Tomika L. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence; Assistant Professor and Ed.D. Co-Coordinator, Department of 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
- Ferguson, T. & Davis III, C. (In press). Protest politics and organized resistance in intercollegiate athletics. In Morgan, D. & Davis III, C. (Eds.), Student Activism, Politics, and Campus Climate in Higher Education.
- Zerquera, D., McGowan, B. L., Ferguson, T., & Torres, V. (2017). The burden of debt: Undergraduate students' experiences with paying for their education. College Student Affairs Journal, 35(2), 140-152.
- Ferguson, T. & Satterfield, J. (2016). Black female student-athletes and the performance of hyperathletic femininity. In L. Patton Davis & N. Croom (Eds.) Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success. Routledge: New York, NY.
- Zerquera, D., McGowan, B., & Ferguson, T. (2016). “Yes, no, maybe so”: College students’ attitudes regarding debt. Journal of College Student Development, 57(5), 609-613.
Bio
Dr. Tomika Latrese Ferguson is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Previously, Dr. Ferguson served as the director of noncredit programs and community partnerships in outreach & engagement and an instructor for the College of Education at James Madison University.
Dr. Ferguson’s research centers on the college experiences of women of color student-athletes, in particular she works with and examines the experiences of black female student-athletes through her Black Athlete Sister Circle (BASC) program. Additionally, her work explores issues of affordability and retention for low-income and students of color, and the professional development of K-12 and nonprofit leaders around issues of equity and diversity.
Dr. Ferguson is a first-generation college graduate from Appomattox, Virginia. Prior to working at James Madison University, she served as the 21st Century Scholarship Covenant Program coordinator and research assistant at the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University – Bloomington. Dr. Ferguson has professional experiences working in residence life, enrollment management, and with nonprofit organizations such as the College Advising Corps. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University – Bloomington.