EDUCATION
| Degree | Area of Study | University |
|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Higher Education | University of Southern California |
| M.Ed. | Higher Education | University of Southern California |
| B.A. | Communication Studies and English | The University of Alabama |
AWARDS & HONORS
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2020 | UA Bama By Distance Research Fellow, UA College of Education |
| 2019 | Nellie Rose McCrory Faculty Excellence in Research Award, UA College of Education |
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Graduate and doctoral education
Interdisciplinarity
Organizational change in higher education
Qualitative inquiry
GRANT & RESEARCH PROJECTS
- National Science Foundation – NSF Research Traineeship Program (NRT), Alabama Collaborative for Contemporary Education in Precision Timing (ACCEPT), 2023-2028
- National Science Foundation – NSF Research Traineeship Program (NRT), Research to Operations in Data-driven Hydrologic Forecasting and Decision-making (R2O), 2022-2027
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Holley, K.A. (2026). Research communities as learning environments for PhD researchers. In Toom, A., Pyhältö, K., McAlpine, L., & van Tartwijk, J. (Eds.). Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction in University Education. London: Routledge.
- Taylor, S., Holley, K.A., & Kiley, M. (Editors) (2025). Global perspectives on graduate and doctoral education: International case studies (1st edition). London: Routledge.
- Holley, K.A. (2024). Interdisciplinary curriculum. In F. Darbellay (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity (pp. 300-303). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Holley, K.A. & Joseph, J. (2024). Graduate education and government policy in times of crisis: A case study of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 15(2).
- Holley, K.A. (2023). Perspectives on doctoral education in the United States: Challenges and paths forward. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(5).
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Academic Affairs, UA Graduate School (2025- )
- UA College of Education Director of Graduate Student Success (2024-2026)
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Karri Holley is Professor of Higher Education at The University of Alabama. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and assumed a faculty role at UA in 2006. Her research broadly examines the organizational, cultural, and economic influences on the structure and processes of the contemporary university, with an emphasis on graduate education. Dr. Holley has also written extensively on interdisciplinary work in higher education as well as narrative structure and the writing process related to qualitative inquiry.
She has worked on grant-funded projects focused on interdisciplinary graduate education, degree completion in STEM fields, international higher education development, and education evaluation. Her previous professional experiences include a career in graduate admissions at Pepperdine University, and also service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine. She has held several leadership roles in national associations, including chair of the AERA Graduate and Postdoctoral Education across the Disciplines SIG and a member of the program committees for both ASHE and AERA.
Dr. Holley served as editor for Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education from 2014-2022. The journal focuses on scholarship and practice related to graduate education, including master’s and doctoral level, and postdoctoral experiences. The journal publishes scholarly articles from a range of academic disciplines and research methods that represent issues of interest to the international community.