Dr. Nick Fuselier serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations. Prior to his current role as a faculty member, Dr. Fuselier worked as a student affairs professional in a variety of functional areas including first year experience, college access and student success programs, leadership development, service learning, and community engagement. His work as a professional was recognized by ACPA-College Student Educators International as he was honored as an Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional awardee in 2017. He has also served a three-year term on the ACPA-College Student Educators International Governing Board from 2020-2023. Here at UCCS, Dr. Fuselier served a three-year term as a Co-Chair for Faculty PRIDE -- the university's LGBTQ+ support and advocacy group. He also co-led the efforts of the Service Equity Task Force during the 2023-2024 academic year. Additionally, he was selected for the University of Colorado's Excellence in Leadership (ELP) Program for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Fuselier teaches in-person and online coursework across several programs in the College of Education including: Ph.D. Program in Educational Leadership, Research, and Policy; M.A. in Leadership, Concentration in Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE); B.A. in Human Services; and the M.A. in Counseling and Leadership, Air Officer Commanding Cohort. He also teaches undergraduate leadership courses and helped to create and launch the online Organizational Leadership minor. His teaching has been recognized by students and colleagues alike. In 2021, he received the SAHE Program's Influential Educator award. The following year in 2022, he received the College of Education's Outstanding Teaching award. The NASPA Faculty Council also awarded him the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in 2024. He was selected to serve a two-year term as a Teaching Fellow for the UCCS Faculty Resource Center.

Dr. Fuselier is a qualitative researcher whose research interests are anchored in this guiding question: How can colleges and universities be radically transformed in ways that center the needs and lived experiences of those most marginalized in our campus communities. He is committed to research that complicates common higher education and student affairs practices, centers the experiences of marginalized populations, and generates compelling and transformative implications for practice. He currently is working on three strands of research: 1) advancing critical perspectives in leadership learning and education; 2) examining how colleges and universities can build capacity to serve, support, and advocate for undocumented students; and 3) trauma-informed approaches in student affairs and higher education.

• Leadership education 
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Undocumented studentsTrauma-informed practices in education
  

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, University of North Texas, 2020
• Graduate Certificate in Community College Leadership, University of North Texas, 2020
• M.Ed. in Student Affairs in Higher Education, Texas State University, 2013
• Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (Concentration: Social Justice), University of New Orleans, 2010

• LEAD 8150 -- Advanced Qualitative Research
• LEAD 5260 -- College Student Development Theory
• LEAD 3000 -- How College Students Develop
• LEAD 3030 -- Crisis Management and Response
• LEAD 3600 -- Leadership for Social Change

Mitchell, R., Fuselier, N., & Witkowsky, P. (2024). Recruiting and retaining higher education leaders the rural community college “lifestyle.” Journal of Education Human Resources, 42(1), 26-44.

Witkowsky, P., & Fuselier, N. (2023). Influence of undergraduate student affairs coursework on graduate school transition and professional socialization. Student Affairs on Campus, 6(1), 2-17.

Witkoswky, P., & Fuselier, N. (2023). Influence of undergraduate student affairs coursework on undergraduate engagement. College Student Affairs Journal, 40(1), 90-104.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2023). Meeting the moment: Inside-outside strategies as a critical element to contemporary transformative leadership. In J. Burmicky & C. Hartman (Eds.), Equity-Driven and Social-Justice Oriented Leadership. New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 202 (pp. 159-168). Wiley.

Irwin, L. N., Reynolds., D. J., Bitton, A. L., Hassell-Goodman, S., Teig, T., & Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2023). Insights from a critical inquiry in leadership scholarship. In S. R. Komives & J. E. Owen (Eds.), A research agenda for learning and developing leadership in higher education (pp. 255-271). Edward Elgar Publishing.  

Fuselier, N., & Beatty, C. (2023). Social identities and leadership identity development. In J. E. Owen (Ed.), Deepening Leadership Identity Development. New Directions for Student Leadership, No. 178 (pp. 45-54). Wiley.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2022). “We do it all”: Understanding the experiences of undocumented student resource center professionals. Innovative Higher Education, 48, 457-475.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2021). Enhancing institutional undocu-competence through establishing undocumented student resource centers: A student-encompassed approach. Journal of College Access, 6(2), 132-145.

Tapia-Fuselier, N., Jones, V., & Harbour, C. P. (2021). Uncovering whiteness as discourse: A critical discourse analysis of the in-state resident tuition debate for undocumented students in Texas. Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 29(52), 1-25.

Beatty, C., Irwin, L., Owen, J., Tapia-Fuselier, N., Guthrie, K., Cohen-Derr, E., Hassell, S., Rocco, M., & Yamanaka, A. (2020). A call for centering social identities: Priority 1 of the national leadership education research agenda 2020-2025. Journal of Leadership Studies, 14(3), 1-6.

Kunkle, K., Olivares, C., & Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2020). Understanding Community College Professionals' Competence in Serving, Supporting and Advocating for Undocumented Students in Texas. Paper to be presented at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges Conference, Tempe, AZ. (Conference Cancelled due to COVID-19 Crisis)

Kunkle, K., & Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2020). Promise for All? A Content Analysis of Publicly Funded Community College Promise Programs. Roundtable to be presented at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges Conference, Tempe, AZ. (Conference Cancelled due to COVID-19 Crisis)

Tapia-Fuselier, N., & Kunkle, K. (2020). Connecting In-State Resident Tuition Policies for Undocumented Students to Underlying Political Goals for Education. Roundtable to be presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference Cancelled due to COVID-19 Crisis)

Harbour, C. P., Tapia-Fuselier, N., & Sanders, J. (2020). Developing a Sense of Arendtian "Worldliness" at the Community College. Paper to be presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference Cancelled due to COVID-19 Crisis)

Tapia-Fuselier, N., & Chen, P. D. (2019, November). Doing "soul" work: Understanding the experiences of Undocumented Student Resource Center professionals. Research Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Portland, OR.

Tapia-Fuselier, N., Jones, V., & Harbour, C. (2019, November). Revealing Whiteness as discourse: Analyzing the in-state resident tuition debate for undocumented students in Texas. Research Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Portland, OR.

Tapia-Fuselier, N., Harbour, C., & Wolgemuth, J. (2019, April). Community colleges, neoliberalism, and the implications for students from marginalized populations. Roundtable presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Toronto, ON.

Tapia-Fuselier, N., & Taylor, J. (2019, March). Virtual undocu-competence: An analysis of community colleges' websites. Paper presented at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges Conference, San Diego, CA.

Harbour, C., & Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2019, March). Civic engagement, public space, and the community college. Paper presented at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges Conference, San Diego, CA.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2019, March). Community college campuses respond to the "wind down" of DACA. Paper presented at the ACPA Annual Convention, Boston, MA

Irwin, L., &, Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2019, March). Deconstructing and reimagining StrengthsQuest education through a critical whiteness lens. Sponsored by the Commission for Student Involvement. Experiential session presented at the ACPA Annual Convention, Boston, MA.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2018, August). Advocating for Undocumented Students: An Undocu- Competent Institutional Response Framework. Paper presented at the Texas Higher Education Symposium, Houston, TX.

Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2018, April). Open Access?: Undocumented Students and Community Colleges. Roundtable presented at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.

Tapia-Fuselier, N., Akil, E., and Wright, K. (2018, March). Centering Identity in Strengths- Based Education in Student Affairs. Sponsored by the Coalition for Multicultural Affairs. General session presented at the ACPA Annual Convention, Houston, TX.
 

• ACPA-College Student Educators International, Governing Board Member, Assembly Coordinator for Communities of Practice
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Member
• Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC), Member
• American Educational Research Association (AERA), Member

• AERA Division J Emerging Scholars Workshop, 2020
• UNT Toulouse Graduate School Dissertation Award (Social Sciences Category), 2020
• Outstanding Doctoral Student, UNT Higher Education Program, 2020
• Outstanding Dedication to Professional Service, ACPA Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice, 2020
• Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional, ACPA: College Student Educators International, 2017