Allan receives Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award

Elizabeth Allan, professor of higher educationUniversity of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy has recognized professor of higher education Elizabeth Allan with UMaine’s 2021 Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award.

Allan has been a faculty member in the College of Education and Human Development since 2000. In her research philosophy statement, Allan notes that her work is rooted in the belief that “higher education can be a driver of social change toward a more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and socially just world.”

She was the principal investigator for a 2008 national study of student hazing, and since then has authored and co-authored numerous articles, chapters, and reports about hazing and its prevention.

She directs stophazing.org, which focuses on promoting “positive school and campus climates through research, information sharing, and development and dissemination of evidence-based hazing prevention strategies,” and has become a nationally cited source of states’ anti-hazing laws, related news articles and strategies for preventing hazing. She also leads the Hazing Prevention Consortium, a research-to-practice initiative designed to contribute to an evidence base for hazing prevention. Allan is a sought-after subject matter expert for groups ranging from the media to the U.S. Senate HELP Committee.

In addition to hazing, Allan’s research on campus cultures and climates includes studies on student engagement, diversity and equity. Her books include “Women’s status in higher education: Equity matters” and “Policy discourses, gender, and education: Constructing women’s status.” Allan’s numerous awards include the Graduate School’s 2019 Faculty Mentor Impact Award, and the College of Education and Human Development’s 2018 Faculty Research Award.

Read more about this year’s Presidential Award recipients at UMaine News.