Concentration: Higher Education
Expertise: Expert on higher education, including policy, faculty, culture and minorities...additional information

E-Mail: wgtiern@usc.edu
Phone: (213) 740-7218

Curriculum Vitae & Publications
Professional Website
21st Century Scholar Blog

Having spent over two decades conducting research on college access for underrepresented youth, as well as improving the performance of colleges and universities, Tierney is committed to informing policies and practices related to educational equity and postsecondary effectiveness. Tierney currently serves as President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and is the first USC scholar to be elected to this prestigious post. He is currently involved in studies pertaining to remediation and college-readiness, access to college, governance in higher education, and the role of universities in under-developed countries. He is also directing a project that involves the creation of a video game that will develop the aspirations of high school students and help them navigate the college application process.

He has received funding for his research from, among others, the Irvine Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education and Lumina Foundation for Education. The results of his work have appeared in numerous journal articles, book chapters and books. His most recent publications include: Trust and the Public Good: Examining the Cultural Conditions of Academic Work; New Players, Different Game: Understanding the Rise of For-profit Colleges and Universities (with Guilbert Hentschke); Financial Aid and Access: Understanding the Public Policy Challenges; and Building the Responsive Campus: Creating High Performance Colleges and Universities.

Tierney brings to his work administrative experience as an academic dean at a Native American community college in North Dakota, and cross-cultural insight from Peace Corps work in Morocco and his experience as a Fulbright Scholar in Central America and Australia. He earned a master's degree from Harvard University and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in administration and policy analysis. He teaches graduate courses on higher education policy, administration and governance, organizational behavior, and research design.