Visiting Assistant Professor, McKeown School of Education
Alan Acosta is a passionate higher education professional whose work has focused on supporting college students in their psychosocial development and helping them become ethical global leaders. He currently serves as the associate vice provost for student life and director of positive learning environments at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, where he collaborates with students, faculty, and staff on cultivating and nurturing holistic student support, engagement, and wellness.
Prior to his current role, Alan worked at Clark University and Florida State University in a variety of roles and managing numerous campus offices, including student conduct, housing, new student orientation, and accessibility services. In these roles, Alan also coordinated institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, managed campus-wide student crises, and supported campus offices through transition and change.
In addition to his campus-based work, Alan has been actively involved in ACPA – College Student Educators International (ACPA) and the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) throughout his career, and he has served each organization in numerous roles. Alan has also authored numerous articles and chapters for academic publications, and he was a co-editor of a book focused on student conduct in college residence halls.
My research agenda centers around the experiences of students of color in postsecondary institutions, particularly at Predominantly White Institutions. This agenda focuses on the critical examination of culturally-inclusive leadership education, the definition and sense-making of race on the leadership experiences of students of color, the influences of masculinity and Latino leadership development, and understanding the interpersonal and developmental learning of Latino men. My research methodology is primarily qualitative, more specifically narrative inquiry and case study models.
Refereed Journal Articles
Acosta, A., & Guthrie, K. L. (2020). Haciendose un Líder: Leadership identity development of Latino men at a Predominantly White Institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1538192720932472
Acosta, A. (2017). We’ve got high hopes: Using hope to improve higher education. Journal of College and Character, 18(4), 306-312.
Nonrefereed Journal Articles
Acosta, A. (2015). Making hope happen (book review). Journal of College Orientation & Transition, 22(2), 103-105.
Edited Books
Hudson, J., Acosta, A., & Holmes, R.C. (Eds.). (2018). Conduct and community: A residence life practitioner’s guide. Association of College and University Housing Officers – International: Columbus, OH. Co-editors were all established practitioners and colleagues in the student conduct field.
Invited Book Chapters
Acosta, A. (in press). Student conduct. In K. L. Guthrie & C. C. Beatty, Eds.), Operationalizing culturally relevant leadership learning. Information Age Publishing.
Acosta, A. (2021). I mean you no harm: Implicit bias and Black males in higher education. In G. Strohschen & K. B. Elazier (Eds.), Blackmaled by academia (pp. 93-103). American Scholars Press.
Invited Contributing Book Author
Linnell, J. (2009). Off to college: Now what? Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Group.
Fiore, L. (2009). The college roommate from hell. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Group.
Author of Fostering Moral Development blog published bimonthly on the NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education website
See CV for list of presentations.
Alan enjoys spending time with his partner, Danielle, their dog Stella, and their two cats, Ninja and Buster. He loves watching professional wrestling and sports, including cheering for the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He also enjoys reading books and watching movies. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @alanacosta81. ¡Boricua!