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2014 IHE Report News

Libby Morris

Bring out the cake, light the candles, the Institute is 50!

On July 1, 1964, with University System Board of Regents approval, the continuous efforts by President O. C. Aderhold to establish an “Institute of Higher Education and Research” came to fruition. The Institute was founded to serve the institution, the state and the region in building institutional capacity. Then and now, IHE conducts public service programs, doctoral education, and applied and basic research.

Timothy Cain writes and teaches about the history of higher education, university faculty, campus speech, and learning outcomes assessment. He is currently writing a book on the history of faculty unionization from 1918-1980, arguing that unions were significant even before they could collectively bargain and that studying their contested rise reveals core tensions in American higher education.

Sondra N. Barringer joined the Institute in fall 2013 as a postdoctoral research associate. She comes to IHE from the School of Sociology at the University of Arizona, where she received her doctorate in 2013 and a Master of Arts (also in sociology) in 2008. Barringer’s primary role at IHE is as project manager on a National Science Foundation grant titled “The Executive Science Network: University Trustees and the Organization of University-Industry Exchanges.” She is working with co-PIs Sheila Slaughter and Barrett J.

TOP 10 For seven consecutive years, the Institute of Higher Education has been ranked in the Top 10 of higher education programs by the U.S. News and World Report.

Hosted 7 international scholars from China, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

90% Percent of Ph.D. graduates from the last five years obtaining a job within six months of graduation

95% Completion rate of all doctoral programs over the last 10 years

The 25th Annual Louise McBee Lecture was held on Dec. 6, 2013 at the UGA Chapel. The lecture was followed by a luncheon in McBee’s honor at the Dean Rusk Center for International Law and Policy. A special video and memory book on McBee’s impact on higher education were also created for the occasion.

Education Policy Seminars bring noted scholars from across the country to Meigs Hall, where they share the latest research, policy and ideas in higher education with IHE faculty and students.

The Georgia College Advising Corps met July 7-August 1 for training at UGA. The group participated in workshops at the Institute of Higher Education before a week of traveling the state to visit diverse college campuses.

This year’s advisers are Ashley Hollins, Tenisha Peterson, Chelsea Smith, Silki Modi, Melanie Harper, Andrea Green, Gianna Medina, Shayla McGlothan, Tanacia Lovence, Bri Hart, Jasman Ware, Shaquila Wise, Olivia Knight, Darnell Shelton. Amber Aucoin, Austin Lyke, Chris Farr, and Victor Onukwuli

Margaret Blanchard

Doctoral programs within the Institute of Higher Education serve as an incubator of sorts for individuals who end up leading public service and outreach. IHE graduates who enter public service understand higher education beyond administration or management, envisioning ways to bring together research, expertise and practice to current issues. That comprehensive approach to graduate education is a key aspect of the program, according to IHE Director Libby Morris.

Margaret Blanchard

The Institute of Higher Education fulfills a critical piece of the University’s public service and outreach mission through diverse programs for students and faculty a

Public service and outreach is ingrained in the tradition of the University of Georgia as much as red and black. It is the third prong of its mission as a land-grant institution and one that has served the state of Georgia and beyond.

Elisabeth Hughes

Students from the third cohort of the Institute’s Executive Doctoral (EdD) program spent eight days in the Netherlands in June 2014, attending a week long seminar on higher education in Europe presented by current faculty members and graduates of CHEPS (Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies) at the University of Twente.

Faculty members Karen Webber and Rob Toutkoushian visited the University of West Indies (UWI) in Trinidad in June. The visit included an overview of UWI programs in tertiary education. IHE faculty provided comments on key features of graduate level programs of higher education in the U.S. Webber also made a formal presentation on “Issues to Consider for Online and Distance Learning.” Toutkoushian conducted a workshop on the topic of national strategies for financing higher education.

Robert Anderson, a PhD student finishing his dissertation, was named vice chancellor for Educational Access and Success for the University System of Georgia (USG) in June. In his new role, Anderson will work with all 31 USG institutions on initiatives designed to increase college access and support student success. He will have oversight of a wide range of key initiatives, including Complete College Georgia, teacher educator preparation programs, and the USG STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative.

Andrew Belasco, a recent PhD graduate (June 2014), has published lead-authored articles in The Journal of Higher Education, The Review of Higher Education, and Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis examining topics related to graduate school debt, postsecondary under-match and test-optional admissions. His work and opinions were featured in several media outlets, including Inside Higher Education, CBS Moneywatch, and U.S News & World Report.

The Institute of Higher Education faculty selected Denisa Gándara as the Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellow for 2013-14.

“Through her rigorous research projects and leadership roles in ASHE and AERA, Denisa has clearly distinguished herself as a promising and engaged higher education scholar,” said Erik Ness, associate professor and graduate coordinator.

Jennifer Hodges Stephens (PhD 2013) is the associate vice president of public affairs at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), which opened its doors in 2006 with 118 students and serves almost 11,000 students today. GGC is the first four-year, public college created in Georgia in more than 100 years. Stephens’ primary responsibilities are to tell the college’s story, launch its new and evolving brand, and build strong relationships with its various constituencies. She has been intimately involved in almost every facet of the creation of the new institution and its strategic planning.

IHE Fellows hold renewable, three-year appointments to the Institute of Higher Education and contribute to the Institute’s programs and intellectual community.

James Soto Antony Associate Provost for faculty development Yale University

Christopher Cornwell Professor of Economics University of Georgia

Houston Davis Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer University System of Georgia

Elizabeth H. DeBray Professor of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy University of Georgia

Stu Evans (EdD 2011) is the executive director of the McIntire School of Commerce Foundation at the University of Virginia and the assistant dean of strategic initiatives at the McIntire School of Commerce.

Hsueh-hua Chen (EdD 1986) is currently the university librarian of the National Taiwan University (NTU) Library, the leading university library in Taiwan, and professor of library and information science.

Daniel Sniff (EdD 2011) is associate vice president for finance and administration at the University of Georgia, where he directs the Office of the University Architects (OUA). During his 26 years at UGA, he has helped develop and oversee the first comprehensive master plan, strategic, and academic planning effort since 1906. During the implementation of this plan, his office added more building area to campus than at any point in the 225-year history of the University.

The Institute of Higher Education’s doctoral and master’s programs offer a rigorous, focused curriculum that prepares students for a variety of positions in higher education nonprofit and governmental settings.

Here’s how some of our graduates define their IHE experience: Supportive motivating fulfilling rewarding enlightening fun knowledge comradery respect.

Libby Morris

I was privileged to know Tom Dyer for many years. He was a mentor to me, a good friend and academic role model.

James C. Cobb

The passing of Tom Dyer last October was an enormous loss not only for the Institute of Higher Education but also for the University of Georgia as a whole. During his tenure, Professor Dyer increased the stature and productivity of the Institute with targeted hires, named endowments, and enhanced support for research and graduate education. Likewise, he was instrumental in supporting university-level initiatives that focused on academic excellence in each of the three missions of the land-grant university.

The Institute is delighted to welcome Dr. Timothy Reese Cain as a new Associate Professor of Higher Education, beginning in fall 2013. Professor Cain earned his undergraduate degree at Duke University, his M.A. at the Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cain comes to the Institute from the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he served as a faculty member and as coordinator of the Higher Education Division.

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