Thought Leadership

Contributions to Education and Beyond

Overview

I believe ideas are most powerful when they help people think differently, act intentionally, and create meaningful change. My thought leadership reflects a commitment to advancing conversations about student success, educational equity, leadership, and organizational transformation through scholarship, writing, public speaking, and community engagement.

My work centers rural students, Men of Color, and the systems, relationships, and leadership practices that cultivate opportunity and belonging. Grounded in asset-based perspectives, I seek to move conversations beyond deficit narratives and toward possibility, potential, and thriving.

Through peer-reviewed scholarship, practitioner-focused writing, keynote presentations, workshops, podcasts, and community partnerships, I strive to bridge the gap between research and practice. I value collaborative inquiry and collective learning, recognizing that meaningful change is rarely accomplished alone.

I contribute to the field by reviewing proposals for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, particularly in Division J – Postsecondary Education and Division J Section 6: Society, Culture, History, and Change, and by serving as a peer reviewer for The Rural Educator. These opportunities allow me to support emerging scholarship while helping strengthen our collective understanding of educational equity and student success.

My current areas of interest include:

Rural student success and educational attainment
Rural Black men and higher education
Educational equity and organizational change
Asset-based frameworks in education
Culturally responsive teaching and leadership
Student success and belonging
Leadership for systemic change
Community-engaged research and practice

Current Writing Projects

The Ascender Framework: A conceptual article introducing the Ascender Framework, a critical and asset-based model grounded in my dissertation findings and continued reflection on the experiences of rural Black men in higher education.

Cultivating Success Among Rural Black Men in Higher Education: A research article examining the experiences, relationships, strengths, and conditions that cultivate success among rural Black men navigating higher education.

Featured Conversations and Media

In addition to my writing and scholarship, I enjoy contributing to conversations through podcasts, interviews, webinars, newsletters, and other media platforms. These opportunities allow me to share research, reflect on practice, and engage broader audiences in discussions about leadership, educational equity, rural communities, and student success.

This section includes selected podcasts, interviews, articles, and media features where my work has been highlighted, referenced, or discussed.

I genuinely enjoy collaboration and welcome opportunities to write, speak, research, and learn alongside others. If you are interested in exploring ideas, developing projects, or collaborating on scholarship, I would love to connect.

Book Chapters

Forthcoming in 2026

Marlow-McCowin, J., Cain, E. J., & Carpenter, E. (in press). Reflections on research: Using critical, asset-based frameworks to study rural college students. In E. McHenry-Sorber and S. L. Hartman (Eds.), Critical theory in rural education: Power, place & justice.

Marlow-McCowin, J. & Cain, E. J. (2025). “I feel like where we are from also matters”: Supporting race and place-based identity development on campus. In J. A. McElderry & S. Hernandez Rivera (Eds.). Developing an intersectional consciousness and praxis in antiracist efforts. Information Age Publishing.

Parker, E.T., McCowin, J.A., Katopol, N., Robbins, T., Ferguson, A, & Henfield, M.S. (2018). When the cheers fade: Rethinking college transitions for black male student-athletes and reframing success. In L. A. Castenell, T. C. Grantham, & B. Hawkins (Eds.), Recruiting, retaining, and engaging African-American males at selective public research universities: Challenges and opportunities in academics and sports (165-180). Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Journal Articles

Forthcoming in 2026

Marlow-McCowin, J. (in press). "See it through": How rural Black men persist and graduate in higher education. The Rural Educator.

Whitehead, M. A., Reynolds, M., & Marlow-McCowin, J. (February 2025). “Come get your people!”: An endarkened analysis of white college students’ intraracial conversations about race. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2025.2470924

Marlow-McCowin, J. (2025). A systematic review of research on the experiences of rural Black men attending four-Year institutions within the US since 2002. The Rural Educator, 46(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1449

Goode, C., & Marlow-McCowin, J. (2024). “This class is truly revolutionary”: Facilitating Men of Color success in the classroom. About Campus, 28(6), 50-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/10864822231195842

Marlow-McCowin, J., Ottley, J., & Pérez II, D. (2020). Translating rural Latinx students’ cultural wealth to college campuses. New Directions for Student Services, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20366

Parker, E.T., Barnhardt, C.L., Pascarella, E.T., & McCowin, J.A. (2016). The impact of diversity courses on college students' moral development. Journal of College Student Development, 57(4), 395-410.

Poetry

Willow, N. & Marlow-McCowin, J. (2020, November 13). Gather: A community poem. Exposure: SUNY Delhi’s electronic publication for students, staff, and faculty.

Read the Poem

Featured Conversations and Media References

Rural College Students: Place, Identity, Systems, and Institutional Responsibility | Student Affairs Now

Rural students are on every college campus and yet they remain largely invisible in our equity conversations, our institutional design, and our student affairs practice. Elise Cain, Ty McNamee, and I have each dedicated our work to understanding what it actually means to come from a rural place, to carry that identity into a college environment, and to navigate the intersections within higher education.

"Higher Education Professionals Urged to 'Retool' Amid Wave of Institutional Closures and DEI Rollbacks"

Article highlighting how higher education professionals are navigating a turbulent landscape shaped by institutional closures, diversity, equity, and inclusion rollbacks, and shrinking job stability. It highlights strategies practitioners are using to stay resilient, visible, and adaptable in their careers during this period of change.

"New fellowship advances commitment to racial justice"

This Binghamton University news feature covers me as the inaugural recipient of the Fellowship for Racial Justice, established in honor of doctoral student Dominic Davy. It highlights my doctoral research on rural Black men persisting through higher education and my journey from a first-generation college student in rural Virginia to a scholar-practitioner.

"MOSAIC Celebrates One Year! SUNY Delhi’s Multicultural Center is a 'sanctuary' for students"

This SUNY Delhi feature marks the one-year anniversary of the MOSAIC Multicultural Center, a campus hub supporting students. The piece captures student and staff voices on how MOSAIC fostered belonging and community on campus.

"SUNY Delhi Men of Distinction"

This SUNY Delhi feature profiles the Men of Distinction Academy, an initiative by SUNY Delhi's Multicultural Center that focuses on fostering personal growth and academic success. Student voices in the piece speak to the program's lasting impact on their confidence, sense of recognition, and support system in college.

"MOSAIC Multicultural Center: A Grand Opening welcomes New Student Center to Campus"

This SUNY Delhi feature introduces the MOSAIC Multicultural Center, which opened in Fall 2018 with an official grand opening that October. MOSAIC became a space for connection, dialogue, and personal growth for the wider campus community. The piece highlights the vision behind the Center, including early programs like the Men of Distinction Academy.

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