Concentration: Finance and Planning
Degree Obtained: Doctor of Education in International Educational Development, Concentration: Finance & Planning
Current position: Associate Director, Center for Global Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Advisor: Dr. Henry M. Levin
Bio: Donna C. Tonini is Associate Director at the Center for Global Studies and also is an Instructor in the Global Studies Graduate Minor Program, earning a place on the list of UIUC's "Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students". She is also the lead evaluator for Illinois College's Program in Global Studies and Caribbean Studies. Previously, she was a Lead Postdoctoral Researcher in Leadership & Cultural Studies for the National Center for Professional and Research Ethics, and a Research Specialist in the Office of Community College Research and Leadership, conducting research with postsecondary institutions in Singapore and in the U.S.
Something Special About Your TC Experience: At Teachers College, I earned a FLAS Fellowship that allowed me to study Swahili language and culture, which greatly influenced my research and dissertation direction. My research in Tanzania identified the most significant barriers of entry to secondary school that Tanzanian families faced in enrolling their children, including both financial and non-financial variables that affected access, as well as evaluated how current educational policy in Tanzania addressed those barriers and impacted enrollment growth. That research was critical grounding for my evaluation work with community colleges in the U.S., and the mixed method approach I utilized in my fieldwork also was useful for my study in Singapore. The financial analysis skills I learned from my program - especially grant writing and management - also are key in my current position of running the Center for Global Studies, where I steward Title VI and FLAS grants for the benefit of faculty, students and greater campus community. Thus, I am now assisting other students in benefitting from the same grant programs that allowed me to enjoy academic and career success.