Fall 2025 Dear Friends of the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, The McBee Institute had another banner year thanks to the individual and collective efforts of our remarkable faculty, staff, students, graduates, and partners. We experienced several transitions again this year, most notably we honored the career of Libby Morris who led and served the University and Institute admirably in many ways, including 16 years as director of McBee IHE. We are also grateful that she continues to lead the Executive Ed.D. program. The Institute also welcomed several new faculty and staff members who are already making important contributions and pouring back into our community. Last spring, we held the second annual Momentum & Barriers Symposium that spotlighted our work to promote the value of higher education. This event convened a group of national experts—including several McBee Institute graduates, faculty, and students—to identify opportunities for us to more rigorously examine and to more effectively communicate the benefits of postsecondary education. We continued this theme during the Ed.D. summer seminar in Washington, D.C. where we heard from leaders of national foundations and policy organizations at the University of Georgia’s Delta Hall. The McBee Institute is committed to being a part of these important conversations to amplify the value of higher education not only through these special events, but also in our foundational teaching, research, and public service missions. One of this year’s major accomplishments, culminating from years of planning and development, is the launch of our online asynchronous master’s program this fall with 10 new students. The new online program builds on our doctoral programs that continue to thrive, including one of our largest classes of Ph.D. students this year and our 8th cohort of Executive Ed.D. students who are preparing to defend their dissertations and graduate this fall. The teaching mission of the Institute remains the core of our efforts. The Institute’s research efforts are thriving as well with faculty leading nine sponsored projects totaling $4.7 million in external funding, which is particularly noteworthy given the reduction of federal funding and ever-increasing competitiveness of grant support. These funded projects, in addition to other significant research activities, span a range of topics critical to our field, including several lines of inquiry examining STEM education from various vantage points. Our public service and outreach programs continue to make a meaningful impact across Georgia and beyond. The Governor’s Teaching Fellows program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and I enjoyed seeing the current fellows and so many former fellows come back to Meigs Hall last spring to commemorate this milestone. The Georgia College Advising Corps continues to promote college access and success with 23 advisers placed in under-served high schools across the state. We also strengthened international partnerships by hosting two visiting scholars who shared insights from their experiences and sparked interest in further collaboration. As you peruse our website, I think you will see the spirit of McBee in action: innovative teaching, rigorous and relevant research, leadership on campuses and in other arenas, serving the public good, and fostering community. Thank you for being a part of the McBee community. I look forward to our continued work together here in Meigs Hall and elsewhere down the road. All the best, Erik Ness Professor & Director
