Ramona Meraz Lewis

Dr. Ramona Lewis (she/her) is a master faculty specialist of higher education leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology, where she teaches and advises doctoral and master's students. Currently, she also serves as the Director of the Office of Faculty Development, supporting the professional development and advancement of faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants at all career stages and across disciplines. She brings a background in adult learning, college student development, and higher education and student affairs administration to her work as a faculty member.

Dr. Lewis earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University with a cognate in older adult learning, her M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and her B.A. in English from Arizona State University. Her doctoral work included a research assistantship in a faculty development center, where she collaborated on scholarship of teaching and learning projects with faculty across disciplines. She is an alumna of the State of Michigan King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow program.

Before joining WMU in 2012, Dr. Lewis served in academic and student affairs roles at multiple institutions across the U.S., including positions in academic advising, academic support services, first-year experience, new student programs, and campus life. As a practitioner-scholar, she draws upon these experiences to inform her approach to supporting all learners.

Her work as a faculty member centers on teaching and supporting students in exploring themes of leadership development across higher education environments. For 11 years, she directed the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate program at WMU, teaching courses in college environments, foundations of student affairs, intervention skills, global perspectives, and adult learning while advising master's and certificate students. She currently advises doctoral students and serves on dissertation committees. Dr. Lewis is a past recipient of the Mary L. Dawson Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Education and Human Development. Her leadership in the Office of Faculty Development reflects her belief that effective teaching requires both heart work and head work, and that faculty development must address both the technical and relational aspects of teaching excellence.

Committed to creating experiential learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, Dr. Lewis has launched three study abroad programs in Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Dominican Republic. Her international education work encompasses developing globally-focused courses, expanding global internship partnerships, and co-designing an award-winning international global classroom experience. This work, highlighted in numerous publications and presentations, has led to her serving on the Fulbright Specialist Roster (2018-2023) and being selected for the Forum on Education Abroad's inaugural Global Learning Launchpad cohort in 2023. She serves as a faculty associate for the Seita Scholars, leading their study abroad program, and is an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator.

Dr. Lewis remains engaged with current scholarship in student development, adult learning, and teaching and learning in higher education. She serves as a faculty consultant to the National Social Mobility Symposium and as an editorial board member for the Mid-Western Educational Researcher.

Courses Taught

Seita Scholars Study Abroad, Exploring Education & Social Services in the Dominican Republic, Foundations of Higher Education, Higher Education Environments & Administration, Principles & Practices of Adult Learning, Intervention Skills for Higher Education professionals, Field Experience & Capstone seminar in higher education, Leadership in a Changing World

$10,000 (2025, April). Faculty Research and Creativity Activities Award (FRACAA). Western Michigan University. Serve as Lead PI in collaboration with Mallinson Institute on Science Education for a faculty development-focused grant titled: Improving In-class

Groupwork in STEM for Neurodivergent Students Through Instructor-Student Partnerships.

The Forum on Education Abroad Virtual Global Learning Launchpad Scholarship grant

Koru Fundamentals Course, Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults, scholarship grant

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators- Region IVE Research and Practice Grant. Co-principal investigator with Eric Archer. Assessing the Intercultural Development of Graduate Students in a Student Affairs Preparation Program.

Global Classrooms Curriculum Development Grant. Western Michigan University, Haenicke Institute for Global Education. Awarded for the project in partnership with the University of Toronto, Dr. Dave Kim.

Lewis, R. & Hamilton, R. (2024). Special Population Feature: Supporting students with experience in foster care in higher education. In Tremblay, C. W. & Gilfillan, B. (Eds). Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling: A Textbook for Graduate Students and Practicing Counselors. National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Conners, C. E., Hughes, E., Meraz Lewis, R. (2022). Kezar, Adrianna: Designing meaningful change in higher education. In Geier, B. A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81037-5_159-1

Cardona, J. J., Lewis, R. M., Hanke, N. J., Archer, D. E., Desprez, M. J., & Talbot, D. M. (2020). Culture, conflict and student learning: Intercultural development for global and inclusive graduates. In J. M. Schrage & N. G. Giacomini (Eds.), Reframing campus conflict and student conduct practice for inclusive excellence (2nd ed., pp. 322–339). Stylus Publishing.

Lewis, R. B., Beach, A., & Sligh, C. (2025, Nov.). Assessing 15 years of the Academic Leadership Academy. Presentation at the POD Network 50th Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.

Lewis, R. B., Kim, D.Y., & Nuttal, C. (2025, May). Collaborating across for practical experiences/internships in graduate programs in student affairs. Presentation for the 2025 Canadian Assoc. of College and University Student Services, Nova Scotia, ON, Canada.

Steele, B., & Lewis, R. B., & Conners, C. (2024, March). Where you work still matters: A content analysis. Poster session submitted for the ACPA 24 Convention, Chicago, IL.

Lewis, R. B., & McPharlin, A. (2024, March). Development of a study abroad program for college students with lived experience in foster care. Presentation for the 2024 NASPA Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.

Lewis, R. B., & Archer, D. E. (2022, November). Maximizing student learning in international exchange. Presentation for the 2022 European Conferences on Student Affairs and Services (EuCA), Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain.