Ali Schaeffing, PhD, is an assistant professor of geography and director of service learning and community engagement at Russell Sage College. Schaeffing’s research involves critical development studies evaluating the effectiveness of female empowerment programs in Bangladesh and has been supported by a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and a Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship in Public Policy. Her current research seeks to understand and improve refugees’ access to higher education in the US. In 2021, Schaeffing led Russell Sage College in becoming the first Every Campus a Refuge chapter in New York State. Siena College and Hudson Valley Community College also joined this growing national movement, which calls on higher education institutions to directly support refugee families in partnership with local resettlement agencies. Schaeffing and her colleagues piloted the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrant-Albany’s Good Neighbor Team program, leading teams of faculty, staff, and students to provide direct support to recently arrived refugee families. Schaeffing has served on the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center and BirthNet boards. Schaeffing lives with her husband and daughter in the South End in Albany, New York.