Ben Meoz – 2021 Graduate
Ben Meoz is interested in examining supervisor communication behaviors within the supervisor-supervisee dyad when there are major social identify differences present. Raised in Las Vegas, Ben is an alumnus of the University of California at Santa Barbara and received his Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont, where he worked professionally after graduation. Following his time in Vermont, Ben worked as a campus administrator in the area of university housing at Cornell University and California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Currently Ben serves as the Administrator for Apartment Life at the University of Washington where he oversees the delivery of the experiential program and support services to residents of UW’s apartment facilities. Throughout his career Ben has worked with diverse teams of professionals which has cultivated his interest in how supervision across identity differences can increase staff sense of belonging and support.
What attracted you to the IPhD program?
I was attracted to the program because it allowed me to find a home for a topic that I am passionate about and allowed me to draw on several disciplines and work within the intersections. The program also allowed me to consider my overall work and life, and pace the courses to fit my needs.
What is your research focus?
Inter- or cross-cultural supervision within the human services and education is my research focus. I want to delve into the behaviors of supervisors within these contexts where employee identity is highly salient given the scope of work they do. I want to know what steps supervisors can be taking as they build supervisory relationships to ensure that a diverse staff feel supported and a sense of belonging.
How does pursuing the IPhD degree benefit your long-term research goals?
The IPhD allows me to draw a deeper degree of knowledge in the respective disciplines so that I can focus on the experiences of staff and faculty in the contexts, whereas research more often focuses on the recipients of services in these contexts rather than the providers.
What was/were your favorite course(s) as a master’s student?
Having recently done some graduate level work at UW, this is a challenging question! My Relational Communication class with Professor Crowley really had my brain on fire this past year and has been excited to start the IPhD program. During masters I took a course on Scholarly Personal Narrative Writing that infuses personal narrative with scholarly sources to unpack experiences. It was incredibly liberating and really had me thinking about individual experiences in our fields.
What advice would you give to other people thinking about the IPhD program?
First, give yourself a timeline and know that you will spend most of it meeting with faculty members. Find your topic or variations of your topic, then start looking for the disciplines that relate to them. Don’t be afraid to email the departments for ideas on faculty that might have related research or publication interests. Also, I’m happy to meet with those interested in the program to talk about my experience meeting with faculty and putting together materials to help with those meetings.
What is something you are exceptional at that might surprise people to learn about you?
I don’t know that I’m exceptional in terms of speed, but I’m a determined trail and distance runner. It isn’t something folks would know meeting me.