Dr. Dana J. Tribble

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION & STUDENT AFFAIRS (HESA) & DIRECTOR OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENT SUCCESS COURSES (TECH 1001/TECH 1013)

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Dana Tribble is an Assistant Professor of Student Affairs Administration and Director of TECH 1001/1013 at Arkansas Tech University. In her dual role, she oversees the university’s first-year experience courses while teaching in the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program. Dr. Tribble is dedicated to helping students make meaningful transitions into and through college, blending theory and practice to prepare future student affairs professionals to lead with integrity, empathy, and purpose.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Tribble is deeply engaged in institutional service and leadership at Arkansas Tech University. She contributes to numerous committees that advance academic quality, student learning, and institutional excellence. She serves on committees that support the work in strategic planning, student affairs, athletics, human resources, faculty policy, and student learning assessment. Her collaborative leadership reflects a commitment to fostering student success and enhancing the overall campus experience for both students and colleagues.

Her research and publications focus on student engagement, leadership identity development, self-authorship, and belonging in higher education. Through her scholarly work, Dr. Tribble examines how students form connections within academic communities, how professional identity evolves through experience, and how institutions can better support learning and persistence.

Dr. Tribble's multifaceted contributions to academia, community, and professional organizations underscore her unwavering commitment to student success and community empowerment. With her dynamic leadership and boundless enthusiasm, she continues to make a meaningful impact in shaping the future of education.

EDUCATION HISTORY

  • PHD-University of Central Arkansas
  • MS-Arkansas Tech University
  • BSBA-Arkansas Tech University 

PRESENTATIONS

  • "Open Resources & Intelligent Tools: Teaching with OER & ChatGPT" 
    Open Arkansas 2025, Harrison, AR, October 2025
  • "Leveling the Playing Field: A Cross-Institutional Study of Socioeconomic Influence on Student Persistence at Two Public Universities in Arkansas" 
    32nd National Conference on Students in Transition, Virtual, October 2025
  • "OER + ChatGPT = Smarter, Faster, and Freer: A Practical Guide for Educators" 
    The Teaching Professor Online Conference, July 2025
  • "Tools & Resources to Keep Leaders Organized" 
    Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education Conference, Russellville, AR, March 2025
  • "Shared Success: The Revitalization of ACWHE as a Model for Collaboration" 
    Arkansas Student Affairs Association (ArSAA) Virtual Conference, October 2024 
  • “Navigating the Changing Landscape: Adapting to Evolving Graduate Student Dynamics in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) Programs”
    2024 NASPA Region IV-West Conference, Albuquerque, NM, October 2024 
  • "Cultivating Collective Strength: Women Supporting Women in Higher Education 
    2024 NASPA Region IV-West Conference, Albuquerque, NM, October 2024 
  • “HyFlex Courses: Best Practices From Development to Implementation” 
    The Teaching Professor Conference, New Orleans, LA, June 2024
  • "Leveraging Your Student Affairs & Academic Support Strengths to Build Community in Meaningful Ways Through First-Year Seminar Instruction" 
    Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) Virtual Conference, April 2024
  • "Reigniting the Passion for the Field of Student Affairs" 
    Arkansas Student Affairs Association, Conway, AR, March 2024
  • "Are You Looking for a Different Leadership Experience? Learn More About Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education (ACWHE)" 
    Arkansas Student Affairs Association, Conway, AR, March 2024
  • “Research 101 as a Student Affairs Professional” 
    2023 NASPA Region IV-West Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, November 2023
  • “Let the Experts Tell the Story: What Does Your Student Affairs Degree Look Like in 2023?”
    2023 NASPA Region IV-West Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, November 2023
  • “Perceptions of Support by Women in Higher Education Who Balance Multiple Roles: Revealing of the Data 
    2023 NASPA Region IV-West Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, November 2023
  • “(Dis)Connected Generation: Students’ Motivations and Behaviors Associated with Mobile Device”  
    30th National Conference on Students in Transition, Jacksonville, FL, September 2023
  • "Balancing Act: How do Women in Higher Education Who Balance Multiple Roles Perceive Support?"  
    Conference on Higher Education Values, Identity, Belonging and Purpose, Virtual, February 2023
  • "Wishing is Not a Strategy: What Faculty Want and Need to Support First-Year Students" 
    42nd Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience, Virtual, February 2023
  • "Enhancing Support through Establishing the Development of Mentorship Relationships for Women Working in Higher Education Institutions" 
    Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA), Little Rock, AR, November 2022
  • "Who Are Their Leaders? College Student's Perceptions of and Engagement with Campus Leaders and Administrators" 
    Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA), Little Rock, AR, November 2022
  • "College Student Engagement with and Distraction by Social Media" 
    Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA), Little Rock, AR, November 2022
  • "Perceptions of Support by Women in Higher Education Who Balance Multiple Roles" 
    Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Chicago, IL, November 2022
  • "TECH Training: A Campus Collaboration to Rethink Staff Training" 
    Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Chicago, IL, November 2022
  • "The Future is Collaboration: The Partnership Between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs" 
    Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Chicago, IL, November 2022
  • "Trying to Lead My Life: Preservice Teachers Connection Between Leader Identity and Self-Authorship" 
    Association of Leadership Educators (ALE), Kansas City, MO, June 2022
  • "First-Year Student Success Course Holistic Institution Collaboration to Encourage Retention" 
    The American College Personnel Association (ACPA), St. Louis, MO, March 2022
  • “Introducing Social Return on Investment Methodology into Stakeholders’ Decision-Making” 
    The American College Personnel Association (ACPA), St. Louis, MO, March 2022
  • "Charting a Self-Authored Life: What COVID-19 Taught Us About Work/Life Balance" 
    Arkansas Council of Women in Higher Education (ACWHE) Professional Development Day, Virtual, October 2021
  • "Empowering Educators to Build an Engaging Classroom"
    Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators (ArATE), Virtual, September 2021
  • "Toward a Commitment to Assessment as a Student Affairs Administrator" 
    NASPA Undergraduate Student Conference, Virtual, March 2021
  • "First-Year Students' Perceptions of Learning and Connection to the University in the COVID-19 Pandemic World" 
    Adult Higher Education Alliance (AHEA), Virtual, March 2021
  • “Teaching Leader Identity and Grit in First-Year Student Success Courses” 
    Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators (ArATE), Virtual, September 2020
  • “Kindergarten Readiness in Arkansas Public Schools” 
    American Educational Research Association (AERA), Washington, D.C., April 2016
  • “Winds of Change: An Organizational Ethnography”
    Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA), Lafayette, LA, November 2015

PUBLISHED WORK

Tribble, D. J., Holt, A. B., Nadelson, L. S., & Shipp, K. (2025). Bridging School and Community: Stakeholder Insights on Starting a Family-Teacher Organization in a Rural Title I School. International Journal of Educational Studies, 8(6), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.53935/2641-533x.v8i6.538
 
Baldwin, A., Nadelson, L., & Tribble, D. (2024). (Dis) Connected Generation: Students' Motivations and Behaviors Associated with Mobile Devices. Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 7(2), 3-27.
 
Tribble, D. J., & Nadelson, L. S. (2023). Trying to Lead My Life: Preservice Teacher's Connection between Leader Identity and Self-authorship. Higher Education Studies, 13(4), 170-180.
 
Tribble, D. J., Baldwin, A., & Nadelson, L. S. (2022). First-Year Students’ Perceptions of Learning and Connection to the University in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic World. International Journal of Higher Education, 11(4), 62-79.
 
Holt, A. B., & Tribble, D. J. (2022). Supporting #momlife: A Balancing Act–Mom, Student, and Professional. In Handbook of Research on Opening Pathways for Marginalized Individuals in Higher Education (pp. 266-286). IGI Global.
 
Rizzo, S., Tribble, D. J., & Nadelson, L.S. (2021). Who Are Their Leaders? College Students Perceptions of Engagement with Campus Leaders and Administrators. Higher Education Studies, 11(3), 1-43.
 
Tribble, D. J. F. (2020). Teaching Leader Identity and Grit in First-Year Student Success Courses. University of Central Arkansas.
 
Argue, S., Miller, R., Thompson, A., & Tribble, D. J. (2016). Kindergarten Readiness in Arkansas Public Schools. AERA Online Paper Repository.

Recently Taught Courses

  • SAA 6043 - COLLEGE STUDENTS & DIVERSITY
  • SAA 6083 - PRACTICUM I IN SAA
  • SAA 6093 - PRACTICUM II IN SAA
  • SAA 6143 - ADMINISTRATION IN STU AFFAIRS
  • SAA 6283 - ADVISING PRACTICUM
  • SAA 6883 - SP: COLLEGE ATHLETES
  • TECH 1001 - ORIENTATION TO UNIVERSITY
  • TECH 1013 - INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSITY

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