The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) selected Dante J. Salto as one of its 2025 “Outstanding Reviewers.”
Salto, a UWM associate professor of higher education, was one of 25 reviewers who received the new award. ASHE is the main organization for scholars and researchers who study higher education in the United States.
Salto was nominated based on his thoughtful, thorough, and constructive feedback on assigned ASHE 2025 conference proposal submissions, according to the organization.
“The insightful comments contributed to selecting papers for sessions and were generative and encouraging for authors,” according to ASHE’s announcement, adding that Salto’s comments were “truly outstanding.”
Such important conferences receive many more proposals for presentations than they can accommodate, Salto explained, so peer reviewers play an important role in narrowing down the numbers.
Salto takes pride in providing constructive insights through reviews.
“It’s unpaid, it’s unrecognized,” he said of the review process, “but I’ve always been very much focused on providing feedback that will be useful for those writing proposals.
We (peer reviewers) do a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that shapes the research showcased in different venues, in conferences and journals. It’s important to make sure that the research is rigorous, relevant, and contributes to the field.
He also sees his ASHE reviewing work as a learning opportunity.
“I get to actually read proposals that are very cutting edge, are relevant, are things that make me want to go to the conference to attend the session.”
While reviewing proposals for conferences and journal articles can be time consuming, it’s a valuable part of the academic experience, Salto said.
He appreciates the feedback he receives on his own work and learning from research across the field. Those insights also inform his teaching, he added.
“We (peer reviewers) do a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that shapes the research showcased in different venues, in conferences and journals. It’s important to make sure that the research is rigorous, relevant, and contributes to the field.” In higher education, the research may go beyond academics, he added.
“We are not just talking to ourselves as scholars, but to policymakers and institution leaders in higher education.”