Melissa Whatley, PhD

Melissa Whatley, PhD, is an assistant professor of international and global education at the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute. Her research applies mixed methods and advanced quantitative analytic approaches to improve the understanding of policies and practices that diversify both who is able to access international education and the outcomes of these opportunities, especially within the context of U.S. community colleges. Through her teaching, Whatley aims to present quantitative research methods in a way that is accessible to diverse students with the goal of promoting inclusion in this area of education research. Whatley authored An Introduction to Quantitative Analysis for International Educators (2022) and International Higher Education Research: State of the Field (2020; coauthored with Bryan McAllister-Grande), and she has also published her research widely in journals such as Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Studies in International Education, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. She is an active researcher, writer, presenter, and contributor to various professional associations, including NAFSA. She earned her PhD in higher education from the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education.

Whatley received the 2023 Innovative Research in International Education Award for her article, "Who Enrolls in Internationalized Courses? An Exploration of At-Home Access at One Community College" in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.