The Office of Community College Research and Leadership at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign interviews Peter Bahr

"Nothing about my start in life or my early college experiences hinted at where I would be now or what I would be doing," Associate Professor Peter Bahr tells The Office of Community College Research and Leadership at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "In fact, I often feel out of place in the academy because my background is so different from many of my peers. I don’t know many faculty—in fact, I don’t know any—who put themselves through school by working as a wastewater (sewage) treatment plant operator, or any other blue-collar occupation for that matter."

Bahr was working full-time as a treatment plant operator when he enrolled at Solano Community College. He worked at night and took classes during the day while completing several associate’s degrees. A casual word of advice from his supervisor at the treatment plant pointed him to the next step—a bachelor’s degree. After navigating the confusing process of transferring to California State University, Sacramento Bahr commuted an hour each way to get to class while continuing to work full-time at the treatment plant. Another causal word of advice—this time from his statistics instructor—encouraged him to apply to a graduate program in sociology. As a PhD student at the University of California, Davis, Bahr discovered a passion and knack for research, which led him to research appointments with the California Department of Education and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.

Upon graduating, he accepted an assistant professor appointment in sociology at Wayne State University, where he taught for five years before joining the Marsal School’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Today, Bahr is a nationally recognized scholar and expert on community colleges, student outcomes, and economic mobility. His research focuses on the role of open access public postsecondary institutions in creating and advancing educational and economic opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, displaced workers, older/adult/post-traditional students, citizens returning to society after incarceration, and other marginalized groups.

"This out-of-placeness points to both the incredible potential of community colleges and the extent to which that potential has not been fully achieved," says Bahr. "That I’m here is a miracle; that I’m still out of place says that there is more work to do. So, I’m putting my shoulder to the wheel to do what I can to make the path clearer and the journey easier for others.”