Gloria Jones-Dance begins her work every year, welcoming new faculty and students into the Heritage University community.

But she does more than simply introduce campus resources or outline expectations. She invites both populations into a shared journey grounded in belonging, persistence, and possibility.

Jones-Dance approaches education as both a scholar and a practitioner, committed to improving how students experience learning at every stage of the collegiate journey. And, she practices what she preaches. This spring, she earned her Ed.D. in Learning Analytics in Higher Education. For her, education has never existed in the abstract; it is built in relationships, encouragement, and the steady presence of someone who believes in students’ potential.

“I’m rooting for them their whole journey,” she said. “From the moment we meet, through graduation, and even beyond.”

That commitment is rooted in her own experience. As a first-generation college student, Jones-Dance understands the uncertainty that often accompanies entering higher education without a clear roadmap.

When she was young, she moved with her family from Chicago to Tacoma, Wash. She navigated her new environment and expectations with determination.

“My parents wanted the best for me, but they hadn’t experienced college themselves,” she said. “So I think about what support should look like and how I can help create that for my students.”

Her professional path began in early childhood education, where these experiences shaped her understanding of how learning begins and evolves, laying the foundation for her lifelong focus on human development. Alongside her husband, Peter, she also spent more than a decade in ministry, centering her work on the well-being and education of children and families.

These early experiences continue to inform her teaching philosophy that learning is both developmental and deeply relational.

Since joining Heritage University as an adjunct instructor in 2015, Jones-Dance has become a vital member of the College of Education and the Department of Humanities. She advanced to associate professor, teaching courses in early childhood studies and undergraduate and graduate classes in teacher preparation, while advising pre- education majors. Her leadership has extended across the institution, co-facilitating the Center for Intercultural Learning and Teaching (CILT), leading faculty development initiatives, and serving on Faculty Senate. Recently, she was named the director of CILT.

Across each of these roles, her focus remains consistent.

“It’s about creating a space of belonging and meaning,” she said. “That is foundational to teaching and learning.”

Her perspective is also shaped by a critical understanding of the barriers many students face in higher education. She encourages a more thoughtful view of perseverance, one that acknowledges inequities while emphasizing the role of educators in addressing them.

“People say, ‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,’” she said. “But not everyone begins with the same resources. As educators, we have a responsibility to recognize that and to design environments that support all learners.

Jones-Dance’s own academic journey reflects the persistence she encourages in her students. After earning her undergraduate degree in Child and Family Studies from Washington State University, she continued as an adult learner, completing two master’s degrees, one in Early Childhood Education and another in Business Administration, before pursuing her doctorate.

Balancing full-time work and family life that included guiding her two adult children, both Heritage graduates, required sustained focus and determination.

“I was tired,” she said. “But I stayed committed to the goal, just as I encourage my students to be.”

She credits mentors such as Heritage faculty members, the late Ed Rousculp and Mary James for their encouragement and steady support throughout this journey, for being reminders of the importance of guidance and community within academic spaces.

Today, Jones-Dance integrates her expertise in learning analytics with her deep commitment to student success, examining how data-informed practices can enhance equitable and meaningful learning experiences in higher education. Whether she’s guiding first-year students, mentoring future educators, or facilitating faculty professional development, she approaches her work with clarity of purpose and a deep sense of care.

Through her teaching, leadership, and continued scholarship, Jones-Dance embodies a commitment to higher education that is both rigorous and compassionate and one that affirms the potential of every student and the transformative power of learning.

“I love this work,” she said. “I love being part of a community that is committed to learning and to each other.”