Professor Jan Botha (far left) visited from South Africa in September and presented on global trends in institutional research.

Dear Graduates and Friends,
The McBee Institute has been busy this fall as we welcomed new doctoral and master's students and our largest cohort of college advisers. We also kicked off speaker events with graduates Kelley Lips and Rebecca Sandidge leading a Zoomtable on enrollment management and South African scholar Jan Botha sharing research from his books on data utilization in higher education.

The pandemic temporarily restrained the Institute’s distinctive multidisciplinary and highly engaged scholarly community. We’ll be working hard in the coming months to ensure that our presence in hallways, classrooms, and beyond is once again as lively as ever. We invite you to join us at events in Athens, Atlanta or conferences around the country.

With gratitude,
Jim Hearn

Interim director, Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education
Professor of Higher Education

CONNECT AT HOMECOMING EVENTS

Gradutes, students, and faculty take advantage of the photo props at the 2021 Homecoming porch gathering. L-r:  Jeremy Daniel, Kanler Cumbass,  Andrea Kiely, Karen Webber, and Alexa Arndt.

Drop by campus on Friday, October 14 to visit with members of the McBee Institute community of faculty, students, graduates, college advisers, and other friends.

• 2:00-3:00PM- Professor Vasti Torres speaks at UGA Chapel, “Being Latinx at UGA”
• 3:30-5:00PM- McBee Institute's annual porch gathering
• 6:00-8:30PM- Blue Key Dinner (email to reserve a seat at our table)

Keep up with future events

ADVISERS HEAD TO SCHOOLS

Fifteen first-time advisers joined our returning crew for orientation and training this summer.

All across the state of Georgia, school is back in session. Georgia College Advising Corps welcomed fifteen new advisers this school year to assist high school seniors with their postsecondary plans.

The college advisers worked hard to prepare for the upcoming school year through a four-week summer training session in July. Advisers built relationships with fellow advisers and the leadership team, while learning from USG faculty members and staff, former college advisers, and Ph.D. students from the McBee Institute of Higher Education. Training topics included How to Build a College Going Culture, Financial Aid and FAFSA, Exploring Institution Types, Connecting with LGBTQ+ Students, and more.

GCAC Program Director Brook Thompson featured in UGA Today!

Our community had strong representation at the 2022 SHEEO conference over the summer.  L-r: Kanler Cumbass,  David Tanner, Rachel Burns, Robert Anderson, Angie Bell, Patrick Crane, Andrea Kiely, and Erik Ness.

KEYS RECOGNIZED IN 40 UNDER 40

Samaad Wes Keys visited with students during his return to Athens.

Congratulations to Samaad Wes Keys (Ph.D. 2014)! Keys was selected for UGA's 2022 40 Under 40 class presented by the UGA Alumni Association.

Currently, Keys is a program officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has served at the Southern Education Foundation, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, DC's Office of the Superintendent of Education, UNCF, and the Ascendum Education Group.

Keys is deeply committed to community involvement. He dedicates time to working with a group of high school seniors to provide support and advice throughout the college application process, and he currently serves on the board of the Scholarship Academy, a Georgia-based non-profit organization that provides access and pathways to funding for students and their families paying for college.

After the awards ceremony, Keys spoke with students and faculty on trends on philanthropy.

See more alumni news

INAUGURAL MCBEE SCHOLAR NAMED

Davonte' Biggers named the inaugural McBee Scholar at the Institute.

Davonte' Biggers has been named a McBee Scholar at the Institute.

This special honor was created  from the Louise McBee Endowment for Excellence and Engagement. The gift specified criteria for recognizing prospective students and assisting in their recruitment to the Institute.

Biggers recently completed his master's at Georgetown University and has professional experience in diversity, equity & inclusion, academic affairs, and business operations in higher education. His research interests focus on social justice in higher education.

"The fact that MIHE created this award speaks volumes about its vision and direction," said Biggers. "From my first visit I found the level of community care and collaboration to be exciting."

Read more about the Endowment

WELCOME, NEW STUDENTS!

Clockwise from top left: Rod Guajardo, Jaxon Miller, Andrew Tarr, Davonte' Biggers, Isaac Portillo, Maddie Greenberg, Brenna Mathews, and Nancy Byron.

Eight new graduate students joined the Institute this fall. Their diversity of backgrounds, professional experience, and future goals add to the strength of our classroom discussions and faculty research.

Davonte' Biggers brings experience across higher education and his research interests include: social justice in higher education; critical race theory within postsecondary contexts; and the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality in collegiate settings.

Nancy Byron is currently the interim director of Georgia State Online at Georgia State University. Her research interests include access to higher education and online student success. 

Maddie Greenberg works as a graduate research assistant at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and her research interests lie largely in higher education law, policy, politics, and data, especially in regards to Title IX and domestic violence on and around campus. 

Rod Guajardo is the senior director for Integrated Media Communications at UGA. He manages media relations efforts for the university and leads a team of communications professionals and editors to tell UGA's story through earned, shared, and owned media opportunities.

Brenna Mathews worked in the Western Kentucky University admissions office and found her passion in higher education. Using her experience in political science, Mathews wants to serve as a political liaison for public colleges and universities.

Jaxon Miller works as a graduate assistant with UGA's Small Business Development Center. Miller is interested in community development, the role of land-grant institutions, and finding new ways to increase diversity and multicultural understanding across campuses.

Isaac Portillo is working with the assistant dean for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives in the College of Pharmacy. His research interests focus on how an institution's physical environment, (e.g. campus, buildings, classrooms), influence the student experience. 

Andrew Tarr serves as a research assistant at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. His diverse and intersecting interests include politics, intermediary organizations, internationalization, economics, labor, and strategic planning -- all with a particular focus on the contributions and recognition of higher education as a public good.

Read about our current students

FAREWELL TO LESLIE GORDON

Leslie Gordon with Kallan Williams (cohort 6) in a Buckhead classroom.

Leslie Gordon brought expertise in innovative teaching methods and assessment to our executive doctorate program and the Governor's Teaching Fellows program. She served as associate director of the Ed.D. program since 2015 and guided GTF since 2019.

When Gordon shared her plans to step away at the end of July, Dr. Libby V. Morris said, "Leslie infused our programs not only with her professional skills, but also with her poise and grace. I appreciate all that Leslie accomplished to advance the reputation and quality of the Ed.D. and the GTF programs."

Morris will provide interim leadership to the programs with President Emeritus Charles Knapp returning temporarily to assist with the Executive Ed.D.

Read more about Leslie's impact

COMMUNITY JOB BOARD

The University of Georgia Foundation is registered to solicit in every state and provides state specific registration information at http://www.ugafoundation.org/charity.

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