Associate Professor in the Department of Education Administration at Michigan State University
About
Leslie D. Gonzales is an associate professor at Michigan State University. Leslie's research focuses on (a) legitimacy within academia; (b) relations of power that govern the recognition of knowledge and knowers; and (c) the possibility of agency among academics. Leslie is committed to exposing and challenging both material and symbolic injustices within academia, particularly in the careers of historically underrepresented scholars.
As a Latina, working class, first-generation-college-student-turned-academic who earned all three of her academic degrees from Hispanic-serving institutions, Leslie is incredibly honored to do this work in the name of her family, especially her parents: Thomas W. and Louise D. Gonzales. Leslie often notes, "My parents remain the best teachers I have ever had. Today, I am able to labor with my mind because they have labored-all of their lives-with their hands."
Current Work:
Dr. Leslie D. Gonzales studies the careers of college and university professors. She is particularly interested in understanding how professors with different backgrounds, in different types of colleges and universities, and in different disciplines approach their research and teaching and if and how there are inequitable career outcomes for scholars whose approaches and/or backgrounds are underrepresented within higher education. Leslie aims to inform processes that shape access and mobility within the academic profession, including graduate student preparation, faculty hiring and socialization, and faculty evaluation.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Faculty careers, faculty evaluation, underrepresented scholars, non-conventional scholarship, power, justice
