Higher Education Finance Research

The time to understand finance is now.

Higher Education Finance Research: Policy, Politics, and Practice filled a void for students, professors, and practitioners by providing them a concise document that examines the field, provides history, definitions of terms, sources of data, and research methods.A decade after being published, we are pleased to share that the second edition of the book is under contract with Emerald Publishing. Expected in late Summer 2026.We are also to pleased to announce the new edition will be co-authored by Christopher M. Mullin and Martha Snyder.

Second Edition highlights

Putting Knowledge at Your Fingertips

Updated Content

Advancements and changes to how we fund and analyze those investments will be included in the second edition.

New Topics

Noncredit, dual enrollment and other financing mechanisms have evolved over the last decade. We introduce and explore each in the second edition.

A Website

Keeping content fresh requires annual updates. This website will allow book owners to access current data.

Help Us Revise the Book

How can the first edition be improved?

We were honored to know the book was available in over 500 libraries across the globe. Both gave guest lectures at universities across the country. Each time we learned from students. If you used the book, please let us know how it can be improved.

What topics need greater attention?

It is a dynamic time for higher education. Please share what we should be sure to focus on when it comes to the funding higher education.

What else should the website include?

To keep content fresh we will build an accompanying website to be released with the book. Share what content you would like to see. Charts? Videos? Quizzes?

email us your ideas, papers you wrote, or requests for content

higher education finance research

Meet the Authors

Christopher M. Mullin

Chris Mullin, strategy director at Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.Previously, he served as director of Strong Start to Finish at the Education Commission of the States, executive vice chancellor of the Florida College System, and assistant vice chancellor for policy and research at the State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors. He also served as program director for policy analysis at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Illinois Education Research Council.

Martha Snyder

Martha Snyder, Partner at HCM Strategists, is an education policy specialist with high-level experience working with federal, state and institutional leaders.Martha provides leadership across the postsecondary team on several major projects and clients. Martha contributes to the postsecondary team on issues of equitable postsecondary finance policies, affordable student pathways and K-12 to postsecondary transitions. She has served several of the firm's largest clients, including foundations, state systems of higher education and university and college systems, and leads a portfolio focused on postsecondary transformation.