Tomika L. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Asst. Dean, Student Affairs And Inclusive Excellence; Asst. Professor, Educational Leadership
Education
- Ph.D. in higher education, Indiana University – Bloomington
- M.S.Ed. in higher education and student affairs, Indiana University – Bloomington
- B.A. in American studies and African-American and African studies, University of Virginia
Research interests
College experiences of women of color; college athletics and holistic development of student-athletes; leadership of K-12 and early childhood educators; diversity and equity
Career highlights
- Founder of the Black Athlete Sister Circle (BASC) program for black women student-athletes at Division I institutions
- Research on Black women student-athletes featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education (link: https://diverseeducation.com/article/113887/)
- Elected as the secretary/treasurer for the UPCEA Regional South Council (2017)
- Recipient of the Indiana University Graduate School – Educational Opportunity Fellowship
Recent publications
Brown, L. E. C., Chen, C., Ferguson, T., Szto, C., Weems, A. J., & Welch, N. (2023). “Futures—Past,” A Reflection of 40 Years of the Sociology of Sport Journal: An Introduction. Sociology of Sport Journal, 40(4), 346-351.
Ferguson, T. (2023). Safe space as resistance. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, Special Issue, 121-14Kluch, Y., Anderson, S., & Ferguson, T. (2023). How can organizations better support athletes? A case study of the impact of Covid-19 on minoritized communities in intercollegiate sport. In T. Renter & D. Burns (Eds.), Social Issues in Sport Communication: You Make the Call. Routledge.
Ferguson, T., & Bonds, M. S. (2022). Moving from Underprepared to Prepared: Educators' Facilitating Conversations about Race with Black Girl Student-Athletes. In African American Young Girls and Women in PreK12 Schools and Beyond: Informing Research, Policy, and Practice (pp. 95-117). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Bio
Dr. Tomika L. Ferguson is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Ferguson’s research centers on the intersection of race, gender, sport, and educational equity. Her work examines the experiences of Black girls and women in K-12 and higher education, college sports and athletic identity, activism and agency, and inclusive and equitable leadership practices for leaders in education, non-profits, athletics, and corporate spaces. Dr. Ferguson is the founder of the Black Athlete Sister Circle (BASC), a holistic development program for Black women student-athletes in higher education institutions.
She received the 2020 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaching Association (IWLCA) President’s Cup Award, 2020 VCU School of Education Outstanding Mentor Award, and the 2022 VCU School of Education Outstanding Team Award. Dr. Ferguson's scholarship and community-engaged work have been included in the Journal of College Student Development, College Student Affairs Journal, Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, and Sociology of Sport Journal. She also served as a panelist for the Congressional Student-Athlete Caucus and is an active member of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and Chair of the Inclusion, Equity, and Organizational Development (IEOD) Committee.
Dr. Ferguson is a first-generation college graduate from Appomattox, Virginia. She has professional experience working in community engagement, workforce development, residence life, enrollment management, and college access. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia where she was an All-American track and field student-athlete and school record holder, and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University – Bloomington in Higher Education.