On February 6, 2026, the McBee Institute welcomed Jonathan Smith, Associate Professor of Economics at Georgia State University, the W.J. Usery Chair of the American Workplace, and a faculty director with the Georgia Policy Labs to deliver an educational policy seminar to McBee students and faculty. Smith’s talk presented findings from his recent study that […]
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Dr. Johnathan Smith Delivers Educational Policy Seminar on College Voting Rates
McBee Institute Community Shines at ASHE 2025
The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education proudly continued its tradition of active participation at the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s (ASHE) 50th Annual Conference, held November 12–15 in Denver, Colorado. This year, the McBee community was represented by 7 faculty members, 8 current students, 1 postdoc, 15 alumni, and 3 former postdocs. Together, […]
Smith Awarded William T. Grant Foundation and Lumina Foundation Grants to Examine Wealth and Financial Aid
Dr. Christian Smith, assistant professor of higher education at the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, is serving as the principal investigator on two new research grants from the William T. Grant Foundation and the Lumina Foundation to examine how wealth shapes college affordability and student debt. Smith was awarded $50,000 through the William T. […]
McBee at ASHE 2025
The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education is excited to continue our tradition of active participation at the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s (ASHE) 50th Annual Conference, happening November 12 – 15, 2025. The McBee Institute community at ASHE will include 7 faculty, 8 current students, 1 postdoc, 15 alumni, and 3 former […]
Sierra Kraynak Joins McBee Institute as GCAC Program Director
The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education is excited to announce that Sierra Kraynak recently joined the Institute as the director of the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC). Kraynak brings a deep commitment to expanding educational opportunities and a strong background in student-centered program leadership to this role. “I’m thrilled to join UGA as GCAC’s […]
McBee Institute Launches Online M.Ed. Program in Higher Education Administration
The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education launched its new online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Higher Education Administration program this August, marking an expansion to its graduate offerings. Building on the foundation of the Institute’s traditional in-person master’s program, the McBee Institute worked with UGA’s Office of Online Learning to develop the online asynchronous […]
Executive Ed.D. Cohort Explores National Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C.
This summer, the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education’s eighth cohort of the Executive Doctorate (Ed.D.) program embarked on a week-long study away experience in Washington, D.C., focused on exploring higher education policy at the national level. The immersive trip offered students the opportunity to engage with leaders and experts who are shaping the future […]
Dr. Joy Gaston Gayles Delivers Educational Policy Seminar on Humanizing Higher Education
On Thursday, September 18, the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education welcomed Dr. Joy Gaston Gayles to deliver an Education Policy Seminar to McBee students, faculty and staff. Dr. Gayles currently serves as the head of the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development Department and as an Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professor at North Carolina […]
David Meyers Honored with Mark Chaffin Award for Child Abuse Prevention
The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education congratulates David Meyers, current Executive Ed.D. student and Co-Director of the Embark Georgia Center at UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, on being honored with the Mark Chaffin Award at the 2025 Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention. Named in memory of Dr. Mark Chaffin—a pioneering researcher […]
Hailu Awarded Spencer Foundation Small Grant to Explore Refugee Cultural Heritage Use
Dr. Meseret Hailu, assistant professor of higher education at the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, has been awarded a $50,000 Small Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation to support her project, Narratives of Persistence: A Postcolonial Exploration of Black African Refugee Postsecondary Students’ Cultural Heritage Use. Dr. Hailu will lead the two-year qualitative study […]