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The Institute of Higher Education experienced another successful year of research and instruction during 2010 and into 2011. IHE moved from 6 to 5 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 rankings of higher education programs. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved our request to launch a master’s program in the upcoming academic year (pg. 3). Our faculty conversations were lively as we considered how to integrate master’s level work into a curriculum that since the mid-1960s was oriented primarily to our resident doctoral programs.
“I learned …a new appreciation for and understanding of global education.” Lisa Fowler
Fellows from a wide variety of disciplines and institutions enrich the multi-disciplinary intellectual community at the Institute. 2011 Fellows include:
Christopher Cornwell - Professor of Economics
Jerry S. Davis - Education Research and Policy Analysis Consultant
Elizabeth Debray-Pelot - Associate Professor, Program of Educational Administration and Policy
Delmer Dunn - Vice President for Instruction Emeritus and Regents Professor Emeritus
In 2011, the IHE continued to expand its global connections by hosting international scholars from Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Korea, China, and the United Kingdom
“May you live in interesting times.”
This is not a wish for peace and tranquility but, instead, a curse referencing upheaval and trouble.
With more and more businesses failing and many business models floundering, the curse seems to have been effective. (Given that it is said to be an ancient Chinese curse, perhaps that is not surprising.) The people running the show have never been in a more precarious position. Why? Some analysts blame shareholder pressure. Others point to a lack of effective leadership in corporations.
Not everyone is lucky enough to find their dream job upon completion of their degree, but Allison McWilliams is one of the fortunate ones. In June of 2010, she landed the job as director of career education and counseling at Wake Forest University.
Her initial charge was to develop a culture of mentoring and to provide training, support, and resources for formal and informal mentoring across campus. However, it wasn’t long before her title and responsibilities were greatly expanded.
How does one go from being a history major with dreams of becoming a National Geographic reporter and end by becoming the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Institutional Effectiveness for the Virginia Community College System? Catherine Finnegan can tell you all about that journey.
Chris Ferland is a futurist. If you want to know what is happening with higher education in Georgia, or if you want to know what the trends may be for the future, Chris is your go-to guy.
Claire Howell Major believes her position of professor in the Department of Higher Education at the University of Alabama is the “best job ever.” And who’s to say that she’s wrong?
With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English, Claire wanted to go further educationally, and focus on teaching and learning in higher education in general. “I wanted to think about it from a bigger picture than say from the perspective of ‘what is the best way to grade students,’” explains Major.
When Khoi Dinh To, a native of Vietnam, decided to study in the U.S. he had no contacts here, so he looked at the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings and applied to several universities. UGA was the first to offer him a place in its doctoral program and he took it. He believed that, “not only would a degree from the IHE afford me great job opportunities, but I could work with Drs. Sheila Slaughter and Jim Hearn on NSF projects, and the weather was similar to that of Saigon!”
According to the College Board, four out of ten graduating high school students start their college careers at community colleges. With the benefits of lower tuition and more hands-on attention from faculty, community college can be an attractive beginning to a college career.
There are over 1,600 community colleges in the United States, serving 11 million students. One of those “first-responder” institutions is Western Nebraska Community College, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Its newly appointed president is Institute of Higher Education alumnus Todd Holcomb.
Brendan Cantwell published several studies on postdoctoral researchers over the past year, including “Academic In-Sourcing: International Postdoctoral Employment and New Modes of Production” in the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management; “Unseen Workers in the Academic Factory: Perceptions of Neoracisim among Postdocs in the United States and United Kingdom” with Jenny J.
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