Dear Friends, As we emerge from a difficult period that touched all areas of our lives, the Institute faculty and staff are grateful for the health and wellbeing of our community. We are processing lessons learned under stress in recent months and retaining those changes that produced more effective teaching and mentoring. For the coming year, we also are prioritizing efforts to recruit a new senior colleague to fill the named McBee Professorship and, thereby, expand our course offerings, research opportunities, and professional mentorship. As the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, we are working every day to validate Dr. McBee’s confidence in our mission, our programs, and our people and to fulfill her aspirations for us. She set a new standard as a highly effective and well-respected champion of higher education in academia and in the halls of our state’s capital. Accordingly, I invite you to embrace the “strength of McBee” in all our efforts. The pandemic temporarily changed the way we engage with each other. Serendipitous conversations, impromptu meetings, and unexpected collaborations have long been a pillar of the Institute’s unique climate. Our graduates tell us that this special community spirit played a big role in making their Institute experience so enduring, and so endearing, for them. The Institute’s multidisciplinary scholarly environment and outreach programs are distinct and truly special in our field and, assuming health conditions warrant, we’ll be working hard in the coming months to ensure that our hallways, classrooms, and benches (whether in Athens or Atlanta) are once again as lively and engaging as ever. I am committed to building on those attributes that are unique, and uniquely valuable, at the Institute and making sure that each student, adviser, and fellow sense this difference during their time here. Going forward, we’ll continue to pursue our vision to be a national and international leader in the rigorous study and advancement of postsecondary education. Sincerely, Jim Hearn Interim Director and Professor of Higher Education
