Director of Community Outreach
Cumberland School of Law
134B Robinson Hall
bevans4@samford.edu
205-726-4206

Bianca Evans serves at Cumberland School of Law as the director of Community Outreach. 

Before joining Cumberland School of Law, Evans spent 17 years committed to increasing the access, retention and success of students, staff and faculty in various roles in higher education. Her research interests include access, persistence and retention of first-generation and diverse populations in higher education, determinants and impacts of summer research programs on STEM student success, and program evaluation and assessment in higher education.                                

Prior to joining Cumberland, Evans served as associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida and affiliate faculty in the Department of Psychology. Her previous roles include assistant dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the University Graduate School at Indiana University, director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn University, and Student Affairs Specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally, she taught courses in Anatomy and Physiology at Ivy Tech Community College and Calhoun Community College.

Evans has presented over 500+ recruitment and retention sessions for students, staff, and faculty locally and nationally and helped many students get admitted to and persist to graduation in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tuskegee University, a master’s degree in biology from Alabama A&M University, a PhD in educational psychology and a graduate certificate in Program Evaluation from Auburn University, and an MBA in management from Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and a member of Rock City Church. 

Degrees

  • BS, Biology, Tuskegee University
  • MS, Biology, Alabama A&M University
  • PhD, Educational Psychology, Auburn University
  • MBA, Management, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business 

Teaching & Research Interests

Bianca Evans' teaching and research focus on access, equity,and student success in higher education. She explores evidence-based interventions, educational leadership and the social and political contexts of education. In educational administration, she examines ethics, leadership, community relations and broader policy implications. Her work in educational psychology investigates academic motivation and self-efficacy, while my expertise in research methods includes program evaluation and advanced quantitative techniques.

Presentations

  • Presenter, Breaking Barriers: Exploring Factors that Foster PhD Student Persistence and Academic Success, American Psychological Association (APA), Div 15 Educational Psychology, Denver, Colorado (2025)
  • Presenter, Thriving in Academia: Social Connections, Belonging, and Success for Black Doctoral Students, American Association for Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE), Washington, DC (2025)
  • Presenter, A Catalyst for Social Change: Advocating for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Honolulu, Hawaii (2024)
  • Presenter, Chess not Checkers: Reclaiming the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advantage. NASPA Racial Equity & Social Change Conference. Washington, DC (2023)
  • Panelist, Where are We Now: A Discussion on the State of Admission Six-month Post-
    SCOTUS, Higher Education Consultants Association (2023)
  • Moderator, Women in Leadership: Engaging in Conversations about Influences, Challenges, and Success. CLAS Women’s Diversity & Leadership Summit (March 29, 2023).
  • Presenter, Promoting Equity: Integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in the STEM Education Summer Research Pathway, AAC&U's Conference on Transforming STEM Higher Education. Arlington, Virginia (2022)
  • Guest Lecture, Integrating Diversity and Inclusion into the Mentoring Process, Auburn University, College of Education, Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation and Counseling (2021)
  • Presenter, Broadening STEM Research Opportunities with Institutional Collaborations. AAC&U's 2020 Virtual Conference on Transforming STEM Higher Education. (2020)
  • Co-presenter, Why Persist? Understanding Underrepresented Graduate Student Enrollment beyond the First Year. Ft. Worth, Texas (2017)
  • Co-presenter, Utilizing Summer Bridge Programs: Enhancing College Readiness in Science and Engineering and Improving Student Retention., Washington, DC (2015)
  • Panelist, Sustained Dialogue: The Importance of Non-Cognitive Factors in an Undergraduate Survival Seminar Series, Eastern Educational Research Association, Sarasota, FL (2015)