Dr. Joycelyn Hill Alabama State dissertation dissertation win is more than an academic honor — it is the foundation of a new educational pathway connecting two historically Black institutions.
Hill, a Valley, Alabama native and double Alabama State University alumna, won the 2026 Dissertation of the Year award in the Qualitative-Based Method track at Alabama State for her doctoral research on Black women leaders working in institutional research, assessment, and accreditation at HBCUs. Her win directly inspired a formal memorandum of understanding between Alabama State and Morris Brown College in Atlanta — where Hill now serves as director of institutional effectiveness — creating a streamlined graduate school pipeline between the two HBCU institutions. That pipeline is already open and accepting students.
A Journey That Started at Alabama State…