Christopher R. Marsicano ‘10
Christopher R. Marsicano is an Assistant Professor of Educational Studies and Public Policy in the Educational Studies Department 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, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He earned his PhD from Vanderbilt University, and holds a master of public policy degree from Duke University.
Rylie C. Martin ‘20
Rylie C. Martin is the Assistant Director of C2i. Rylie has engaged in research on higher education responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and manages C2i’s data collections related to COVID-19, equity/governance, infrastructure, and natural disasters. She has been interviewed for media outlets including NPR, Inside Higher Education, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Prior to working at C2i, Rylie worked on Habitat for Humanity International’s Global Programs Design and Implementation team and specialized in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programming. Rylie earned her B.A. in History from Davidson College.
Nancy D. Fortin ‘23
Nancy D. Fortin is the Research Coordinator for C2i. She is a recent graduate of Davidson College where she earned her B.A. in Political Science. As a student, Nancy was the President of the Davidson College Democrats and conducted research on topics like partisan polarization and inequality in the education system. Off campus, she volunteered as a tutor at Ada Jenkins, assisted in research on voluntary compliance at the American University Washington College of Law, and worked as a legal intern at a law firm in New Hampshire.
