CSU’s Own Named to 2026 ‘Movers and Shakers’ List

Fifth-year Urban Education Ph.D. student and senior care manager of student life Andrew Pausch-Taylor has been named a 2026 “Mover and Shaker” by the Cleveland Professional 2030 Club.

The club recognizes emerging leaders who demonstrate excellence in their careers, a commitment to civic engagement and a dedication to philanthropy.

“I am incredibly honored to be considered alongside other change makers working to elevate the local and national profile of the city of Cleveland,” said Pausch-Taylor. “It has been a great opportunity to represent Cleveland State University — an anchor institution of Northeast Ohio — and the industry of higher education in spaces filled with the organizations many of our students will eventually enter following graduation. The work we do at the university provides so much value to our great city, and it is incredibly validating to be recognized for my contributions to those efforts.”

Pausch-Taylor’s higher education journey began at Cleveland State more than a decade ago as a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEOP) student. Although he ultimately earned his bachelor’s degree elsewhere and a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, his passion for colleges and universities was shaped by his early experiences with classmates, professors and staff at Cleveland State University.

Now working toward his Ph.D., Pausch-Taylor studies the structures and systems that impact underserved and at-risk student populations at the collegiate level. His primary contributions to the university community are through his role as senior care manager within the Division of Student Belonging and Success. 

“In addition to my formal role, I serve as the campus advisor for several student organizations and can often be found in the gym challenging students to pickup basketball games, cheering on our CSU athletics teams or helping out with the Lift Up Vikes Food Pantry & Resource Center,” he said. “I love any opportunity to serve CSU students, and I am excited to soon walk the stage as a graduate of the institution where it all began!”

He credits CSU with playing a major role, noting that his academic discipline is unique in its focus on the structure and evolution of higher education, as well as how adult learners grow, change and develop through engagement with collegiate infrastructure.

“No one attends college for the first time expecting to make a career out of working within a college, but I had, admittedly, a bit of an early start,” said Pausch-Taylor. “Some of my best memories as an emerging adult were in the same halls I now walk as a staff member, and those same feelings of excitement, wonder, challenge and achievement that I felt as a teenager are what drive and guide my work today as we look to create similar experiences and opportunities that promote those same feelings for our students.”

He was quick to give a shout-out to the Division of Student Belonging and Success for their ongoing support as he pursues his doctoral degree.

“I am grateful to the entirety of the Urban Education Doctoral Program, and to my colleagues within the Division of Student Belonging & Success,” he said. “They work incredibly hard to support students in their respective journeys to graduation.”

Learn more about The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club Movers and Shakers