Administration, Leadership, and Technology

Faculty

Robert Teranishi

Associate Professor of Higher Education

Phone: (212) 998-5522
Email:

Robert Teranishi is Associate Professor of Higher Education at New York University and co-director for The National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, a project funded by the College Board.  Teranishi is also a faculty affiliate with The Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy and the Alliance for International Higher Education Policy Studies.  Prior to coming to NYU, Teranishi was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.  He received his B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California Los Angeles.   

Teranishi’s research is broadly focused on interrogating the complex relationship between the social construction of race and ethnicity, the stratification of college opportunity, and the social mobility of racial and ethnic minorities in American society.  His work as a scholar and educator informs these issues by examining the factors that influence the representation, experiences, and outcomes of racial and ethnic populations within the educational pipeline.   

In his work, Teranishi pursues three interrelated goals.  First, he aims to conduct research in a manner that brings the voices of underrepresented populations to the fore in an attempt to diminish the extent to which they are marginalized, misunderstood, and misrepresented in social and institutional research and policy.  Second, his research is unique in its deliberate use of interdisciplinary perspectives and a wide range of research methodologies, including survey-based quantitative analyses of national databases, and qualitative analyses of focus groups, individual interviews, and observations.  Finally, his work is designed to inform and contribute to important policy discussions related to access, equity, and diversity in U.S. higher education.  


Degrees Held

  • Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
    Higher Education and Organizational Change
  • M.A. University of California, Los Angeles
    Education
  • B.A. University of California, Santa Cruz
    Sociology

Awards

  • 2006 : NYU Departmental Research Award
  • 2005 : NYU Departmental Publication Award
  • 2005 : NYU Faculty Star Award Honorable Mention
  • 2004 : NYU Departmental Research and Scholarship Award
  • 2002 : NIMH Postdoctoral Fellow
  • 2001 : Spencer Foundation Research Training Grant
  • 2001 : UCLA GSE&IS Departmental Fellowship Recipient
  • 1996 : UC President's Fellowship

Publications

  • Teranishi, R. T. (forthcoming). Asians in the Ivory Tower: A Study of Race, Social Mobility, and America’s Equity Agenda. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (forthcoming). Demography, community, and the education of Asian American and Pacific Islander students. In W. R. Allen (ed.), Sociology, Demography and Social Change. Oxford: Elsevier Publishers.
  • Teranishi, R. T., & Behringer, L. (2008). Higher education: Stratification and mobility. In T. L. Good (ed.), 21st Century Education: A Reference Handbook. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Teranishi, R. T., & Briscoe, K. (2008). Contextualizing race: African American college choice in an evolving affirmative action era. The Journal of Negro Education, 77(1), 43-65.
  • Park, J., & Teranishi, R. T. (2008). Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions: Historical perspectives and future prospects. In M. Gasman, B. Baez, & C. S. Turner (eds.), Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding Minority Serving Institutions. Albany: SUNY Press.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2007). Race, ethnicity, and higher education policy: The use of critical quantitative research. In F. Stage (ed.), Using Quantitative Research to Answer Critical Questions (pp. 37-49). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2007). Asian American and Pacific Islander activism. In G. Anderson, & K. Herr (eds.), Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice (pp. 198-199). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Allen W. R., Bonous-Hammarth, M., & Teranishi, R. T. (2006). Higher Education in a Global Society: Achieving Diversity, Equity, and Excellence. Oxford: Elsevier Publishers.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2006). State policy and the quest for equity in higher education: Implications for a global society. In W. Allen, M. Bonous-Hammarth, & R. Teranishi (eds.), Higher Education in a Global Society: Achieving Diversity, Equity, and Excellence. Oxford: Elsevier Publishers.
  • Teranishi, R. T., & Briscoe, K. (2006). Social capital and the stratification of college opportunity. In S. Thomas (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on College Students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2005). Black Residential Migration in California: Implications for Higher Education Policy. Oakland, CA: University of California Office of the President.
  • Richardson, R., & Teranishi, R. T. (2005). The Role of State Policy in Higher Education: A Case Study of California. New York: Alliance for International Higher Education Policy Studies, New York University.
  • Teranishi, R. T., Allen, W. R., & Solorzano, D. G. (2004). Opportunities at the crossroads: Racial inequality, school segregation, and higher education in California. Teachers College Record, 106(11), 2224-2247.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2004). Yellow and Brown: Residential segregation and emerging Asian American immigrant populations. Equity and Excellence in Education, 37(3), 255-263.
  • Teranishi, R. T., Ceja, M., Antonio, A., Allen, W. R., & McDonough, P. (2004). The college-choice process for Asian Americans: Ethnicity and social class in context. The Review of Higher Education, 27(4), 527-551.
  • Teranishi, R. T., Allen, W. R., Solorzano, D. G., & Smith Maddox, R. (2004). Separate But Certainly Not Equal. Los Angeles, CA: Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2002). Asian Pacific Americans and Critical Race Theory: An examination of school racial climate. Equity and Excellence in Education, 35(2), 144-154.
  • Allen, W. R., Teranishi, R. T., Dinwiddie, G., & Gonzalez, G. (2002). Knocking at freedom’s door: Race, equity, and affirmative action in U.S. higher education. Journal of Public Health Policy, 23(4), 440-452.
  • Teranishi, R. T. (2002). Myth of the super minority: Misconceptions about Asian Americans. College Board Review, 195, 16-21.
  • Sax, L., Ceja, M., & Teranishi. R. T. (2001). Technological preparedness among entering freshmen: The role of race, class, and gender. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24(4), 363-383.
  • Allen, W. R., Bonous-Hammarth, M., & Teranishi, R. T. (2001). Stony the Road We Trod: African American Access and Success in California Higher Education. Los Angeles, CA: The James Irvine Foundation.

Editorial Boards

  • Journal of College Student Development, Editorial Board Member
  • Journal of Negro Education, Editorial Board Member
  • Journal of Urban Education, Reviewer
  • Journal of Equity and Excellence in Education, Reviewer
  • Anthropology and Education Quarterly, Reviewer

Courses

  • Higher Education and Contemporary Society
  • Diversity in Higher Education
  • Research Methods and Techniques in Higher Education
  • Doctoral Seminar in Higher Education

Research Interests

  • Higher education and social mobility
  • Access and participation in higher education
  • Racial segregation and school effects