Christopher R. Marsicano

Christopher R. Marsicano is the Chair of the Educational Studies Department, an Associate Professor of Educational Studies and Public Policy, and the founding director of the College Crisis Initiative (C2i) at Davidson College, his undergraduate alma mater. His research examines public policy and postsecondary education with a special focus on how higher education institutions behave as political actors to impact the policymaking process. He is also interested in how state-and-local-level political decisions impact higher education institutions. As director of C2i, his expanded research portfolio includes working on the public health issues surrounding higher education innovation in the COVID-19 crisis. His research has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals like Educational Researcher and Research in Higher Education, and peer-reviewed government and policy publications like the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His work also has been featured in many national and international media outlets including InsideHigherEd, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, PBS Newshour, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He is also a Forbes Contributor. In the 2024-2025 academic year, he is the Cornelson Faculty Innovator in Residence at the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He earned his PhD from Vanderbilt University, and holds a master of public policy degree from Duke University.