Skip to main content
Skip to main menu Skip to spotlight region Skip to secondary region Skip to UGA region Skip to Tertiary region Skip to Quaternary region Skip to unit footer

Slideshow

Ben Cecil

Blurred image of the arch used as background for stylistic purposes.
PhD, 2022

Ben Cecil is a Senior Education Policy Advisor with Third Way, a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas. The work of the higher education team at Third Way seeks to expand the conversation about federal higher education policy from focusing solely on cost to comprehensively prioritizing return on investment for students and taxpayers. Their efforts promote policies that improve student outcomes across higher education and hold schools accountable if most of their students can't graduate, get a good paying job, or pay down their loans.

Cecil had previously worked as a Research Associate at the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, D.C. While a student at the McBee Institute, he served in multiple roles in the University of Georgia's Department of International Student Life. 

In addition to his doctorate, Cecil holds a masters degree in Higher Education from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the University of Georgia.

His research interests continue to focus on internationalization of higher education, including the role of institutional type, federal/state level policy, institutional governance, and the geopolitics of internationalization. 

News Featuring Ben Cecil

by Jewel Caruso

Ben Cecil (PhD 2022) co-authored a report, “2023 Economic Mobility Index,” with Chazz Robinson published on Third Way’s website.

by Jewel Caruso

Ben Cecil (PhD 2022) co-authored an American Council on Education report earlier this year. “The American College President: 2023 Edition” is a five-year update to ACE’s body of work related to the…

by Jewel Caruso

Ben Cecil, PhD 2022, recently accepted a new position with Third Way as a senior education policy advisor Previously, Cecil was a research associate for the American Council on Education (ACE) based in Washington, D.C., while he was…

by Jewel Caruso

Ben Cecil (PhD 2022) and Justin Jeffery (PhD 2021) co-authored an article recently published in the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Leadership Studies. The paper, "International Student Engagement: Closing Gaps and…

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 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-…

Support us

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. 

Click Here to Learn More About Giving

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.