His areas of research are the economics of postsecondary education and higher education policy, with a focus on college affordability, financial aid, college persistence and completion, and barriers that impact students’ college choice decisions. Dr. Wiederspan earned his PhD and MA in higher education administration from the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. He earned a BA in political science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Wiederspan worked as a policy analyst for the National Student Loan Program in Lincoln, Nebraska.