Emily Lardner currently serves as the interim vice president for academic affairs at Highline Community College, the most diverse college in Washington state. She focuses on working with others to provide the support needed by faculty and staff to close equity gaps and increase student achievement.
For twenty years, Lardner served as the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education director, based at The Evergreen State College. At the Washington Center, Lardner consulted widely, working with over 150 two- and four-year campuses to implement strategies aimed at improving student success and reducing equity gaps. She collaborated with leaders in higher education to design and facilitate the National Summer Institute on Learning Communities and Using Evidence for Improvement: Teaching and Learning National Institute. She served as the founding co-editor of the open access, peer-reviewed journal, Learning Communities Research and Practice.
Lardner began her career as a writing instructor. Spending hundreds of hours with students in one-to-one appointments, she learned the value of listening to students describe their learning experiences of to guide educational reform efforts. Working with colleagues, she pioneered a shift from a traditional writing assessment to portfolio-based assessments designed to support progressive curriculum reforms.
Education:
Ph.D. | University of Michigan
M.A. | University of Michigan
B.A. | Augustana College, Illinois