Kristen A. Renn, an internationally recognized scholar of student success and the complexities of student identities, was named a University Distinguished Professor in June 2025. The designation is one of the highest honors bestowed by the Office of the Provost, which celebrates faculty for their notable contributions to teaching, research and service.
Renn joined the College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration in 2001; she became a full professor in 2012. Her teaching has centered in the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education unit, where she is proud to have chaired 46 dissertations to completion, served on 95 dissertation committees and advised more than 145 master’s students. Her long-standing efforts to support individual student success were honored in 2024, when Renn received the Mentoring Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
In 2013, Renn was appointed the associate dean of undergraduate studies and the director of student success initiatives at MSU, a role she held (with various titles) until 2023. From 2023 to 2024, Renn was the senior advisor to the vice provost of undergraduate education. In these roles, she championed rights for underserved students, particularly those within the LGBTQ community. She continued this work in another capacity when she served as the college’s Dr. Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (2021-2024). A cornerstone of this effort was a 2023 symposium focused on LGBTQIA+ students and higher education research, which hosted more than 200 participants.
“Dr. Renn is the preeminent scholar who studies the social contexts surrounding LGBTQ+ students,” Sheneka Williams, professor and chair of the Department of Educational Administration, said in a nomination letter.
In addition, Williams wrote, “Dr. Renn’s peers describe her body of work in research, teaching and service by utilizing terms such as ‘groundbreaking,’ and they have noted that she is a ‘prolific trailblazer’ who is ‘steadfast’ in her approach to the work. As her peers’ letters and her dossier indicate, Dr. Renn has charted a path that has opened doors for generations of scholars who study student success for marginalized students in higher education.”
To date, Renn has secured approximately $7.78 million in external grants as principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator, including over $3 million in funding to research and introduce interventions that could improve undergraduate student success. Renn has served as PI on grants funded by, among others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, and the US Department of Education. Renn has contributed to more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, 13 books and contributed dozens of chapters in edited volumes. With more than 18,000 citations (Google Scholar), Renn is recognized among the top 2% of scientists worldwide, according to Stanford University.
Outside of MSU, Renn has served in numerous leadership and scholarship capacities. Her résumé credits include serving as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) (2018-2019), leading the MSU-APU Student Success Collaborative with Azim Premji University in India (2024), and chairing the National Symposium on LGBTQ Research in Higher Education (2014). She has served on the boards of directors of ASHE and the American College Personnel Association.
She is one of the founders of, and currently serves as the associate editor for, the Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education.
“[Renn's] work is not only cited, it is remembered, lived and applied by those whose lives she has touched,” wrote College of Education Dean Jerlando F. L. Jackson. “To walk with her at a conference is to witness the legacy of a scholar who has opened doors, challenged paradigms and created space for generations of researchers, educators and students to thrive. It is rare to encounter a faculty member whose work so fully embodies the tripartite mission of Michigan State University: research, teaching and outreach. Dr. Kristen Renn has built a career that models excellence across all three — and she has done so with vision, authenticity and unwavering commitment to justice.”
Note: The photo at the top of the page shows Kristen Renn speaking during the 75th anniversary celebration of the Student Affairs Administration master's program.