Dr. Delma Ramos, an associate professor in the UNC Greensboro School of Education’s Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education, has been at UNCG since 2018. Ramos earned an undergraduate degree in social work, a master’s in student affairs, and a Ph.D. in higher education. Her work focuses on the experiences of underrepresented communities in higher education. Since joining UNCG, she has concentrated on expanding research about Latinx students in the U.S. South.
Why UNCG?
Ramos came to UNCG after earning her Ph.D. from the University of Denver. One of the reasons she elected to come to the university was UNCG’s commitment to engaging with the local community and helping that community advance.
She also felt her department was a good place for innovation. She said, “I have found that the leadership is very supportive of scholars and faculty bringing forth ideas that can help us strengthen our support of students.”
Current Projects
Ramos and her research partners recently concluded collecting data that looks at the experiences of Latinx students across the southern United States and how they experience the socio-political environment of the state and region.
She said, “The academic aspects of their experiences shed light on critical consciousness. These insights have inspired me to explore the social issues impacting their communities, the extent of students’ awareness, and how they engage in advancing or addressing these issues.”
Ramos said, “We understand that students that live in the Southeast, or what some researchers call the Nuevo South region, have unique experiences. But how can we demonstrate that their experiences are so much different from what Latinx students in any other region of the country experience?”
Ramos’ work aims to address this research gap by examining the experiences of Latinx students across 15 Southern states after initially looking at students in just North Carolina and Arkansas.
Ramos also serves as a Faculty Fellow within the University of North Carolina system. Within that role, she is investigating “promising advising practices for supporting transfer students at community colleges in the state.”
Through interviews with advisors who work with community college transfers across the state, Ramos has learned of various models and approaches that are being used to assist community college transfer students. The goal is to help strengthen partnerships between community colleges and UNC system universities.
Working With Students
Ramos believes an important part of her role is to mentor students, specifically master’s and Ph.D. students at UNCG.
She said, “I’m committed to helping them develop skills that will equip them once they graduate to be able to easily transition into becoming independent scholars and helping advance knowledge on important higher education issues.”
Part of the department’s curriculum includes a co-teaching class that allows students to partner with a faculty member to learn classroom management, how to develop curriculum, and how to develop and make sure that students are receiving what they need to learn. Ramos recently had two students co-teaching in the introductory seminar for doctoral students. They met every week to discuss the plan for the class, the reading assignments, and other concepts.
She has also partnered with students who have held similar research interests. She has mentored students in the development of their academic writing skills, how to collect data or do interviews, and in designing research studies.
Ramos said, “My research partners and I empower the students to view themselves as valuable contributors to our work together. And, most recently, the students that we had working with us, they were directly contributing to papers.”
Recently, two UNCG students were co-authors of a paper with Ramos and Dr. Cathryn Bennett and earned the 2024 Distinguished Paper Award from the North Carolina Association for Research in Education.
What To Do With $1 Million
Research and outreach require funding. While most funding is found through grants and internal sources, philanthropic efforts can make a difference in the innovative, life-changing work being done.
Looking at the impact $1 million could have on her work, Ramos said, “I would want to establish a research consortium or a research incubator for scholars who examine experiences of Latinx students in the region.”
The base for this consortium has been built through Ramos’ current work. After publishing numerous papers, she feels that people in the region are more aware of the experiences of Latinx students.
It is taking the next step where this funding would be critical. She said, “We need to make sure that we have infrastructure for our work. Starting with an online repository to showcase our work, we aim to provide public access to our efforts and develop community-focused reports that extend beyond traditional scholarly pieces.”
The funding could also be critical to building community partnerships.
