Staff Members
Don Rubin (CASSIE Co-PI)
Don is professor emeritus of Communication Studies, Language and Literacy Education, and Linguistics at the University of Georgia. He is also affiliated with UGA’s Center for Health and Risk Communication. He teaches intercultural communication and English as an Additional Language, especially in health contexts. He directed the program for international teaching assistants at UGA, and much of his published research examines US undergraduates’ linguistic stereotypes of international instructors. Rubin has led education abroad classes to Australia’s Northern Territory and to Israel to study communication, culture, and health. He has been a Fulbright scholar at Thai Nguyen University in Vietnam and at Tel Aviv University in Israel. Rubin was research director for the Georgia Learning of Students Studying Abroad Initiative (GLOSSARI; Richard Sutton, PI). GLOSSARI arguably remains one of the most ambitious and rigorous studies to date of learning outcomes accruing from education abroad. He continues work with a variety of collaborators on international learning outcomes assessment, especially with respect to sustainability education and global citizenship.
Angela Bell (CASSIE Project Director)
Angela is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis for the University System of Georgia. Her division is responsible for meeting the information needs of the University System ranging from overseeing collection of data from the system’s 26 campuses, responding to internal and external data requests, and conducting research and analysis to guide policy, decision making, and student success initiatives. Her own research interests focus on student access to, and success in, postsecondary education, especially for underserved populations. Before coming to the USG, Angela worked at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission as the Vice Chancellor of Policy and Planning and also taught high school Latin for nine years. She earned a doctorate in Higher Education Administration and a M.Ed. in Language Education at the University of Georgia. She earned her B.A. in Classics at Princeton University.
Rachana Bhatt (CASSIE Senior Scientist)
Rachana is the Executive Director of Research and Policy Analysis for the University System of Georgia. She responds to data requests, participates in data collection from the 26 institutions, and conducts research and analysis to guide education policy. Her own research evaluates education policies and programs in K-20 settings, with the goal of translating data into usable information for informed decision-making and problem-solving. Before coming to the USG, Rachana worked as an Assistant Professor at Georgia State University. She earned a doctorate in Economics at the University of Rochester, and B.S. at The Ohio State University.
Coryn Shiflet (CASSIE Research Associate)
Coryn Shiflet is a CASSIE Research Associate, serving as a subject matter expert on education abroad/international education and contributing to and leading on the creation of reports, presentations and journal articles to be distributed (inter)nationally. She designs and builds the infographics - showcasing descriptive statistics and outcomes. Most recently, Coryn Shiflet served as the Assistant Director of International Education for the University System of Georgia. She advocated for International Education; wrote policies and procedures, led and developed workshops and trainings, and served as a main resource for education abroad best practices for the system. Prior to joining the USG, Coryn worked at Northwestern University and then spent four years in the United Kingdom working at institutions within the University of London. Coryn studied abroad in the UK and Brazil and participated in professional staff exchange programs in Germany, Norway, and Croatia and received a Fulbright award for the International Education Administrator seminar to Japan. She earned a M.A. in Geography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. in Sociology from The Pennsylvania State University.
Leslie Hodges (CASSIE Research Associate)
Leslie is a Research Associate in the Research and Policy Analysis department for the University System of Georgia. She responds to data requests, participates in data collection from the 26 institutions, and conducts research and analysis. Her own research has covered a variety of education and language acquisition topics for kids as young as two all the way to adults learning to read. Before coming to the USG, Leslie worked as a Data Analyst for the DeKalb County School District. She earned a doctorate in Developmental Psychology at Georgia State University, and B.A. in Psychology with a minor in linguistics from the University of Colorado.
Sean Baser (CASSIE Graduate Assistant)
Sean served as a research associate for CASSIE and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Georgia. His own research examines the politics of education and education policy, concentrating on interest group activity, intermediary organizations, governance, accountability, and community colleges. Before coming to the USG, Sean served as a graduate assistant in the Dean of Students office at the University of Houston and as a graduate research assistant for an NSF study of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship in the Institute for Education Policy Research & Evaluation. He earned a M.Ed. in Higher Education at the University of Houston, a B.S. in Political Science and a B.S. in Management Information Systems at Oklahoma State University, and an A.S. in Business Administration from Tulsa Community College.