy Brenner, and
Cynthia Hudley
2012

M.A., Education
Emphasis: Cultural Perspectives and Comparative Education
Thesis: Lao American Educational Aspirations: A Comparison
between Second-Generation College Students and their Refugee
Parents

University of California, Irvine

2008
B.A., Sociology, Cum Laude
CURRENT POSITION
Assistant Professor, Minority Faculty Fellow
Marshall University
College of Education and Professional Development
PUBLICATIONS
Phommasa, M. (2015). Expanding definitions of family: Influences on second-generation Lao
American college students aspirations. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education
and Advancement, 10(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/2153-8999.1133.
Phommasa, M. (2014). Laotian Americans (education). In M. Danico (Ed.), Asian American
society: An encyclopedia. (Vol. 12, pp. 630-632). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.

Malaphone Phommasa

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Phommasa, M. & Detvongsa, C. (2013). Lao American ethnic economy. In X. Zhao & E. Park
(Ed.s), Asian Americans: An encyclopedia of social, cultural, economic, and political
history. (Vol. 2, pp. 744-747). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Phommasa, M. (2011). [Review of the book, The American dream in Vietnamese, by Nhi T.
Lieu]. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, 1-5.
REPORTS
Phommasa, M., & Lenaburg, L. (2012, 2013, & 2014). Beckman Scholars Program annual
evaluation report. University of California, Santa Barbara: Center for Science and
Engineering Partnerships.
Sciaky, E., Phommasa, M., Wu. V., & Lenaburg, L. (2012, 2013, & 2014). Jack Kent Cooke
Bridges for Engineering and Science Transfers Summer Institute annual evaluation
report. University of California, Santa Barbara: Center for Science and Engineering
Partnerships.
Phommasa, M., & Lenaburg, L. (2012). Bridges to the Doctorate Program annual evaluation
report. University of California, Santa Barbara: Center for Science and Engineering
Partnerships.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Teck, V., Borromeo, V.Y., Phommasa, M., Pheng, L.M., & Thaviseth, L.J. (upcoming, 2016).
Taking initiative for Southeast Asian American student success: Ways we can support
student-initiated outreach and retention programs. Paper accepted for the American
College Personnel Association Annual Convention, Montreal, QC.
Borromeo, V.Y., Phommasa, M., Teck, V., Pheng, L.M., & Thaviseth, L.J. (upcoming, 2016).
Southeast Asian American college students taking charge in their communities and their
education. Paper accepted for the National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Phommasa, M. (upcoming, 2016). Asian American ethnic student organizations: Spaces to
explore, develop, and reclaim identity. Paper accepted for the American Educational
Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
Victorino, C., Ing, M.M., & Phommasa, M. (upcoming, 2016). Re-examining academic
engagement among first year students across race and Asian American ethnicity: An
application of Latent Class Analysis. Paper accepted for the American Educational
Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
Phommasa, M. (2015, April). An examination of the individual, social, and structural factors
affecting the persistence and retention of Southeast Asian American students. Paper
presented at the Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference, Chicago,
IL.

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Phommasa, M. (2015, April). Educational experiences of Southeast Asian American College

students: Understanding influences on student persistence and retention. Poster presented
at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Phommasa, M. (2015, March). The role of culturally validating environments in Southeast
Asian American college student retention. Paper presented at Asian American Studies at
a Crossroads: A Conference Celebrating 20 Years of Asian American Studies at UCSB,
Santa Barbara, CA.
Phommasa, M. (2015, January). A qualitative examination of the factors influencing the
persistence and retention of Southeast Asian American university students. Video
presentation at The Second Conference on Enhancing Asian American Student Success:
Linking Research & Practice, Boston, MA.
Phommasa, M. (2014, November). Racial experiences of Southeast Asian American Students at
the university: When people see me, they automatically think Im Chinese or Korean.
Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference,
Washington D.C.
Phommasa, M., & Victorino, C.A. (2014, October). How Southeast Asian American university
students experience campus racial climate. Paper presented at The States of Southeast
Asian American Studies Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Uy, P.S., Jablonski, E., & Phommasa, M. (2013, April). A study of Southeast Asian American
and immigrant students college and career readiness. Paper presented at the American
Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Tran, C., Phommasa, M., Lam, Y., & Ho, H. (2013, April). Reconstructing cultural identity in
the academy: Voices of Asian American female graduate students in education. Paper
presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San
Francisco, CA.
Phommasa, M. (2012, April). Second-generation Lao American college students educational
aspirations: The struggle for individual choice. Paper presented at the American
Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC.
Victorino, C.A., & Phommasa, M. (2012, April). Asian American students civic engagement
and political attitudes in California: A quantitative analysis. Paper presented at the
Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
Phommasa, M. (2011, October). Second generation Laotian American college students
aspirations: Examining influences on major and career choice. Paper presented at The
National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and
Vietnamese Americans National Conference, Long Beach, CA.

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INVITED LECTURES
2015

Creating Inclusive Communities: Considerations for a Culturally

Responsive Educator
Part-Time Faculty Workshop
Marshall University

2015

Bridging Their Own Worlds: Understanding the Experiences of

Southeast Asian American University Students
Faculty Brown Bag Lecture
Marshall University

2015

Working with Diverse Students & Families

Special Education: Intro to Special Education
Marshall University

2015

Conversations on Diversity
School Psychology: Schools as Organizations and Systems
Marshall University

2014

A Minority within a Minority: How Southeast Asian American

University Students Experience Campus Climate:
UC Center for New Racial Studies Colloquium
UC Santa Barbara

2014

Telling Our Stories & Serving Our Communities: Southeast Asian

Americans and Graduate Education
Southeast Asian Retention through Creating Hxstory Seminar
UC Irvine

2013

Immigration Reform after 1980

Asian American Studies: American Migrations Since 1965
UC Santa Barbara

2012

The Lao American Ethnic Economy

Department of Asian American Studies Colloquium
UC Santa Barbara

INVITED PANELS
2015

Womyn of Color Empowerment Gathering

Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Designation Celebration Week
UC Santa Barbara

2011

Career Alumni Forum

Southeast Asian Campus Learning and Retention Project
UC Los Angeles

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY: GRADUATE-LEVEL
Instructor of Record
Marshall University
Scheduled, Spring 2016
Educational Foundations: Trends and Issues in Education (Online)
UNIVERSITY: UNDERGRADUATE-LEVEL
Teaching Assistant
University of California, Santa Barbara
2010-2014 (8 quarters)
Asian American Studies: American Migrations Since 1965
2012-2013 (2 quarters)
Asian American Studies: Globalization and Asian/America
2013 (1 quarter)
Asian American Studies: Intro to Asian American Literature
2012 (1 quarter)
Communication: Intro to Communication
2011 (1 quarter)
Asian American Studies: Intro to Asian American History
ADULT EDUCATION
2010
K-12 EDUCATION
2009

English Instructor
EF International Language School, Santa Barbara, CA
Intermediate English; Current Events
Program Leader
Adams Elementary School, Santa Ana, CA
THINK Together After-School Programs

2008-2009

Instructor
Wilson Elementary School, Costa Mesa, CA
Project Success, Newport-Mesa Unified School District

2007-2008

Teaching Assistant
University of California, Irvine
Extended Day Program

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2013- 2015

Predoctoral Fellow
UC Center for New Racial Studies

2015

Conference Coordinator
UCSB Department of Asian American Studies

2012- 2014

Graduate Student Program Evaluator

Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships
UCSB California NanoSystems Institute

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AWARDS
2013
2012

UC Santa Barbara Graduate Students Association

Excellence in Teaching Award
UC Irvine Southeast Asian Archive Anne Frank
Visiting Researcher Award

GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS

2015
2015
2014
2014
2014
2014
2014
2013
2011-2015
2010-2015

Faculty Development Grants

Marshall University
Asian American Student Success Program Research Grant
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Humanities & Social Science Dissertation Research Grant
University of California, Santa Barbara
UC Center for New Racial Studies Professional Development
Grant
Southeast Asians in the Diaspora Conference,
Graduate Travel Fellowship
Academic Senate Travel Grant
University of California, Santa Barbara
Graduate Students Association Travel Grant
University of California, Santa Barbara
Research on the Education of Asian Pacific Americans SIG
Travel Grant (AERA)
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Travel Grant
University of California, Santa Barbara
Merit-Based Department Fellowships
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

ACADEMIC SERVICE
2010- Present
2014- 2015
2014- 2015
2012- 2015
2011- 2014
2011-2012

Malaphone Phommasa

Doctoral Student Editorial Review Board

The Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and
Advancement
Newsletter Co-Editor, Special Interest Group: Research on the
Education of Asian Pacific Americans
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Graduate-to-Graduate Mentor
Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
UC Irvine Southeast Asian Archive Advisory Board
Graduate Student Representative, Special Interest Group:
Research on the Education of Asian Pacific Americans
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Campus Liaison, Division G: Social Context of Education
American Educational Research Association (AERA)

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UNIVERSITY SERVICE
2011-2015

UCSB Graduate Students Association: Emergency Grant

Advisory Board
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Peer Mentor
UCSB Graduate Students Association: Vice President, Budget &
Finance

2012-2014
2011-2012

WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS

2015

2015
2015
2011
2011
2010

iCount: Equity through Representation Symposium

Hosted by The White House Initiative on Asian American and
Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) and The National Commission on
Asian American Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE)
Penn Equity Institute for Doctoral Students
Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education
iPED: Inquiring Pedagogies, 7th Annual Conference on Teaching
and Learning at Marshall University
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Leadership and Advocacy Training
Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit
UC-Links Conference (University-Community Links)

STUDENT SUPERVISION
2015-2016
2014-2015

Graduate Assistants for EDF610 course

Leann Price, Marc Shoemaker
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Calvin Le, Crystal Long, Nicole Tran

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Since 2015
Since 2012
Since 2011
Since 2011
Since 2010

Malaphone Phommasa

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)

Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS)
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
The National Association for the Education and Advancement of
Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans (NAFEA)

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REFERENCES
Richard P. Durn
Professor and Dissertation Chair
Department of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara
duran@education.ucsb.edu
phone: 805-893-3555

Vichet Chhuon
Associate Professor
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
University of Minnesota
vichet@umn.edu
phone: 612-625-4331

John S.W. Park

Professor and Chair
Department of Asian American Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara
jswpark@asamst.ucsb.edu
phone: 805-893-8573

Christine Victorino
Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate
Education
University of California, Riverside
christine.victorino@ucr.edu
phone: 951-827-2617

Lubi Lenaburg
Evaluation and Assessment Program Manager
Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships
University of California, Santa Barbara
lubi@cnsi.ucsb.edu
phone: 805-893-8544

Luke Eric Lassiter

Professor and Director
Graduate Humanities Program
Marshall University
lassiter@marshall.edu
phone: 304-746-1923

Howard Winant
Professor and Director
Department of Sociology
UC Center for New Racial Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara
hwinant@soc.ucsb.edu
phone: 805-893-3118

Malaphone Phommasa

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