Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza, Ph.D.

About

Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Counseling and College Student Personnel at Cal Lutheran University. Her current research interests revolve around Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs; e.g., dual- and multiple-designated MSIs, Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)) and federal racial data classifications. Her research has been published in avenues such as the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and Association of Mexican American Educators Journal.

Prior to doctoral study, Espinoza worked full-time as the Student Affairs Officer in the UCLA Asian American Studies Department. She was part of the later advocacy effort for the Pilipino Studies minor (the first in the University of California system) and coordinated UCLA's 1st and 2nd Ethnic and Indigenous Studies Welcome.

Espinoza earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education and Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Proudly raised in Carson, California, she was a community college transfer student from Long Beach City College to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she earned her B.A. in Biology, B.A. in Anthropology, and M.Ed. in Educational Administration.

Education

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• M.Ed. in Educational Administration, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
• B.A. in Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
• B.A. in Anthropology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

Expertise

Publications

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

1. Ngo, F., Espinoza, K. J. C., Lee. D., & Teranishi, R. (2024). “We will come to you”: Serving newcomer immigrants and English learners at an AANAPISI community college. Innovative Higher Education. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-024-09763-z
2. Espinoza, K. J. C., Rincón, B. E., Drake, B. M., Harbin, J. J., & Ethelbah, K. (2024). Oceania in the desert: A QuantCrit analysis of the (under)counting of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students at an AANAPISI-HSI. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2024.2349671
3. Espinoza, K. J. C., & Rincón, B. E. (2023). Color-evasive/conscious? A content analysis of how engineering faculty discuss race and racism in a U.S.-based equity-focused STEM professional development program. Education Sciences, 13(3), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030233  
4. Ngo, F., & Espinoza, K. J. C. (2023). “Now we come here, we feel it”: Experiences of anti-Asian racism among community college students in ESOL programs. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2023.2189178 
5. Dizon, J. P. M., & Espinoza, K. J. C. (2023). The race-conscious university must be defended. Amerasia. https://doi.org/10.1080/00447471.2023.2280123 
6. Espinoza, K. J. C., & Watson, R. T. (2022). In the hands of students: The charge of a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) student council at a dual-designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and Hispanic-Serving Institution. AAPI Nexus Journal: Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Policy, Practice and Community, 18(1-2), 35-56. http://www.aapinexus.org/2022/03/29/article-in-the-hands-of-students
7. Nguyen, M. H., Espinoza, K. J., Gogue, D. T.-L., Dinh, D. M. (2021). AANAPISIs in context and practice: Strategies for serving Asian Pacific Islander Desi American students. About Campus, 26(1), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086482221994121   
8. Alcantar, C. M., Rincón, B., & Espinoza, K. J. (2020). In a state of becoming: How institutions communicate Asian American and Pacific Islander- and Latinx-servingness through campus artifacts. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 14(3), 104-119. https://doi.org/10.24974/amae.14.3.405 

POLICY REPORTS AND BRIEFS

1. Espinoza, K. J. C. (2024). Overview of Minority-Serving Institutions in the United States. State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. Retrieved from https://sheeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MSI-White-Paper.pdf
2. Nguyen, M. H., Gogue, D. T.-L., Espinoza, K. J. C., Neilson, P. A., & Venturanza, R. J. (2023). Celebrating 15 years of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions: Exploring how colleges and universities become AANAPISIs; serve Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students; and institutionalize their initiatives. Washington, DC: APIA Scholars. https://apiascholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AANAPISI_NationalReport_2022_Digital.pdf 
3. Nguyen, M. H., Gogue, D. T.-L., Espinoza, K. J. C., Neilson, P., Venturanza, R. J., Ajinkya, J., & Mendiola, F. (2022). Research and policy brief: AANAPISI growth and impact. Washington, DC: APIA Scholars. https://apiascholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AANAPISI_GrowthImpactReport_2022.pdf 
4. Nguyen, M. H., Espinoza, K. J., Gogue, D. T.-L., & Dinh, D. M. (2020). Looking to the next decade: Strengthening Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions through policy and practice. National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED608022.pdf    

INVITED BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Espinoza, K. J. C., & Wang, A. C. (In Press). Centering community: Toward racially and culturally responsive leadership at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions. In G. R. Serna, F. M. Guido, & G. Pulido (Eds.), Administration, finance, and budgeting in higher education and student affairs: Integrating theory, research, and practice. Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Inc.
2. Nguyen, M. H., Gogue, D. T.-.L., Espinoza, K. J., Duncan, B. C., Venturanza, R., & Dinh, D. (2024). An Overview of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) as Critical Sites for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) Students in Higher Education. In T. J. Davis, P. A. Sasso, & S. Price-Williams, Institutional Diversity in American Postsecondary Education. Information Age Publishing. https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Institutional-Diversity-in-American-Postsecondary-Education

Grant Funding

"Echoes of Ethnic Studies at an Emerging AANAPISI-HSI: Towards Connecting a College Student Personnel Program to Racial Justice"
California Lutheran University Hewlett Grant, 2025
$250

"Are Minority-Serving Institutions Serving Multiracial Students? Examining Two or More Races Graduation Rates across MSI Designations"
California Lutheran University Hewlett Grant, 2024
$1,000

"An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study of How Institutions Negotiate Dual Minority-Serving Institution Designations"
NASPA Channing Briggs Small Research Grant, 2024
Principal Investigator, $5,000