Profile for Tori Svoboda

Research and publishing

As a full-time administrator for over 20 years, my contributions were primarily through presenting and leading professional associations rather than publishing. Still, since becoming an assistant professor in 2014, I have contributed the following to our field.

Svoboda, T., & Lozano, A. (2021). Critical social class and leadership practices. New Directions of Student Leadership, 2021(169), 23-31. [Link in UWL library]

Svoboda, V. (2019).  “I could always go back to being a bartender”: Musings of an ambivalent academic.  In S. Ardoin & b. martinez (Eds.), Straddling class in the academy.  Stylus.  

Svoboda, V. (2018). Considering class in academic and career advising.  NASPA Knowledge Community Publication, pp. 58-59. [Link]

Svoboda, V. (2016). Grounding versus lifting: Mobility of student affairs educators from working-class backgrounds. NASPA Knowledge Community Publication, pp. 56-58. [Link]

Svoboda, V., Boyle, K. M., & Ponasik, N. (2016).  Faculty perceptions of graduate online student affairs education: Skeptics and fans.  Distance Teaching & Learning Conference Proceedings, pp. 39-44.  [Link]

Svoboda, V., & Vianden, J. (2015). Challenging straight White college men (STR8WCM) to develop positive social justice advocacy. ACPA Developments, 12(4). [Link]

Vianden, J., Berry, M., & Svoboda, T. (2019). Challenging heterosexual White college men to engage in campus diversity efforts: An orientation imperative. Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention 26(1), 4-16.

I led two additional research projects. The first, studying online graduate education in student affairs, aims to explore faculty perceptions about whether this delivery system could enhance the diversity of our profession. This project was awarded a faculty research grant from ACPA in 2015. We presented preliminary results at ACPA in 2016 and had our first article published in summer 2016.

The second, studying academic early alert systems for undergraduate students of color, is an attempt to learn student experiences with such systems and the extent to which they may activate stereotype threat. This project was awarded a catalyst research grant from NODA in 2015. I presented results at NODAC in 2015 and 2016.

McNair Scholars gives me the chance to work with exceptional undergraduate students on their research. In 2015, Ebony Phillips and I were able to present our work on multiracial students with white passing privilege at the NASPA Multicultural Institute and in 2016, I worked with Cristian Noriega-Sagastume on a project related to polarity management and the social justice educator practice of calling in/out.

With colleague Dr. Buffy Smith, Sociology, University of St. Thomas, I co-edit the Social Class in Education series from Lexington.  Books we have published thus far include: 

Ardoin, S. (2017). College aspirations and access in working class rural communities:  The mixed signals, challenges, and new language first generation students encounter. [Link]

Hurst, A. (2019). Amplified advantage: Going to a “good” college in an era of inequality. [Link]

Roberson Lathe, T. (2017). The working class student in higher education:  Addressing a class-based understanding. [Link]

Additional professional affiliations include:

SJTI - Social Justice Training Institute - participant in 2003, renewal in 2006, intern in 2012

ACPA - College Student Educators International - former Board member of the Commission for Commuter Students and Adult Learners and of the Minnesota College Personnel Association. Presenter and facilitator at ACPA's Institute for Social Justice in 2010. Member since 1995.

NACADA - National Academic Advising Association - pre-conference workshop presenter in 2012.

ASHE - Association for the Study of Higher Education - early career faculty teaching workshop participant in 2010.

NODA - Association for Orientation, Transition, & Retention in Higher Education - as member of research committee, helped craft organization's first research agenda. NODA was my professional home for many years, as I served as the MN State Coordinator for four years, hosted a regional conference when I was at UW-Madison, and presented at both the national and regional conferences over 20 times.

I have also presented at the annual NAFSA and ACHA conventions, as well as MN and WI career conferences.