Profile: Noah Drezner

Whatever else he may have accomplished as a doctoral student — and it's been a lot — Noah Drezner has traveled the world with Penn GSE.

Noah came to Penn GSE from a development post at the University of Rochester. His intention? To get his master's degree in the higher education program and go right back into college administration.

What he didn't count on was that he'd fall in love with the academic life. Crediting the faculty with sparking his interest in research, he explains, "I only applied to Penn GSE for my doctoral work. I put all my eggs in one basket because of the faculty and the prospect of doing research in a small department with people that really cared about their students and were going to shepherd and mentor me."

He's collaborated on articles with Penn GSE faculty members, sole-authored papers, presented at the American Educational Research Association, and thrown himself into the life of the School and the University. He's served on the Graduate and Professional Students' Assembly and received recognition from GSE and Penn as well for his contributions. Most recently, Noah landed a tenure-track job as an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Through it all, Noah has taken every opportunity to travel the world. "I've been really privileged to travel internationally with GSE," he says.

"As a master's student," he continues, "I was a graduate assistant for the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program, and I helped coordinate a trip to Barcelona that introduced students to higher education in Spain and throughout Europe."

In China, he traveled as part of a study abroad program sponsored by GSE International. "We looked at rural education, mostly on the K-12 level, and also at different colleges and universities in Beijing. We were in parts of China where many Americans have not yet been able to travel, and we got a picture of what the Chinese are doing to increase educational access for under-represented minorities."

"My advisor, Marybeth Gasman, coordinates trips to South Africa," he continues. "She gave me this great opportunity to apply the research that I've done on historically black colleges in the United States to help prep this trip and also the course that accompanies it."

In South Africa, students observed the post-apartheid transformation process, comparing it to the American experience of desegregation. Says Noah, "By comparing a historical and contemporary case study, we can learn from South Africa and also impart some of the knowledge to the South Africans."

Noah urges students to take advantage of all the opportunities GSE offers, but especially the international trips. "What a great way to add to your educational experience. Look out for emails and flyers around campus and go to the info sessions — even if the trip doesn't sound directly related to your work. People are really welcoming here and want to make it a good experience for everyone. So try it out."