Rob Toutkoushian co-authored a report, funded by the Joyce Foundation and published by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, that demonstrates an association between higher education funding patters on graduation rates. The researchers analyzed data over 12 years at public four-year institutions in the United States. They found increases to institutional appropriations tracked with increases to […]
News
Archive for 2021
Report Provides Evidence of Effect of Funding on Graduation Rates
Fall Graduates 2021
The McBee Institute proudly announces the following students earned their degrees during the fall 2021 Ahmed Banya (EdD)- senior operations manager at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Parris Baker (MEd)- fiscal affairs manager in the UGA VetMed Center of Vaccines and Immunology Andy Brantley (EdD)- president and CEO, College and University Professional Association […]
Strong Numbers Show GCAC Impact in 2021
by Renni Turpin Over the last semester, GCAC schools and advisers have acclimated to the “new normal,” though complications of the pandemic linger. Invigorated by in-person classes, GCAC advisers are meeting with students face-to-face, finding students as they walk to class, and building a college-going culture throughout the school. To date, GCAC advisers have met […]
Ness Leads Exchange with Colleagues from Cote d’Ivoire
Erik Ness hosted a great exchange yesterday in Meigs Hall. A delegation from International University of Grand-Bassam met with UGA administrators and faculty to talk strategic planning. The meeting was part of a US State Department university grant project, initiated by The Andrew Young Foundation, with our partners at UGA Office of Global Engagement, Mary […]
Blanchard Looks at Coaches’ Salaries
Joy Blanchard, LSU professor and MIHE graduate, admits that she calculated how long it would take her university’s football coach, at his salary, to earn her salary for “a little dark fun.” But the answer, 2.6 days, is even more stark than anticipated. The deeper truths behind her question go beyond finances and into overall […]
Cain Analyzes History and Historiography of Unions and Bargaining in Higher Education
Tim Cain’s work is featured as the first chapter in a new book, Collective Bargaining in Higher Education: Best Practices for Promoting Collaboration, Equity, and Measurable Outcomes, edited by Daniel J. Julius and published by Routledge. Cain’s chapter, “The History and Study of Faculty Unions and Collective Bargaining in the United States,” provides historical context […]
Cain and Leach Uncover Patterns of Detrimental Practices
Research by Timothy Reese Cain and Erin Leach appears in AERA Open, “Removing Faculty: Patterns and Processes of Retrenchment and Restructuring.” The authors scoured 30 years of investigatory and special reports by the AAUP’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure to understand how practices “have been enacted on ways detrimental to both individual and […]
GCAC Advisers Engage Students at First-Gen Events
by Brionna Johnson November 8th marked the fifth annual First-Generation College Celebration, a nationally recognized event created to acknowledge the accomplishments of first-generation college students and graduates. In observance, a number of the Georgia College Advising Corps advisers planned events to engage the students, faculty, and staff at their school sites in the celebration and […]
Cain Named a RHE Associate Editor
Timothy Reese Cain started a new role as an associate editor of The Review of Higher Education in fall 2021. He also currently serves on the editorial boards of Review of Educational Research, Journal of Higher Education, History of Education Quarterly, Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, and the Journal of Higher Education Outreach […]
Students Recognized with Institute Awards
On October 7, the McBee IHE faculty gathered to recognize the achievements of five students, as well as the lives and legacies that our scholarships honor. We were please to host award recipients and their families in person and virtually through Zoom. The 2021-2022 Zell and Shirley Miller Fellowship recipient is Matt Gregory, a fourth-year […]
Mandala’s Research on Feeling Rules Cited in BBC Article
A recent BBC Workplace article heavily references research by McBee Institute doctoral student, Chad Mandala, and Dr. Stephanie Ortiz (University of Massachusetts, Lowell). The article, “The People Penalised for Expressing Feelings at Work,” by Zulekha Nathoo dives into the ways that workplace norms around expressions of emotions vary depending on the gender identities, race, and […]
Caughran Uses GTF Lessons to Engage Students
Tashia Caughran was honored to be part of the Summer 2021 Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program (GTF). Caughran is a senior lecturer of Chemistry at the University of North Georgia, Oconee Campus and was interviewed for a recent UNG blog post by the Center for Teaching, Learning and Leadership about her GTF experience. She said, “My […]
Taylor Challenges UF Logic in Chronicle Article
Barrett Taylor (PhD 2012) is quoted extensively in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the University of Florida controversy surrounding the barring of professors to testify in litigation against the state (‘I’m Speechless’: What prompted the U of Florida to tell professors not to testify?) Members of the university administration defended the […]
Webber Recognized for IR Work in South Africa
Dr. Webber will participate in a book launch of Utilization of South African Research on Higher Education with South African colleagues on November 3. Join the event here: https://bit.ly/2XnwJqQ The book, edited by Jan Botha and Gabriele Vilyte, provides an overview of the state of research on higher education in the country. The program is […]
GCAC Invites Research and Mentoring Partnerships
Brook Thompson and Brionna Johnson led an information session about the Georgia College Advising Corps to members of the McBee Institute community. GCAC began at the Institute in 2009 and works in underserved high schools throughout Georgia to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students who attend and complete higher education. The program […]
McBee IHE Community at ASHE 2021
Wednesday, 11/3, 7:00 P.M. Welcome reception sponsored by McBee IHE __ Thursday, 11/4 1:00-2:15 Calibrating Costs: Do Tuition Reset Policies Affect Student Enrollment at Four-Year Nonprofit Colleges? (Denisa Gandara & Meredith Billings) Disparate Impacts of Performance Funding Research Incentives on Research Expenditures and State Appropriation (Kelly Rosinger) 2:30-3:45 Higher Education Policy Narratives during COVID-19; How Are Budget […]
Peer Audiences Support Presenters at McBee IHE
Research Roundtable, a student-led group focused on deepening engagement with professional literature, recently hosted a presentation screening. Students presented their upcoming papers in front of their peers and received constructive suggestions and practice fielding questions. Thanks to Collin Case and Court Cullen for coordinating and to everyone who participated and made this supportive peer community […]
Advisers Demystify FAFSA for Students
by Renni Turpin In the world of college admissions, October 1st means one thing: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open. For most college-bound students, the FAFSA is the most important financial aid form, allowing students to access federal grants, work-study, loans, and institutional aid. GCAC Adviser Isis Owusu said, “FAFSA completion […]
Wolniak Introduces New Research Models at SNAAP Symposium
Greg Wolniak and research collaborator Amy Whitaker presented at the 2021 SNAAP Research Symposium on October 20, 2021. Their paper, The Dynamics of Social Exclusion and Economic Mobility Across Three Decades of Undergraduate Arts Alumni, describes an attrition effect of students leaving the arts and privilege effect of arts alumni whose individual earnings are supported […]
Webber and Grandstaff Present at SAIR
Karen Webber and Matt Grandstaff spoke at annual meeting of the Southern Association for Institutional Research on Monday, October 11. The presentation, Survey Research During COVID-19: The Challenges Grew Even Larger, drew from lessons learned during their experiences conducting a large multi-institution survey in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. They identified challenges faced over […]
Zoomtable Explores Changes to Campus Worklife
McBee IHE graduate Angie Royer led a Zoomtable on campus work forces, Adapting and Thriving in an Ever-changing World. The pandemic forced faculty and students to dive into remote learning, and it introduced many staff members and their supervisors to teleworking. Royer shared emerging research and data to unpack how higher education institutions and other […]
UGA Institute of Higher Education Named for Louise McBee
We are now the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education! Following a transformational gift from the estate of M. Louise McBee, the University of Georgia paid tribute to the former administrator and state legislator with the naming of the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education. “Dr. McBee’s extraordinary legacy of leadership and service to UGA […]
Williams to Join Faculty in 2022
The Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Krystal L. Williams as assistant professor of higher education, effective January 1, 2022. “Dr. Williams’ expertise will complement and extend the Institute’s goals to deepen research into student access and success across postsecondary institutions. We look forward […]
Cain and Hevel Highlight Legacy of Committee on Gay Education
Tim Cain and co-author Michael Hevel highlight an important and precedent-setting piece of the broader history of LGBTQ+ student rights on college campuses. The article, published in Review of Higher Education, follows the committed a struggle of the Committee on Gay Education (CGE) at the University of Georgia. Relying on archival documents, contemporary media coverage […]
GCAC Advisers Celebrate National HBCU Week
by Brionna Johnson Following President Joe Biden’s proclamation declaring September 5th through 11th National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, several Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC) advisers sprang into action and quickly prepared for celebrations at their school sites. The events were particularly robust in Rockdale County Schools, where GCAC Advisers worked closely with school […]
Ben Cecil Publishes Chapter on Leadership and Joins ACE
The summer has been extremely productive for Ben Cecil. His new book chapter in Shifting the Mindset hit shelves, and he moved to Washington, D.C. and started a new position at the American Council on Education (ACE). The chapter, co-written with Pei Hu, is titled: “Redefining Engagement: Including International Students in Socially Just Leadership Education.” […]
Webber Further Explores Nuances of Work Satisfaction
Research by Dr. Karen Webber appears in the September issue of Journal of Faculty Development. For the article, “Culture Matters: Faculty Satisfaction in Four-Year Postsecondary Institutions,” Webber interviewed full-time faculty members at six different four-year higher education institutions for a more nuanced understanding of perceptions of work satisfaction. She built off a much larger study […]
Cumbass Focuses His Career on Student Finances
Following his graduation in May 2021, Kanler Cumbass (MEd) started as a post-graduate intern for the Education Strategy Group (ESG). He hopes to work with administrations to uplift marginalized student populations. His main research interests include Title IV/financial aid policy, and the impact student finances have on degree attainment. Cumbass said, “[T]he organization believes that […]
Gándara Returns to Undergraduate Alma Mater as Professor
Denisa Gándara (PhD 2016) joined the University of Texas as an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research agenda broadly explores higher education policy and finance, with an emphasis on populations historically excluded from and underserved in higher education. Gándara is a William T. Grant Scholar and the recipient of […]
Crain’s Policy Paper Wins Competition
Andrew Crain (PhD 2020) won first place in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance Policy position paper competition. His paper, “Inclusive Science Policy and Economic Development in the 21st Century: The Case for Rural America,” provides four key recommendations for a more equitable science policy that taps into the rich potential of the rural […]
Tschepikow Launches Office of Business Engagement
Kyle Tschepikow (PhD 2012) is the executive director for business engagement and innovation, effective August 2021. In this newly-formed position, he oversees the formation of the Office of Business Engagement., a merger of Corporate Relations and Industry Engagement. In addition to providing strategic leadership of the UGA Innovation District. Kyle’s work will seek to strengthen […]
Keen Assumes New Role at Augusta University
Dr. Russell Keen, (EdD, 2019), an administrator with more than 20 years’ experience in higher education, has been named executive vice president for administration and chief of staff to Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel. President Keel report that “as part of his ongoing work, Russell will have the overall responsibility of coordinating activities between […]
Perdomo’s HACU Dashboard Promoted in Forbes
Rebecca Perdomo (PhD 2019) is featured in Forbes (August 16, 2021) “What Do We Know About Hispanic Serving Institutions?” Perdomo and colleagues at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Schools (HACU) launched a Hispanic-Serving Institution Dashboard to provide details about individual schools. On a macro-level, the Dashboard offers regional context and a visualization of where […]
Accepting Applications for Executive EdD Program through September
Application deadline extended to October 1, 2021
Brantley Joins ACE Board of Directors
Andy Brantley (EdD cohort 6), president and chief executive officer of CUPA-HR, joins the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), beginning in September 2021. Brantley is co-chair the Washington Higher Education Secretariat (WHES) Steering Committee and as such will serve as the Secretariat’s representative on the ACE board. WHES brings together […]
GCAC Advisers Launch into Schools
As summer transitions to autumn, the excitement of going back to school is palpable for students, families, school staff, and the advisers of the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC). On August 2nd, GCAC advisers entered their school sites, ready to assist students and families at seventeen high schools across Georgia with navigating post-secondary applications. The […]
Nathan Moore Named Assistant to President Morehead
Effective August 16, Nathan Moore (IHE PhD 2020) will assume the position of assistant to the president at the University of Georgia. As assistant to the president, Nathan’s work will focus primarily on executive communications, strategic planning, regional accreditation, and university research and innovation. Nathan has more than 15 years of experience in higher education […]
Sanchez Awarded Dissertation Research Grant
Charles Sanchez (IHE PhD candidate) received an AERA Dissertation Research Grant for 2021-2022. He will receive $25,000 to support access to data, travel, software, and other research-related expenses. Barbara Schneider, chair of the grant program’s governing board said, “The program supports new and early career scholars who are expanding how we use large-scale data to […]
Quarles Named VP for Access, Diversity & Inclusion at MSU
Dominique Quarles (PhD 2019) accepted a new position as assistant vice president for access, diversity, and inclusion at Mississippi State University, effective August 1. Dr. Quarles has served as the director of diversity and inclusion in the Office of Institutional Diversity at the University of Georgia since 2017.
Kiely Joins UNC Asheville Career Center
Andrea Kiely (MEd 2021) accepted a position at UNC Asheville as the career coach in University’s Career Center. Since her appointment, Kiely has been preparing for the students’ return for fall classes, and is excited to get started working with them individually and in group settings. As part of her role, she also will supervise […]
Patterson Leads Research at SoundRocket
Josh Patterson (PhD 2020) recently was named the research director for higher education studies at SoundRocket, a research study design implementation and analysis service. “I’m excited to join a company with an established reputation for sound social science research and to help build on their success in multi-institutional studies and campus climate research in higher […]
GCAC Advisers Freeze Summer Melt
by Brionna Johnson Now more than ever, the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC) team is focused on increasing the number of low-income, first-generation college-going, and historically underrepresented students who enter and complete higher education. In a typical semester, students experience summer melt where despite planning to attend college after graduation, they do not end up […]
Letzring Joins SACSCOC Board
Tim Letzring (IHE EdD) has been elected to serve on the board of trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The 77 member board oversees accreditation of about 800 public and private colleges and universities across 11 southern states. “It is a great opportunity to serve on the SACSCOC […]
Riffe and Barringer Examine Staff Work-Life
Karley Riffe (IHE PhD 2018) and Sondra Barringer (former postdoc) found significant and persistent differences in staff salaries across institutions of higher education, over time, and across occupational families. Their research, recently published in the Review of Higher Education, focused on salaries, organizational structures and labor markets for non-instructional and non-administrator staff in four-year non-profit […]
Turk Shares Takeaways from Pulse Surveys
Jon Turk recently rejoined ACENet’s podcast DotEDU as a guest in the “What Covid-19 Has Taught Higher Education Leaders” episode (June 17, 2021). He shared on-going findings from a partnership between TIAA Research and ACE to survey college and university presidents through the pandemic. The short “presidential pulse surveys” began in April 2020 and have […]
Whatley and Stich Test Network Analysis in Meta-Study
Melissa Whatley (PhD 2019) and Amy Stich collaborated on a recent article published in Journal of Mixed Methods Research, “Pushing the Integration Envelope: A Network Analysis of Study Abroad Website Content.” Using previous research on study abroad programs, Whatley & Stich employed network analysis “as a strategy for integrating data through analysis and as a […]
Former GCAC Adviser Continues Commitment
After completing her first year as a Master’s student at the Institute, Brionna Johnson is continuing her graduate assistant duties with the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC) into the summer as a training coordinator. She is excited to work with the advisers this summer, especially after engaging with her coursework this past semester. “In Dr. […]
Researchers Explore Team Dynamics in ICQI Presentation
Amy Stich, Elizabeth Ndika, Kanler Cumbass, and Collin Case recently presented their paper, Negotiating Ourselves: Navigating Paradigmatic Conflict and Diverse Identities in Collaborative Qualitative Research at the 2021 ICQI Conference. Within higher education, large-scale, externally funded qualitative research often requires multiple researchers engaged in the collection, management, and analysis of data. Numerous scholars have examined […]
Cox Advises Parents in College Guidebook
This week it was announced that Lady Cox (IHE EdD, 2019), Auburn University’s Associate Vice President for Student Affairs is a co-author of the recently released book, College Ready 2021: Expert Advice for Parents to Simplify the College Transition. Cox joins thirteen other family relations professionals from major universities around the country in contributing to […]
Yandell Leads Graduate Student Career Center
PhD candidate Amy Yandell accepted a position to lead the Bryan Graduate Career Center at the University of North Carolina Greensboro in the Bryan School of Business & Economics this spring. The newly-created Center supports graduate students through innovative and comprehensive programming and one-on-one coaching. She works with students to assess their professional values, skills, […]
Turk Joins Faculty at Saint Louis University
Jonathan Turk (PhD) starts a new position as assistant professor of higher education in the School of Education at Saint Louis University in August 2021. He will teach research methods courses in the school’s graduate program. Turk also will pursue his active research interests, particularly around higher education access, persistence, and success among community college […]
Governor’s Teaching Fellows Return to Athens
The Institute of Higher Education hosted a new cohort of the Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) in Athens for a two-week intensive summer program in May. The Institute had decided to defer the summer 2020 cohort to 2021 but still offered a virtual meet and greet last year to get the fellows acquainted and excited about […]
Jeffery Named Assistant VP at Texas A&M
Justin Jeffery will join Texas A&M University on August 2 as the assistant vice president for the division of student affairs. In his new position, Justin will serve a variety of roles, including chief of staff to the vice president for student affairs. His responsibilities at Texas A&M will build on his extensive professional experience […]
Whatley Named Assistant Professor
Dr. Melissa Whatley (PhD 2019) started a new position as an assistant professor of international and global education at the School for International Training’s Graduate Institute. The SIT Graduate Institute is a private graduate institution that focuses on global leadership and development. The Institute provides a variety of degrees, including international education, climate change, and […]
Lee and Monday Calculate Costs of Financial Aid
Financing college in the United States is difficult to navigate, but the effects of the process on enrollment have rarely been quantified. IHE graduate Dr. Jason C. Lee and current doctoral student Alex Monday co-authored a research article that explores how financial aid verification on federal funding quantifiably affects enrollment. The article, “Estimating the Effects […]
Rosinger Updates Narrative around Test-optional Admissions Policies
Increasing campus diversity is a pressing issue in higher education, and many institutions are exploring many different solutions. In a recent Hechinger Report article by Jill Barshay, Dr. Kelly Rosinger (IHE PhD) discussed her research on how test-optional policies affect—or rather, do not affect—diversity in college enrollment. Dr. Rosinger’s research shows that both students of […]
Congratulations, Spring 2021 Graduates
The Institute of Higher Education celebrates with the following students, who completed their degrees this spring: Danielle Kerr (PhD) Kanler Cumbass (MEd) Andrea Kiely (MEd) Each of graduates kindly shared some of their favorite memories of their time at the Institute. “My favorite memory from IHE will forever be the comradery between the different cohorts… […]
IHE Forum Investigates Strategic Patterns in Private Colleges’ Approaches to Downturns
On April 30th, IHE professor Dr. Jim Hearn led a roundtable discussion to explore how private four-year colleges have maintained access and enrollments while facing financial and pandemic challenges. The two dozen participants in the forum were all graduates, faculty, and students from the IHE community. Dr. Hearn opened the session with an overview of […]
Gándara Selected as W.T. Grant Scholar
Dr. Denisa Gándara (IHE PhD) has been selected for the William T. Grant Scholar class of 2026. The Scholars Program supports the development of early-career researchers whose work can inform future policy development for US higher education institutions. Scholars receive a grant of $350,000 for a five-year research plan, access to a network of scholars […]
IHE Graduates Discuss Campus Racial Equity
Dr. George Spencer moderated a conversation with three IHE graduates and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders who discussed how individuals and institutions can move towards racial equity in all aspects of higher education. The panelists were Dr. Ed Lee III of Emory University, Dr. Dominique Quarles of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Tiffanie […]
Mandala Explores Impact of Racialized Feeling Rules
Most workspaces are engaged in more conversations about equity across races, genders, and sexualities. Offices that support underserved populations in higher education institutions across the United States are no exception. UGA IHE doctoral student Chad Mandala co-authored an article with Dr. Stephanie Oritz that focuses on the emotional toll endured by workers in campus diversity […]
Porter Featured in Advising Corps Blog
Bradford Porter loves working with young people. His genuine enthusiasm and empathy created some amazing results at the two high schools he served as part of the Georgia College Advising Corps. The College Advising Corps featured Porter in a blog post this spring. Through a year marked with virtual learning amid a deadly pandemic, Porter […]
Ness and Tanner Recognized during Honors Week
Dr. Erik Ness received a First-Year Odyssey Teaching Award for his class “Research Evidence, Alternative Facts, and Fake News.” In his class, he guided students to seek and evaluate research evidence. He engaged students through practice with critical examination of ideas and informed debate. David Tanner (PhD student) was awarded on the Walter Barnard Hill […]
Panel Provides Tips for Securing Dissertation Research
IHE Research Roundtable brought together a group of research awardees and reviewers to share their experience and answer questions about getting dissertation research funding from NAE/Spencer Foundation, AERA, and NSF/AERA. The speakers, Dr. Lois Weis (SUNY Buffalo), Katie Reeb-Reascos (SUNY Buffalo), Dr. George Spencer (IHE), and Hee Jung Gong (IHE), each have experience either as […]
Kramer Finds Community College Baccalaureate Programs Expand Access
With the cost of and need for college degrees rising, a common solution across 23 states has been to allow community colleges to award bachelor’s degrees. The perceived expansion of the traditional community college role has caused concern over how the policies affect neighboring 4-year institutions. In an article published by the American Educational Research […]
GAISA Will Release Briefs on International Education in Post-Covid World
With the onset of the pandemic, higher education was forced to adapt to online and hybrid education, and international students were significantly affected by these changes. The Global Alliance for International Student Advancement (GAISA) recently partnered with Hanover Research to investigate and release a series of research briefs focused on international students. The theme of […]
IHE Community at AERA 2021
Poster sessions, roundtables, and paper presentations…. Several members of our IHE community (in bold) participated in AERA this past weekend. Let us know if you’d like more info on any of these sessions: April 9: Greg Wolniak, Matt Gregory, Alexandra Hill, Jeffrey Humphreys & Charles Knapp, The Power of Potential: Advancing Georgia’s Economic Future Through […]
Helping All Students Preserve Transfer Credits
The number of credit hours that transfer students can carry with them to their new institution can be an important factor in student momentum and degree completion. In a paper in American Educational Research Journal, George Spencer takes a look at the paths less studied, but increasingly taken, and reviews credit hour loss among lateral […]
Rosinger Warns Attempts at Inclusivity Can “Other” Participants
Studies into higher education services and outcomes for the trans* community are emerging, but accessible and meaningful data is lacking. In a new brief in Educational Researcher (March 2021), co-written by Karly Ford, Kelly Rosinger (IHE PhD), Junghee Choi, and Gabriel Pulido, the authors urge major surveys to consider how to include gender and sex […]
Webber Elected to Lead AIR
The membership of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has elected Karen Webber to serve as the organization’s incoming vice president. Her leadership role begins May 2021 and continues for three years. After serving one year as vice president (and vice chairperson of the Board of Directors), she will become president in May 2022 and […]
UPrep Offers Guide from High School to Higher Ed
The adage that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” might feel very real to high school students preparing for their path to college, particularly navigating the college admission process and financial aid applications. The anxiety and uncertainty of how to begin can make that first step difficult or insurmountable without […]
Former IHE Director Dunn Leaves Broad Legacy at the University of Georgia
Former director of the Institute of Higher Education, Delmar Dunn, passed away on March 22. “Del Dunn brought to the Institute of Higher Education his superb ability to work across disciplines and fields,” said current director Libby V. Morris. “His curiosity about multidisciplinary problems, his respect for faculty and his commitment to students informed his […]
Jeffery Recognized for Work with International Students
IHE PhD student Justin Jeffery was recognized as an “unsung hero” in a recent UGA Today article for his work assisting international students during the COVID pandemic. “As director of International Student Life, Unsung Hero Justin Jeffery started dealing with COVID-19 early on, when most of the rest of us were just beginning to become […]
Pharr Named VP of Marketing & Communications
Congratulations to IHE graduate Kathy Pharr, who was named Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the University of Georgia. Pharr, chief of staff in the Office of the President, has served as interim vice president for marketing and communications since July 1. She will continue the responsibilities of both Cabinet-level posts on a permanent […]
Summit on Big Data in Higher Education Highlights Data-Informed Decision Making
Big data is getting big attention. Karen Webber and Henry Zheng (The Ohio State University) presented at the EdgeEvents virtual summit, Big Data on Campus: Becoming a Data Informed Institution. Webber and Zheng offered an overview of data analytics in higher education with terms, applications, trends, common barriers, and major issues, such as privacy and […]
Torie Johnson: Bridging Academics and Athletics
Torie Johnson (EdD 2017) received well-deserved recognition in UGA’s Columns for her work highlighting the academic accomplishments at schools in the SEC. “Torie Johnson was going to be a sportscaster. In fact, she wanted to anchor SportsCenter on ESPN. She was on her way—becoming the first black editor of her school’s student newspaper; earning a […]
High Impact Practices Discussed by GTF Panelists
The Association of American Colleges and Universities hosted a webinar on March 4, featuring Cynthia Alby and Hasitha Mahabaduge. The webinar shared experiences and lessons learned through implementation of Georgia College’s GC Journeys, a faculty-driven HIPs initiative. GC Journeys asks students to complete five high-impact practices during their undergraduate experience and maps their core curriculum […]
Greg Wolniak Awarded Tenure
Amy Stich Awarded Tenure and Promotion
Patterson Defends Religious Engagement on Campuses
Dr. Josh Patterson (PhD 2020) issues a call to action to higher education leaders to protect and strengthen its forums for religious, spiritual and secular identity exploration. He maintains that requiring students to participate in a course on religious studies promotes healthier and deeper understanding of an individual’s own beliefs and productive exchanges on differences. […]
Eddie Cole Book Talk Examines Role of College Presidents
Dr. Eddie R. Cole visited the Institute virtually on Monday, February 8 to discuss the research and findings of his book, The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom (2020, Princeton University Press). He highlighted how several presidents actively shaped racial policies and practices on their campuses and beyond in the […]
Perdomo Returns to HACU in New Role
Rebeca Perdomo (PhD 2019) is the director of policy analysis and information at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). She leads the Office of Policy Analysis and Information’s efforts to provide policy analyses and reports on issues affecting Hispanic higher education success and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), support HACU Government Relations advocacy efforts, and […]
Blazing New Pathways for Future Educators
Dr. Roy I. Jones (EdD 1981) has the distinction of being the Institute of Higher Education’s first African American graduate as well as an outstanding alumnus. He has an impressive and impactful career including his present appointed position, provost distinguished professor (2019-2023), a special designation awarded by the provost to recognize outstanding scholars who are […]
Gong Finds Peer-Learning Develops Both Student and Mentor
Hee Jung Gong, doctoral candidate at IHE, recently published her article “Peer learning in STEM: a qualitative study of a student-oriented active learning intervention program” to the Interactive Learning Environments (IF=2.530) journal. The other co-authors are Hyeri Park (UGA, Ph.D. candidate at the College of Education) and Dr. Thomas Chase Hagood (UGA, the Direct of […]
First-Gen Students May Find Positive Satisfaction by Undermatching
Greg Wolniak and Marjolein Muskens find that attending an undermatched institution “appears to have a positive influence, or no influence, but never a negative influence” on attributes, such as motivation, satisfaction, and self-efficacy. The researchers studied over 14,500 incoming post-secondary students in the Netherlands to see if undermatching is associated with development of an individual’s […]
Morris Receives Faculty Service Award
The University of Georgia Alumni Association recognized Libby V. Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education, with the 2021 Faculty Service Award. The award is presented to a faculty or staff member “who has shown remarkable leadership in higher education.” Since 1989, Dr. Morris has been a faculty member in the University’s Institute of […]
Grant Extension Adds Fourth Year to College Experience Project
The Horatio Alger Association awarded Greg Wolniak a nearly $100,000 extension to capture changes in students over four years of higher education. The project focuses on the 2017 entering freshman class of Horatio Alger Scholars through the end of their spring semester of their fourth year of college (or four years after starting college) in […]
IHE Team Gleans Lessons for Higher Ed Policy Organizations
Not all higher education intermediary organizations experience the sustained growth and effectiveness of Complete College America (CCA). In “Becoming a “game changer”: Complete College America’s role in U.S. higher education policy fields,” Erik C. Ness, Paul G. Rubin and Lindsey Hammond unpack some noteworthy characteristics that have contributed to CCA’s decade of success and influence. […]
Hearn and Burns Find No Financial Benefit to Contingency Hiring
In a broad survey of master’s and doctoral institutions spanning the decade around the 2008 financial crisis, Jim Hearn and Rachel Burns (PhD 2018) found no evidence that the tenure structure leads to inefficiencies in budget. Current research studies on contingency effects lack a holistic view of organizational costs and financial goals, and they tend […]
Patterson Finds Course Enrollment Tied to Institution Type More than to Student Characteristics
Drawing on recent work relating a reduction of racial bias with diversity education, Josh Patterson (PhD 2020) and Robert L. Foster seek to provide a foundation for studies seeking to explore the effects of religious education on ecumenical outlook. They write, “[B]eyond understanding the effect of [curricular] interventions on students, we also need to understand […]
Taylor Quoted on Backlash to Hiring Political Figures
Barrett Taylor (PhD 2012) is quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education article, “‘Many people are seeing different facts’: Carnegie Mellon official’s emails on election spark outcry” (Jan. 11, 2021). Senior reporter, Lindsay Ellis, points out that practice of hiring former lawmakers and government administrators into academic or affiliated positions is not uncommon, but that […]
Norton Recognized for Efforts to Fulfill the Dream
Mr. Narke Norton (MEd 2019) positively touches lives that will shape the future. This morning he received a President’s Fulfilling the Dream award at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast, sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, the Clarke County School District, and the University of Georgia. Narke is the assistant director of […]
IHE Welcomes Two MEd Students
Welcome to Brian Brookey and Annie Cranford, who recently joined our Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Higher Education Administration program. Brian currently serves as the regional director of development for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia. Brian graduated from the University of Oklahoma with his Bachelor of Arts in […]