Contact Jenn
Location: WHIT 370C
Lincoln NE 68583-0866
Phone: 402-472-3423 On campus, dial 2-3423
EmailJennifer Rutt
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Dr. Jennifer Rutt is the Associate Director at MERC and a Qualitative Specialist. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Studies - Leadership in Higher Education focusing on Social Justice, Social Identity, and International topics in 2020, her M.A. in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations from the SIT Graduate Institute in 2011, and her B.A. in International Relations and Politics from Cornell College in 2007. During her time with MERC she has worked on a range of topics, including substance abuse prevention funding from SAMHSA evaluating underage drinking perceptions, behaviors, and community prevention efforts across the state of Nebraska; analyzing public input data for revisions to statewide health education standards; NSF CAREER, REU, and IUSE grant evaluations; as well as projects focused on minority health disparities. Dr. Rutt works with her clients to coordinate and organize data collection, analyze data, write reports, provide training and technical assistance when needed, and provide feedback at various levels. Additionally, Dr. Rutt coordinates qualitative data collection and facilitates trainings on data collection and analysis using MAXQDA, NVivo, and Dedoose software. Dr. Rutt’s personal research interests and experiences include examining international students of Color’s first-year experiences at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), ethnic identity development in heritage scholars (study abroad), working on eliminating minority health disparities, studying Composer Richard Wagner’s impact on German Nationalism (in Berlin, Germany), as well as time in Honolulu, HI focusing on cultural conflict by examining cultural identity with youth.
Expertise
Get to know Jenn!
How did you end up at MERC?
I was working in Research Administration here at UNL for a few years assisting researchers submit grants for funding. Through that work, I met some faculty and staff working in fields related to my degrees. When positions came open to work for them, they encouraged me to apply for a Project Manager position with the unit that would eventually become MERC. Over a decade later, I’ve held multiple positions and am proud to now help lead and direct this hard-working unit!
What are you most passionate about in this field?
Problem solving and exploration of data. There are multiple ways to approach data collection and analysis, but it often comes down to reviewing the broader picture to figure out which approaches are best for the situation. Additionally, I am all about helping provide context around data, while still being clear and concise.
What historical figure would you choose to have dinner/drinks with?
Princess Diana. I was fascinated with her as a child and heartbroken when she passed away when I was in middle school. The way she highlighted human stories and experiences that were often overlooked and/or shunned, as well as how she truly cared about the people she was meeting with and the causes she championed, made her someone that I could admire and aspire to be like. Her work inspired me to want to do something with my life that helped others and highlighted their stories.