2011 web

The University of Georgia Institute of Higher Education

Report

Autumn 2011

Worldwide Impact IHE expands its global connections

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he Institute of Higher Education, founded in 1964, is noted for its

multidisciplinary approach to teaching, research, and outreach, with particular emphases on organization, governance, policy, finance, and faculty development.

The Institute offers the Ph.D. and the Executive Ed.D. in higher education, and beginning in January 2012 will offer a master’s in higher education. The Institute also collaborates on projects and programs with several other academic units at UGA, state agencies, and both national and international universities.

www.ihe.uga.edu Publication Coordinator

Director

Designer & Graphic Artist

Contributing Writers

Associate Director

Contributing Photographers

Susan Sheffield

Elisabeth Hughes Betz Kerley

Libby V. Morris James C. Hearn

Publisher

The University of Georgia

Shelby Hipol

Paul Efland, UGA Public Affairs Nancy Evelyn, UGA Public Affairs Larry Christenson, Ed.D. student

FRONT COVER: As the international network of leading centers and institutes devoted to the study of higher education coalesces, the IHE has been increasingly involved in relationships and partnerships abroad.

In This Issue From the Director

Autumn 2011

IHE Sees Added Value for New Master’s Degree Outstanding Alumni: Claire Major

Report

Research: What is the IHE Faculty Doing?

The University of Georgia Institute of Higher Education

IHE Fellows, 2011

Education with a Global Focus

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Outstanding Alumni: Ferland, Finnegan, McWilliams GCAC: Looking for Guidance in 2013 Polar Opposites Outstanding Alumni: Todd Holcomb 2010 McBee Lecturer: Nancy Zimpher

Higher Education Research Policy Connection Erik Ness

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GTF: The Three-Day Sabbatical 2011 McBee Lecture Outstanding Alumni: Khoi Dinh To International Scholars Students Beyond the Classroom New Teaching Technology IHE Mourns Doug Toma

Lessons in Leadership Charles Knapp

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Education Policy Seminars Yarbrah Peeples: Miller Graduate Fellow Outstanding Alumni: Mauricio Saavedra

Autumn 2011

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From the Director Libby V. Morris The Institute of Higher Education experienced another successful year of research and instruction during 2010 and into 2011. IHE moved from 6 to 5 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 rankings of higher education programs. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved our request to launch a master’s program in the upcoming academic year (pg. 3). Our faculty conversations were lively as we considered how to integrate master’s level work into a curriculum that since the mid-1960s was oriented primarily to our resident doctoral programs.

The first cohort of students in the Executive Ed.D. program is on schedule to graduate in the upcoming year, and we look forward to launching a new cohort in January 2012. This past summer, the Ed.D. students traveled to China and Australia to study universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Melbourne, and Sydney (pg. 8).

The IHE Educational Policy Series (pg. 30) and the McBee lecture (pg. 20) once again brought outstanding leaders in higher education to campus. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of SUNY, presented the 22nd annual Louise McBee lecture, and Tim Cain, Tatiana Melguizo, and Greg Wolniak met with students and made presentations to faculty and students under the auspices of the Institute’s Educational Policy Seminar series.

International visitors to the IHE have consistently grown over the past several years. This year’s visitors gave presentations, met with students, and were guest lecturers in IHE classes (pg. 24). We benefit immensely from sharing ideas with these national and international colleagues who are generous with their time and ideas. Plans are being finalized for four international scholars to be in residence during the upcoming year from China (2), South Korea, and Norway.

In the summer, we wished Brendan Cantwell farewell as he departed his post-doc position and moved to Michigan State to begin a faculty career. In turn, we welcomed Lijing Yang from the University of Michigan as our newest post-doc.

These recent Ph.D. graduates bring energy and new ideas to the Institute.

Over the course of the year, we were delighted to add four new Institute of Higher Education Fellows: James Minor from the Southern Education Foundation; Linda Renzulli from 2

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UGA’s Sociology Department; Randy Swing, executive director of the Association for Institutional Research; and Dave Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education Board. Each of these new fellows is highly accomplished and already a well established friend to the Institute. We much appreciate their commitment and engagement.

Our faculty remain highly productive as you will see within the report (pg. 4), but I want to note the faculty’s exemplary service to a wide variety of journals. Rob Toutkoushian is the new editor of Research in Higher Education, Jim Hearn is a consulting editor for RHE and associate editor for Educational Researcher, and I continue as editor of Innovative Higher Education.

Our accomplishments throughout the year, however, seem less important when we consider our great loss in the death of our colleague and friend, Professor Doug Toma (pg. 29). Doug came to the Institute in 2003, and in eight short years he made a profound and lasting impact on the Institute of Higher Education and the University of Georgia. Doug was always challenging the status quo, pushing the boundaries, and encouraging us to engage with cutting-edge ideas and issues. He developed and led our highly successful, Atlanta-based executive doctoral program in higher education. He built linkages between IHE and a network of international scholars around the globe. He was one of the most inclusive, engaged scholars whom I have known. Our international connections grew immensely under Doug’s guidance and comprehensive approach to people and ideas. And, in his last months, Doug taught us other lessons, in bravery, composure, love, and perseverance.

Our best wishes and heart-felt thanks go out to Doug’s many friends who came from far and near to Athens in the spring to celebrate Doug’s extraordinary life. Our deep sympathy goes to his wife, Linda, and his son, Jack.

Warm regards, Libby

Where the Jobs Are: IHE Sees Added Value for New Master’s Degree

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ince the 1980s, the greatest growth in jobs in postsecondary education has been in administration.

Market research, conducted in June 2010, illustrated the growing demand for entry- and mid-level professionals with master’s degrees in higher education administration.

We found that 68% of the assistant director and higher level positions posted to the higher education employment website highedjobs.com in academic advising, admissions, assessment and accreditation, and financial aid required a master’s degree in higher education administration or a related field. IHE’s new Master’s in Higher Education Administration program will meet state, regional, and national demands for qualified personnel to work in higher education, nonprofit, and policy settings. “We are excited to We are excited to launch launch this new this new master’s program, master’s program, which has already attracted which has already attracted quite a quite a few prospective few prospective students. students. We have designed We have designed the the program to program to complement complement our our doctoral programs and doctoral programs other Institute initiatives and and other Institute look forward to welcoming initiatives and look forward to our first class of M.Ed. welcoming our students this year.

— Erik Ness first class of M.Ed. students this year,” states Erik Ness, IHE Graduate Coordinator.

The new M.Ed. program will introduce students to the field of higher education, surveying the critical issues and works on higher education management, research, and policy. The program requires students to delve deeply into one specialization in higher education research and practice to hone their interests and skills in a particular area within the broader field. In addition, the program will encourage students to develop specialized research and decision-making skills, preparing them for professional and academic opportunities after graduation. A traditional classroom setting will be used for the program, and the program will be open to both fulltime and part-time students. Except for outside electives, the master’s degree students will participate in the Institute’s existing classes. Applications are currently being accepted for spring and fall 2012. 

Outstanding Alumni Claire Howell Major (PhD, 1998)

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laire Howell Major believes her position of professor in the Department of Higher Education at the University of Alabama is the “best job ever.” And who’s to say that she’s wrong?

With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English, Claire wanted to go further educationally, and focus on teaching and learning in higher education in general.

“I wanted to think about it from a bigger picture than say from the perspective of ‘what is the best way to grade students,’” explains Major.

“I wanted to learn more about how we ‘do’ teaching and learning in higher education, why we do it the way we do (i.e., what or who is driving the decisions about teaching and learning in higher education), what are the implications of the way we are doing it, should we be doing it the way that we are, and so forth. I started looking for a program where I could do that and found the IHE.”

Claire says that the three things that give her the most satisfaction are: • Writing: “I enjoy working on a challenging topic, reading everything I can about it, figuring out what I need to say and how to say it.”

• Teaching: “I like thinking of a good subject for a class, one that I would like to take myself. I like working with students, helping them learn.”

• Service: “I work with faculty from a range of disciplines to help them think more deeply about their teaching, so that they can improve it. Perhaps they will publish their research and others can learn from it as well.”

When thinking back on her time at the Institute and her reasons for going there, Claire says that she chose the IHE because she believed it would offer her the best opportunity to situate teaching and learning in the broader context of higher education policy questions. She also found the staff to be smart, supportive, and encouraging.

When asked her advice for today’s Ph.D. students, Claire says, “Take the time while you have it to learn something important. Be independent thinkers, and question everything.” Because, after all, what better way to find yourself in the “best job ever”? 

By Betz Kerley

Autumn 2011 3

What are the IHE Faculty Doing?

The extensive research done by IHE faculty is evident by their associations with four peer-reviewed journals.

Rob Toutkoushian is the new editor of Research in Higher Education, a great coup for him and the Institute. Jim Hearn is a consulting editor for RHE and associate editor for Educational Researcher, which was recently ranked the most influential journal in educational research in the annual assessment compiled by Journal Citation Reports. Libby Morris continues as editor of Innovative Higher Education and the Institute plays a supporting role with the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. The faculty’s research interests cover a wide range of areas including, but not limited to, state and federal public policy, international trends, finance and economic issues, organizational analyses and strategic management in higher education.

Jim Hearn’s research efforts in 2010-11 were focused around wrapping up the manuscript for his book with Michael McLendon of Vanderbilt University. The book, Institutions, Interests, and Innovation: The Rise and Spread of State Policy Reforms in Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press), is scheduled for publication in 2012. Hearn also has two refereed journal articles and two book chapters forthcoming for publication in 2012.

Hearn continued work on a funded project titled Emerging Developments in Faculty Career Contexts, with support from the TIAA-CREF Institute. The project, for which Hearn is the principal investigator, uses existing and new data sources to investigate changes in the contexts of faculty work in U.S. higher education institutions. Also, Hearn continued ongoing work on an NSF-funded project titled State Science Policies: Modeling their Origins, Nature, Fit, and Effects on Local Universities.

In December of 2010, Hearn completed fifteen years of service as associate editor of Research in Higher Education and returned to the role of consulting editor for that journal.

However, he continues his work as associate editor for the Educational Researcher, a journal of the American Educational Research Association. Hearn assumed the role of associate director of the Institute in 2010.

Sheila Slaughter plans to complete work on two research grants totaling over .5 million during the upcoming academic year: Universities, Innovation and Economic Growth (with Larry Leslie and Liang Zhang/NSF) and Gender and Academic Capitalism: Men and Women of the Entrepreneurial Academy (with Amy Metcalfe/Canadian Social Science Research Council).

Slaughter has completed three book chapters in 2011 for separate books, but all published by Johns Hopkins University Press: (with Amy Metcalfe) “Chapter 1: Academic Capitalism” in Barbara J. Bank (ed), Gender and Higher Education; (with Gary Rhoades) “Markets in Higher Education: Students 4

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in the Seventies, Patents in the Eighties, Copyrights in the Nineties, more Academic Capitalism in the 2000s” in Altbach, Berdahl, and Gumport (eds.), American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political and Economic Challenges, (3rd ed.); and “Academic Freedom, Professional Autonomy, and the State” in Joseph Hermanowicz (ed.) The American Academic Profession: Changing Forms and Functions.

She and Postdoctoral Associate Brendan Cantwell had an article titled “Transatlantic Moves to the Market: Academic Capitalism in the US & EU” published in Higher Education.

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Slaughter gave three international presentations during the past year, traveling to Italy, Germany, and Bolivia, including two keynote addresses. Two of her doctoral students received Fulbright Scholarships (Leasa Weimer/Finland, Jennifer Olson/Germany). Dr. Ilkka Kauppinen from the University of Jyväskylä worked at the Institute on two extended visits to study and publish research with Slaughter.

Rob Toutkoushian co-edited a book that critiques international rankings of colleges and universities. The book was published by Springer (2011) and is titled University Rankings: Theoretical Basis, Methodology and Impacts on Global Higher Education (The Changing Academy - The Changing Academic Profession in International Comparative Perspective). He also completed a study of the effects of state appropriations and grants on access to higher education and

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migration across state lines and has an article accepted for publication in The Review of Higher Education based on the study. Toutkoushian conducted a study of the pension plans used by states for educators that was published in the Journal of Education Finance this summer.

Current and forthcoming research includes a project, funded by the Spencer Foundation, that examines how Indiana’s state financial aid program helps affect the postsecondary education plans of students; work on a book that he is writing with Mike Paulsen (Iowa) and John Smart (Memphis) on the economics and finance of higher education (Springer); and he completed a manuscript on how institutions can analyze faculty salaries to determine if they are equitable in relation to the external and internal markets, which is scheduled to be published (2012) in the Handbook of Institutional Research (Jossey-Bass).

Karen Webber served as chair of the UGA Academic Program Review team and was elected to the nominating committee for the Association for Institutional Research.

Karen’s publications include two refereed journal articles and two book chapters. Both chapters will appear in the upcoming book, University Rankings: Theoretical Basis, Methodology and Impacts on Global Higher Education, Shin, Toutkoushian, and Teichler (eds.) (Springer). One chapter, “Issues in Measuring the Research Performance of Postsecondary Institutions,” is co-authored with fellow faculty member, Rob Toutkoushian. The second chapter is titled “Measures of Faculty Productivity.” Webber’s journal article in Planning in Higher Education is titled “Faculty Productivity: Implications for Academic Planners,” and she has another published in Cell Biology Education (with Fechheimer and Kleiber) titled “How Successful are Undergraduate Research Programs at Promoting Engagement and Transformation of Students?” Two more articles are in final revision for 2012 publication in Research in Higher Education and Journal of College Student Development.

Karen presented workshops and led or participated in six conference presentations, related to institutional research, including five at international conferences in the UK, Canada and South Africa. She served as the IHE graduate program coordinator during 2010-11 and is developing several research studies for future publication.

Erik Ness continues research examining the political dynamics associated with state-level higher education finance policy. He published two journal articles related to state merit scholarship programs: “Merit Aid in North Carolina: A Case Study of a ‘Non-Event’” in The Review of Higher Education, with Molly Mistretta, and “Marketing Merit Aid: The Response of Flagship Campuses to State Merit Aid Programs” in Journal of Student Financial Aid, with Adam Lips. Ness also published studies related to state funding for higher education capital projects, including “State Capital Expenditures for Higher

Education: ‘Where the Politics Really Happens’” in Journal of Education Finance, with David Tandberg, and a policy report, with IHE graduate student Jaynefrances Nabawanuka, in the 2010 Education Policy Papers volume compiled by the UGA College of Education. In another study with Nabawanuka, he presented a paper analyzing the diffusion of dual track tuition policies in east Africa at the ASHE annual conference. At the 2011 AERA annual meeting, Ness and IHE graduate student Heidi Leming presented a paper titled, “State Constitutions and Higher Education: An Inventory and Directions for Future Research.”

Ness also continues work examining the use of research evidence in the policymaking process. He presented a paper at the ASHE annual conference analyzing how research and other sources of information influenced the adoption of merit scholarship programs. With funding through a UGA Faculty Research Grant, Ness and IHE graduate student Mary Milan began work on a comparative case study investigating research utilization in higher education finance policy in Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

In May, through a Speaker and Specialist Grant from the U.S. Department of State, Ness participated in a series of workshops related to strategic management and planning at the University of Rijeka in Croatia.

The president of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic (3rd from left), attended a reception with Erik Ness and Ed Simpson (IHE), who were part of a group leading workshops in strategic management and planning at the University of Rijeka

Also in 2010-11, Ness served on the executive committee of the ASHE Council for Public Policy and Higher Education, as co-chair of the ASHE Graduate Student Policy Seminar, as co-chair for the policy, finance, and economics section of Division J for the 2011 AERA annual meeting, and as chair of the Politics of Education Association’s Outstanding Dissertation Award. He continues to serve as a consulting editor for Research in Higher Education and began his tenure as graduate coordinator for Institute doctoral and master’s programs in August 2011.

Autumn 2011

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Postdoctoral Associates Brendan Cantwell published several studies on postdoctoral researchers over the past year, including “Academic In-Sourcing: International Postdoctoral Employment and New Modes of Production” in the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management; “Unseen Workers in the Academic Factory: Perceptions of Neoracisim among Postdocs in the United States and United Kingdom” with Jenny J. Lee in the Harvard Educational Review; and “Transnational Mobility and International Academic Employment: Positioning and Gate Keeping in an Academic Competition Arena,” which will be published in Minerva in December 2011. He also wrote an entry on international students for the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education edited by James A. Banks. Brendan is the co-author with Professor Sheila Slaughter of “Transatlantic Moves to the Market: United States and European Union” to be published in Higher Education. He presented a paper co-authored with

Lijing Yang joined the Institute of Higher Education as a postdoctoral research associate in August 2011.

She graduated from the University of Michigan with a concentration in higher education policy. She will be mentored by Jim Hearn to continue her research examining higher education finance policy and access in the U.S. and other countries.

Her current research interests include higher education organization and governance, economics of education and research methods. 

Lijing Yang

IHE Fellows, 2011 Fellows from a wide variety of disciplines and institutions enrich the multi-disciplinary intellectual community at the Institute.

2011 Fellows include: Brendan Cantwell

Christopher Cornwell

Professor of Economics IHE graduate Charles Mathies on U.S. research capacity at the Consortium for Higher Education Research (CHER) annual meeting at the University of Iceland in June 2011, and he is currently working on several papers with IHE Ph.D. student Barrett J. Taylor on postdoctoral labor, global university rankings, and the organizational and financial position of arts and humanities units.

Jerry S. Davis

Education Research and Policy Analysis Consultant

Elizabeth DeBray-Pelot

Associate Professor Program of Educational Administration and Policy

Delmer Dunn

Vice President for Instruction Emeritus and Regents Professor Emeritus

Catherine L. Finnegan

Assistant Vice Chancellor Academic Services and Research Virginia Community College System 6

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We’re Unusual.

That is, we have an “unusually productive, innovative and rewarding setting for higher-education studies” – Professor Jim Hearn

The Institute of Higher Education’s Ph.D. program offers a rigorous and focused program that prepares students for academic, administrative, professional, research and policy positions in higher education, nonprofit and governmental settings.

ihe.uga.edu/graduate-programs/phd

Mary Lou Frank

Interim Vice President Academic Affairs Middle Georgia College System

Susan H. Frost

Consultant and Adjunct Professor Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts Emory University

Denise Gardner

Director of Institutional Research

Joseph C. Hermanowicz

David Morgan

Interim Executive Vice Chancellor University System of Georgia

David Mustard

Associate Professor of Economics College of Business

Kenneth E. Redd

Director of Research and Policy Analysis Council of Graduate Schools

Linda A. Renzulli

Associate Professor of Sociology

Associate Professor of Sociology University of Georgia

Edward J. Larson

Edward G. Simpson, Jr.

Hugh & Hazel Darling Professor of Law Pepperdine University

Distinguished Public Service Fellow Emeritus

Larry L. Leslie

President Southern Regional Education Board

Distinguished Visiting Professor of Higher Education Senior Fellow-in-Residence

James Minor

Senior Programs Officer and Director Higher Education Programs Southern Education Foundation

Dave Spence

Randy L. Swing

Executive Director Association for Institutional Research

Autumn 2011

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Education with a Global Focus

EdD Students Study in China and Australia

“I learned . . . a new appreciation for and understanding of global education.”

Lisa Fowler

The Executive Ed.D. program continued its focus on global higher education this summer with study abroad at leading universities in China and Australia.

These experiences offered the Ed.D. students exposure to new systems of education to build on last year’s European seminars in the Netherlands, on the Bologna Process and the reform of European higher education. Wendy Hoffman, athletic director and assistant business professor at Midway College, Kentucky, summed up what the trip meant to her, “To gain even a sliver of true understanding of China’s culture, a trip such as ours with the opportunity to engage students and professors provided a genuine 8

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Drs. Leo Goedegebuure (far right) and Elisabeth Hughes (3rd from left) with EdD students in Melbourne, Australia

experience with lasting insights.” Chris LaCola, assistant dean of the Moore’s School of Business at the University of South Carolina agreed, “I realized just how little I knew about China, its people and its culture. It was an amazing and eye-opening experience.”

Students who chose to go to China were hosted by Professors Baocun Liu and Xiao Guang Shi and their graduate students from Beijing Normal University and Peking University. They learned that 400 million Chinese students are currently studying English. The Ed.D. students were taught by the most eminent faculty members in Chinese higher education, including Professor Yingjie Wang, a former president of BNU and visiting professor at Harvard. Side trips included climbing the Great Wall, exploring Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Lama Temple, and the Summer Palace, and by a fortuitous coincidence touring the beautiful campus of Tsinghua University on graduation day. The students also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Haixia Xu, a graduate of the IHE’s Ph.D. program and now a researcher at the Chinese Ministry of Education, and question her in-depth about the Chinese education system.

The group then traveled to Shanghai, where they had a seminar at Shanghai Jiao Tong University with Professor Nian Cai Liu, one of the originators of the Shanghai ranking system of world universities, who discussed how he and his colleagues compiled and interpreted the data for the rankings.

In Australia, Drs. Lynn Meek and Leo Goedegebuure, who direct the LH Martin Institute for Higher Education at the University of Melbourne, hosted the students. The group attended classes at the University of Melbourne, where they

learned about the “Melbourne Model,” the university’s total restructuring of its curriculum for degree and professional programs, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

There were side trips to the vineyards of the Yarra Valley and the Healesville Sanctuary and Wildlife Hospital, an important training center for wildlife veterinarians, where unique species of Australian wildlife are protected.

The students then moved to Sydney and lectures at Australian Catholic University’s Sydney branch and the University of Sydney, with a ferry ride to Manly Beach and a tour of Sydney’s famous harbor, bridge, and opera house environs.

One theme that became obvious to everyone was the importance of international students to higher education systems in so many countries and the truly global context of higher education. For Lisa Fowler, assistant V-P for enrollment management at Georgia Perimeter College, “Having the opportunity to study in Australia was a dream come true. I learned so much and have returned with a new appreciation for and understanding of global education. I have already begun work on study abroad programs that we can implement here at my institution so our students can study in Australia.” Tim Doyle, director of enrollment management at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, echoed her sentiments, “I learned how truly interconnected higher education is at the international level. Observing American influences on Australian education encouraged me to consider bringing Australian ideas to my home campus in Iraq, and made the trip a very valuable educational experience.” 

By Elisabeth Hughes

Autumn 2011

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Outstanding Alumni Chris Ferland (PhD, 2010)

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hris Ferland is a futurist. If you want to know what is happening with higher education in Georgia, or if you want to know what the trends may be for the future, Chris is your go-to guy.

As a senior research associate at the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents, Chris provides data and policy analyses, as well as data reporting, to members of the Board of Regents, federal and state legislatures, and senior members of the USG office Chris Ferland with daughter, Magen staff. The Office of Research and Policy Analysis analyzes higher education and related state and national policy issues and their impact on the University System of Georgia.

With a BA and MS in Sociology, Chris began his career by teaching at North Georgia College and State University. Subsequently, he became an Agricultural Extension employee, working with county agents across the state to create educational workshops. “The idea of educating others while doing research stayed with me,” explains Chris.

Then it was on to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, and the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management at UGA. While serving in these positions, Chris became more and more interested in working with large data sets and searching for trends, which led him to pursue a degree from the Institute of Higher Education.

Reflecting on his time at the IHE, Chris says that under the tutorage of his professors he received a solid intellectual foundation to explore key issues facing higher education today.

“The opportunities to present research, travel abroad, and work with some of the greatest minds in the field was amazing.

The courses in the doctoral program exposed me to multiple perspectives on various topics and helped me develop and strengthen my ability to step back and consider these issues.”

Ferland says that the courses included in the IHE program align well with challenges the USG faces on a daily basis.

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“Understanding these topics in state and national arenas aids in my development of reports and has helped me to have a more thoughtful and questioning perspective when I analyze data.”

Ferland cautions, “The Institute is for students who are passionate about and really want to understand postsecondary education. Its recognition in the state and beyond as a leader in the study of higher education is outstanding.”

Chris Ferland may be the futurist, but his talents and abilities find daily application in the present. And he gives a large share of the credit for that to his time at the IHE. 

By Betz Kerley

Catherine Finnegan (PhD, 1995)

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ow does one go from being a history major with dreams of becoming a National Geographic reporter and end by becoming the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Institutional Effectiveness for the Virginia Community College System? Catherine Finnegan can tell you all about that journey.

“I had no interest in numbers or planning as a UGA undergraduate,” says Finnegan. I failed my first statistics and computer technologies course!” But a chance encounter between her father and a congressman in a grocery store led her to becoming an intern in Washington, D.C.

“I really enjoyed digging up data to answer constituent concerns and to support legislative initiatives. This interest led me to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at UGA.” Subsequently, after an enlightening stay at the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center as a strategic planner, Finnegan decided to pursue her doctorate.

“Minutes into my first conversation with Dr. Parker Young (of the IHE), I knew I had found a home that would combine my interests in administration with my love of colleges,” says Finnegan.

Outstanding Alumni Allison McWilliams (PhD, 2008)

Upon her completion of her degree from the IHE, Finnegan assisted Dr. Libby Morris in her statewide healthcare personnel supply and demand study. “I found I had a knack for negotiating the pitfalls of large-scale surveying and for analyzing diverse data sources.” That work led her to a position with North Georgia College as the director of the college’s first Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

In 1990, Finnegan was hired by the University System of Georgia to head up a system wide SACS (Southern Association of Colleges & Schools) substantive change review for distance learning courses for 60 programs at 15 institutions. In addition, the SACS asked the University System of Georgia to develop and pilot techniques that would allow for their first fully distant review of such programs. “Luckily, we were successful in gaining approval for those programs and were an example for review changes at SACS,” says Finnegan.

Over the following ten years Finnegan continued her work assessing the effectiveness of information technology and online programs, also implementing the Georgia ONmyLINE program — a program dedicated to increasing access to public education by providing a database of on-line and distance education programs.

In 2010, Finnegan took the latest step in her on-going adventure when she moved to Richmond, Virginia. “I missed the challenge of working daily with college decision makers on strategic issues and wanted to return to institutional research. Luckily, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) was looking for a candidate with my unique set of skills and experiences to head up their Office of Institutional Effectiveness.” She goes on to explain, “The 23 colleges in the VCCS enroll over 400,000 students annually in academic and workforce courses. Presidents in the VCCS report to the Chancellor of the System, who is accountable to the 16-person appointed State Board. The System Office provides centralized support and policy development for the colleges. My role in institutional effectiveness at the VCCS has three major components: IR, datawarehousing and assessment.”

When thinking back on her time at the Institute of Higher Education, Finnegan reflects that, “The IHE program grounded me in the theories and practice of higher education, but (it) also gave me the tools to continue to study the field as I have progressed through my career.”

Finnegan’s words of advice to students come from her own life’s lessons. “Experience as much as you can in different fields that may not necessarily be the field you are in. You never know where your career will lead.”

A good lesson to learn from a former history major. 

By Betz Kerley

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ot every one is lucky enough to find their dream job upon completion of their degree, but Allison McWilliams is one of the fortunate ones. In June of 2010, she landed the job as director of career education and counseling at Wake Forest University.

Her initial charge was to develop a culture of mentoring and to provide training, support, and resources for formal and informal mentoring across campus. However, it wasn’t long before her title and responsibilities were greatly expanded.

“I am responsible for strategic direction, budgets, and personnel matters related to our career counseling team. I have similar responsibilities for professional development, which is an area that we are cultivating to provide professional development training and support to liberal arts majors. I am the administrative and the programmatic director of the Mentoring Resource Center, so I perform the administrative duties and am responsible for the implementation of strategic direction. Career counselors are often talking about professional development — we use a lot of the tools and strategies of counseling in mentoring,” explains McWilliams. A lot of my role is to identify ways in which the three areas can and should most effectively collaborate for the benefit of the students.”

It’s no surprise that McWilliams’ biggest daily challenge is finding the time to meet all the demands of her job, but she couldn’t be happier. “I get the most satisfaction from the time that I spend with people, both students and also my colleagues, talking through goals and their personal development.

Reflecting on her time studying at the IHE, McWilliams says that, “Both Sheila Slaughter and Bettie St. Pierre (College of Education) taught me so much about history and research, and how important and amazing it is to be a smart woman.

Going through a doctoral program in general is such an accomplishment and makes you realize that you really can set goals for yourself and achieve them.”

Her advice to current students? “Take advantage of every moment. Find a topic of study that truly interests and drives you. Seek out the help and counsel of the professors.” 

By Betz Kerley

Autumn 2011

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Looking for Guidance in 2013: Can the Georgia College Advising Corps Survive the Funds-Strapped New Reality?

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By Betz Kerley n 2009, the Institute of Higher Education, in partnership with the Watson-Brown Foundation and the National College Advising Corps, began an innovative program to recruit and train recent UGA graduates to work full-time as college advisers in selected high schools across Georgia.

The Georgia Advising Corps (GCAC) was launched and quickly became a valuable asset to students needing help in understanding and planning next steps after high school. The advisors worked alongside professional high school guidance counselors with the goal of increasing college applications and attendance by helping first-generation, underrepresented, and low-income students enroll in postsecondary institutions that fit their academic profiles.

The Georgia College Advising Corps would not have been possible without the help of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc. — a nonprofit Georgia corporation based in Thomson, Georgia. “We like to practice quiet philanthropy,” comments Sarah Katherine McNeil, director of scholarships & alumni relations. When McNeil first began working for the foundation 12

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and needed to make counselors aware of available scholarships, she discovered that many of the less fortunate students did not know how to apply to college. “These kids had few resources,” explained McNeil. Guidance counselors have little time for college preparation when their duties also include students’ social, behavioral and personal problems. Add to that drug and alcohol prevention and domestic violence awareness and it’s no wonder that so many disadvantaged students are not able to meet their full potential.

McNeil learned about the National College Hopefully the impact that the Advising Corp and within advisors have made six months worked out a in the schools will allow us joint commitment with the one day to have a college Watson-Brown Foundation advisor in every high school. and the Institute of Higher Education. As a result, the Georgia College Advising Corps was born.

“The University of Georgia is the flagship university. It needed to be here,” explains McNeil. The first two years of the

program have already made an impact on the number of students Guidance counselor of Augusta, Georgia’s, Westside High applying to college. Advisors are able to indentify students who School, Regina Thompson commented, “Hopefully the impact have potential for succeeding in college. They arrange college that the advisors have made in the schools will allow us one day tours for students who would otherwise not have an opportunity to have a college advisor in every high school. They are greatly to walk around a campus. They are holding needed in the guidance seminars on how to go about applying to departments.” colleges and how to receive financial aid.

Experts agree that a The National College Advising Corps postsecondary education can was founded in 2004. An evaluation of results be a powerful tool in boosting after five years revealed that on average, income and economic mobility. schools served by the program see an 8–12 On the high school level, GEORGIA COLLEGE ADVISING CORPS students must increase their percentage point increase in college-going rates versus control schools in the area. The subject matter knowledge and Advising Corps was found to be effective in both urban and improve study skills. Guidance counselors assisted by GCAC rural areas. Advising Corps partner high schools see an average advisors can help students learn how to go about selecting increase of $1 million in additional scholarship dollars per school a college and obtaining financial aid. “It would be a great for their college-going students. Surveys also found that partner opportunity for high schools showed an overall increase in the number of college recent graduates to visits per student, attendance at college fairs, FAFSA completion, work as advisors SAT/ACT registration and overall school morale. Students have and help give reported a greater awareness of higher education and what is students a plan required to attend college as a direct result of working with an after high school,” advisor. adds McNeil. After Unfortunately, the future is cloudy for the GCAC. Funding all, what could be is needed in order for this important program to continue after more important 2013. The new programs are state-funded, mandated by boards of than making regents. Because the Georgia program was not started on the state students who want level GCAC is by far the smallest in the nation, with four advisors to attend college — working in four high schools. “The vision was to grow and be all a priority?  over the state,” says McNeil.

UGA

(above, l-r) Tad Brown and Sarah Katherine McNeil (WatsonBrown Foundation)

(left, l-r) GCAC Advisers: Kahlin-Ivie Graham, Lauren Rice, LaShon Leggett and Briane Davis

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Research POlicy Connection

How Intermediaries May Impact State-Level Policy The need to connect research and public policy remains one of the most commonly identified challenges for the field of higher education. For instance, the theme of last year’s Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) annual conference posed a question about the “optimal alignment” of higher education scholarship and public policy. Examination of the research-policy divide has also served as a perennial topic of interest for recent ASHE Presidential Addresses and, as Jim Hearn (1997) points out, eminent scholars of higher education have colorfully described our field’s research as “trees without fruit” (Keller, 1985) and “shipyards in the desert” (Weiner, 1986) for its disconnect with what policymakers and practitioners consider useful. This is often attributed to fundamental differences in the settings and preferences of researchers and policymakers. Just as policymakers complain that academic research rarely informs contemporary policy debates, researchers lament policymakers’ preference for quick, straightforward solutions at the expense of analytic rigor. Yet, increasingly the policy organizations and state agencies that sit on the boundaries of the research and policy communities serve as effective intermediaries in encouraging the uptake of research evidence in public-policy decisions.

Given the steady attention by researchers and policymakers to their tenuous alignment, empirical examinations of research utilization in state policy decisions fall well short of the accumulating anecdotal evidence. For instance, we still know surprisingly little about fundamental issues related to research-policy connections, including: policymakers’ preferred sources of information; policymakers’ use of research to inform their policy decisions, or alternatively, to support previously held policy preferences; and, policy organizations’ efforts to provide information and/or advocate for certain policies. This article draws on my recent work analyzing research use by state-level higher education policymakers, including a more comprehensive synthesis of research utilization and theories of the public policymaking process (Ness, 2010). In the first part of this essay, I provide an overview of the core concepts related to research utilization including the two communities’ perspective, categories of research use, and preferred sources of information. The second part of the essay outlines the roles of three intermediary 14

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organizations—state higher education agencies, regional compacts, and national policy organizations—in the state higher education policymaking process.

Research Utilization Two Communities. As popularized by C.P. Snow’s (1959) classic “two cultures” study of the humanities and sciences within academia, the “two communities” perspective essentially holds that researchers and policymakers are members of separate communities each with its own language, values, norms, and goals. In his Godkin Lecture at Harvard University, Snow delivered an address on “Science and Government,” in which he described how the former might (and might not) influence the decisions of the latter. Through a compelling narrative account of the role that two scientific experts played within Great Britain’s government during World War II, Snow (1961) offered a vivid description of power and politics within the “black box” of the policymaking process. In particular, Snow detailed how scientific knowledge can be marginalized in “closed politics” situations where personalities and personal relationships matter most. Ultimately, Snow urged scientists to better understand the political environment, offered a few prescriptive conditions to maximize the effectiveness of a government-science commission, and warned of placing too much power over decision-making in the hands of a single scientist.

During the “golden age” of research utilization studies, two authors in particular personified the link between the two communities of research and policy. Thomas Wolanin and Samuel Halperin served both as academics and as senior staff members in the federal government. Halperin (1974) emphasized the perceptions that the two communities hold of one another: politicians are only interested in re-election and thereby short-term results; and, educators are arrogant, poor communicators, and have little understanding of the political process. Wolanin’s (1976) primer on federal policymaking identified many obstacles which tend to prevent information from influencing policy decisions, such as omnibus bills that lump together dozens of loosely related bills thereby encouraging log-rolling by policymakers. These descriptive studies, without explicitly doing so, lend support to the “two

communities” perspective as an explanation for the non-use of information in the policy process.

Perhaps because of its intuitive appeal, this dichotomizing perspective also seems to be firmly embedded throughout the higher education literature. In fact, Apfel and Worthley (1979) implicitly used the two communities rationale to explain why state governments so seldom rely on universities for technical assistance. Indeed, their study concluded that “language barriers” and “heterophily—a condition in which sender and receiver are unlike one another in many respects” account for this trend. Similar to the essays by Wolanin (1976) and Halperin (1974), William Sederburg (1989), a Michigan state senator and former Michigan State University political scientist, identified a dozen hypotheses for the language gap between state legislators and academics and, ultimately, recommends that university leaders adopt a statewide perspective and a deeper understanding of the political process. Many higher education researchers are likely most familiar with the two-communities’ perspective through Robert Birnbaum’s (2000) article “Policy scholars are from Venus; Policy makers are from Mars,” which argues that the work of scholars and policymakers should remain “two distinct knowledge-producing activities whose . . . increasingly the policy insights might inform organizations and state agencies each another but that sit on the boundaries of the are not dependent on each other.” research and policy communities Birnbaum’s article serve as effective intermediaries . . . seems contrarian. in public-policy decisions.

Instead of arguing for a bridge between these two communities, Birnbaum defends their differences in aims and contexts, placing the onus of a research-policy connection on intermediaries such as governmental agencies’ or non-governmental organizations’ policy analysts, thereby excusing researchers and policymakers from any demands they alter their respective orbits. Having outlined the challenge to research utilization posed by the two-communities’ perspective from Snow’s “two cultures” to Birnbaum’s direct application to higher education, the next section reviews various classifications of research use in the policymaking process.

Categories of Research Use. Scholars have identified many different ways in which research is used in the policymaking process, however, Carol Weiss’s (1980) three category typology of research use remains the guiding work. First, instrumental use refers to the direct application of research to specific policy decisions. This model of research utilization follows most closely the rational choice model of decision-making in which a problem is identified, information is gathered about possible solutions, then the optimal solution is adopted. Research utilization scholars have argued that the use of information in the policy process has been under-estimated, at least in part, because researchers were looking solely at the instrumental use of information.

The second type of research utilization, conceptual use, refers to the broader, longer-term role that research

can have on policymakers’ understanding of certain policy issue. Considering federal student financial aid policy as an example, the instrumental use of research evidence might show the direct impact of increasing the Pell grant award amount on increased enrollment rates of lower-income students. The conceptual use of research evidence, however, would include the cumulative effect of a broad range of studies on the impact of college affordability on student enrollment, retention, and persistence even if this research does not immediately inform a specific bill or policy decision.

The third type, political use, refers primarily to the tactical or symbolic use of information by policymakers. Usually this entails a policymaker using research evidence to bolster support for previously held positions or policy preferences, as opposed to using research to identify the optimal policy solution. Policymakers might make political use of research by distributing research findings to fellow legislators as a means of gaining support for an issue important to their district. Formal testimony or hearings before legislative committees is often another form of tactical research use, especially when all the experts in a panel provide evidence in support of policymakers’ preferred policies.

Sources of Information. As a means to better understand both the supply- and demand-sides of research utilization, scholars have examined policymakers’ preferred sources of information. Early studies primarily explored how policymakers utilized specific social science research as opposed to broader sources of information that influence their decision-making. For instance, Weiss (1980) controls for the sources of information by generating hundreds of standardized two-page abstracts of research findings that federal agency staff then rate and assess in terms of perceived usefulness.

While these seminal studies produced much of the conceptual development undergirding the study of research utilization, they were of a much narrower focus than more recent studies, which have sought to capture the specific types of information that policymakers are most prone to utilize.

For the most part, studies have found that policymakers prefer insider sources, such as legislative staff and fellow legislators, to outsider sources, such as the media and academics. For example, Webber (1987) finds that “legislative colleagues” rank highest in usefulness and frequency of policy information sources. Similarly, Mooney (1991) finds that legislators prefer each of three information sources at a different stage of the legislative process: (1) insider sources are preferred at voting decision stage, (2) outsider sources are preferred at the development stage, and (3) middlerange sources, such as interest groups, are preferred at the “persuasion” or policy formulation stage. Mooney contends that this strategy leads legislators to rely upon one another for their specific areas of expertise at least in part because they are able to “speak the same language” and also based on the willingness of legislators to trust fellow members with similar

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ideological views. Yet, both Webber and Mooney find evidence of legislators relying on external sources for the conceptual use of information. Webber, for instance, finds that legislators who value their role as a “policy conveyer,” one who translates and communicates public policy issues and solutions to the broader public, are much more reliant on external sources, such as university and research organizations. These sources are more likely than insider sources, such as legislator committee staff or state agencies, to conduct new research rather than synthesize its core findings.

Based on legislators’ inherent re-election interests, constituents serve as another influential source of information.

Mayhew’s (1974) classic and elegant electoral-connection perspective famously characterized elected officials as “singleminded re-election seekers.” Accordingly, the best indicator of legislators’ policy preferences is the public opinion of citizens in their districts, which permit the legislator to satisfy voter demands and thus become re-elected. As mentioned above, Mooney finds that constituents serve as valuable outsider sources of information, especially driving the development of legislation. In fact, he finds that constituent letters and phone call logs generated much bill-drafting activity, but exerted a notably low level of influence on the ultimate voting decision itself. Alternatively, Gray and Lowery (2000), in a single case study of Minnesota legislators and staffers, find that the importance of constituents as an information source ranks the second highest for both identifying problems and voting behavior.

State governmental agencies serve as another common source of policy information. For higher education, this source would include the statewide governing or coordinating board for public higher education institutions. Yet, according to Gray and Lowery (2000) and Webber (1987), legislators rank state agencies as only moderately useful and as an infrequent source of information. However, among legislators who value scientific and technical information, Webber finds a strong correlation to the usefulness of state agency information. In one of the few research utilization studies to consider higher education policy adoption, Shakespeare (2008) examines the role of the governing board systems, State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY), in the budget decision process. Shakespeare’s analysis reveals that multiple, competing coalitions rely heavily upon SUNY and CUNY data and analysis to bolster their position in favor of or in opposition to altering the state’s Tuition Assistance Program.

Think tanks, the final source of information, have become increasingly 16

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more prevalent in the policymaking process. With the swelling number of think tanks in recent decades, these organizations have varied agendas and missions ranging from research producers, research translators, issue advocacy, and ideological advancement. Andrew Rich’s (2004) book on the role of think tanks on federal public policy states that policymakers perceive think tanks to be “more marketing than research organizations, with styles of behavior that mimic interest groups rather than universities.” Rich argues that think tanks’ aggressive marketing efforts and increasing ideological and partisan alliances have blurred the boundaries between experts and advocates. Ultimately, he argues that the influence of think tanks is mitigated by their propensity to deliver research information in the same polemic fashion that characterizes the policymaking process, and thus clearly aligns with the political use of information.

Intermediary Organizations This section focuses primarily on three intermediary organizations that often provide policy information and expertise: national policy organizations, regional compacts, and statewide higher education agencies. As the term suggests, intermediary organizations serve a translating function between two principals with different values and perspectives, which for higher education would be governments and colleges. Intermediaries, such as the Business Higher Education Forum and European Research Council, for example, have been shown to maximize research utilization in crafting research policy (e.g., Gornitzka, 2009; Slaughter & Leslie, 1997).

My recent work builds upon these studies of the boundary spanning between science and politics of national or supranational organizations to explore public policymaking at the state-level. The discussion [Intermediary below outlines the roles and Organizations] have functions of three intermediaries been shown to maximize and offers questions that might research utilization in guide future inquiry on how crafting research policy. these intermediary organizations might bridge the research-policy communities.

National policy organizations. There are a host of national higher education policy organizations that supply valuable research-based information and many actively consult with state-level elected officials and higher education leaders. These organizations also hold conferences or training sessions for state policy actors, thereby potentially serving as “opinion leaders” or “change agents” within the field (Nutley et al., 2007, p. 185). The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, for instance, has been advocating for more affordable higher education opportunities through the biannual release of the Measuring Up: The National Report Card. The State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) serves both as the professional association for chief higher education officers in each state and as a policy organization that conducts research and consults on issues ranging from finance to accountability to P-16 transitions. The National Center for

Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) consults widely with state leaders on higher education governance structures and finance policy and has developed a userfriendly web portal—NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis (www.higheredinfo.org).

Regional compacts. Four state-level higher education policymaking, regional compacts serve as valuable information sources and often as advocates for certain policy initiatives.

All states, with three exceptions (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania), belong to one of four regional compacts: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Midwest Higher Education Compact (MHEC), New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), and Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Consistent with their original missions to share resources and advance education in their regions, these compacts facilitate articulation and tuition reciprocity agreements and lend expert analysis on higher education issues that individual states may not have the capacity to produce.

National policy consortia and regional compacts can be classified as intermediary organizations primarily based on structural and functional characteristics. Structurally, regional compacts serve both elected officials and higher education administrators. State participation in compacts and some national policy organizations is approved by elected officials and compacts’ boards of directors include governors and legislators from member-states. Compacts also work directly with state higher education officials to coordinate memberstate efforts on policy goals and to systematically collect and distribute data. Functionally, compacts provide policy briefs targeted at elected officials and more detailed policy reports for higher education officials. Similarly, the professional staffs of both regional compacts and national consortia consult with policymakers individually, provide formal testimony, host meetings of state higher education leaders, and collaborate with higher education officials on state and regional policy initiatives. In many ways, regional compacts function as a combination of think tanks and state agencies. They produce reports and possess expertise similar to think tanks, but since states pay membership fees, policymakers may value this information as less biased than other partisan-aligned think tanks. However, without the formal reporting structure of state agencies and given their location outside of state capitals, regional compacts maintain an outsider status that can mitigate or accentuate their influence on the policy process.

The conceptual understanding of regional compacts’ and of national policy organizations’ structural and functional characteristics on state higher education policy could be enhanced by greater attention to this boundary function.

A deeper understanding of the role that regional compacts play on policy adoption would add clarity to the role of research utilization. For instance, to what extent do policymakers value or rely upon information provided by regional compacts? Does the type of information (i.e., original empirical research, descriptive data reports, policy briefs) influence the likelihood of utilization? Does the frequency or mode of interaction (i.e., testimony, written formal reports,

individual communication with legislators) matter? Also, do elected officials’ participation on a compact’s board of directors or various committees serve to moderate the two-communities divide? This study tests many of these questions in hopes of identifying empirical effects and informing future inquiry in the utilization of research.

State higher education agencies. Although the manner in which state agencies govern higher education varies widely, state-level higher education agencies serve crucial roles in providing information to and interceding between government and colleges. The conventional classifications for statewide governance structures include consolidated governing boards (all higher education institutions are governed by one board), coordinating [T]o what extent do policymakers value or rely boards (one board represents upon information provided statewide interests, but singleor multi-institution governing by regional compacts? boards retain varying degrees of authority), and planning agencies (state agencies have very little formal authority, as with coordinating board structure, single- or multi-institution governing boards retain varying degrees of authority). These three governance arrangements range in the level of formal authority, thereby influencing the dynamic of the state agencies relationship with the government and campuses. Early studies of statewide higher education governance suggest that coordinating and planning agencies are more likely to advance state interests over campuses than are consolidated governing board arrangements (e.g., Berdahl, 1971). These differences have important implications for their role as intermediary organizations.

Regardless of the degree of centralization, the agencies largely emerged in the mid-20th century with the primary function to buffer state government from postsecondary education institutions. This buffering (or boundary) role of state agencies best represents their function as intermediary organizations. Prior to the creation of statewide governance systems, campus leaders directly represented their interests to state legislatures and governors. The resulting policy and appropriations decisions often reflected the strength of these individual relationships more so than the wider interests of the state. Without an intermediary organization, for example, how could legislators determine which new campus buildings were of highest priority or how to equitably appropriate funds across varying institution types (e.g., flagship research universities, regional colleges and universities, community colleges)? These governance structures now have varying levels of influence on statewide master planning, budget allocations (or recommendations), and academic program approval. These general structural differences also suggest that higher education agencies may impact research utilization in the policy process.

Conclusion Higher education intermediaries stand to influence heavily the use of research evidence in state higher education policy decisions. By virtue of their membership and leadership, in

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fact, regional and national policy organizations connect the two communities and provide many venues for formal and informal networking. Initial evidence from my studies suggests that these networks, over time, lead to the conceptual use research even if policymakers make tactical use of information to advance their research-supported policy preferences.

Although the alluring analogy of the two communities chasm is likely to persist based on the seemingly endless supply of anecdotal evidence, deeper investigation of the boundary roles played by higher education intermediaries may reveal tighter research-policy connections than conventionally thought.

REFERENCES Apfel, J., & Worthley, J.A. (1979). Academic Technical Assistance: The University and State Government. Public Administration Review, 39, 408-414.

Berdahl, R.O. (1971). Statewide coordination of higher education.

Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education.

Birnbaum, R. (2000). Policy scholars are from Venus; Policy makers are from Mars. Review of Higher Education, 23(2), 119-132.

Gornitzka, A. (2009). Research policy and the European Union: multi-layered policy change? In P. Clancy & D. Dill (Eds.), The Research Mission of the University: Policy reforms and institutional response (pp. 53-77).

Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Gray, V., & Lowery, D. (2000). Where do policy ideas come from? A study of Minnesota legislators and staffers. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10, 573-597.

Halperin, S. (1974). Politicians and educators: Two world views. Phi Delta Kappan, 56(3), 189-190.

Hearn, J.C. (1997). Research on higher education in a mass and diversified system: The case of the United States. In J. Sadlak & P. Altbach (Eds.), Higher Education Research at the Turn of the Century: Structures, issues, and trends (pp. 271-319). New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. Keller, G. (1985). Trees without fruit. Change, 17 (1), 7-10.

Mayhew, D. R. (1974). Congress: The electoral connection. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Mooney, C.Z. (1991). Information sources in state legislative decision making. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 16, 445-455.

Ness, E.C. (2010). The Role of Information in the Policy Process: Implications for the examination of research utilization in higher education policy. In J.C. Smart (Ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, Vol. XXV (pp. 1-49). New York: Springer.

Nutley, S.M., Walter, I., & Davies, H.T.O. (2007). Using evidence: How research can inform public services. Bristol: The Policy Press.

Rich, A. (2004). Think tanks, public policy, and the politics of expertise.

Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Rich, R. F. (1991). Knowledge creation, diffusion, and utilization: Perspectives of the founding editor of Knowledge. Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization, 12, 319–337.

Sederburg, W.A. (1989). A legislator looks at academe. Change, 21(1), 31-38.

Shakespeare, C. (2008). Uncovering information’s role in the state higher education policy-making process. Educational Policy, 22(6), 875-899.

Slaughter, S., & Leslie, L.L. (1997). Academic capitalism: Politics, policies, and the entrepreneurial university. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Snow, C.P. (1959). The two cultures and the scientific revolution.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Snow, C.P. (1961). Science and government. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Webber, D. J. (1987). Legislators use of policy information. American Behavioral Scientist 30, 612-631.

Weiner, S.S. (1986). Shipyards in the desert. Review of Higher Education, 10(2), 159-164.

Weiss, C. (1979). The many meanings of research utilization. Public Administration Review

39, 426-431.

Weiss, C. (1980). Knowledge creep and decision accretion. Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion,

Utilization, 1, 381-404.

Wolanin, T.R. (1976). “Don’t trouble me with the facts”: Congress, information, and policymaking for postsecondary education. In S.K. Gove and F.W. Wirt (Eds.), Political science and school politics: The princes and pundits (pp. 91-110). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Erik C. Ness is assistant professor of higher education and graduate coordinator in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Previously, he served as an assistant professor and coordinator of the Higher Education Management program at the University of Pittsburgh and as a policy analyst for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Professor Ness conducts research on the politics of higher education, the public policy process, student financial aid, and the finance and governance of higher education systems.

Professor Ness also serves on the executive committee of ASHE’s Council on Public Policy and Higher Education, as a consulting editor for Research in Higher Education, as chair of the selection committee for the Politics of Education Association’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, and as an associate for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Outstanding Alumni Todd Holcomb (EdD, 1992)

A Polar Opposites

Roald Amundsen of Norway was the first man to reach the South Pole, but it was his British adversaries who won the scientific glory.

The publication of IHE Fellow Ed Larson’s latest book, An Empire of Ice, coincides with the 100th anniversary of the first expeditions to the South Pole. Retold with added information, it presents a new take on Antarctic exploration by placing the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.

Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who relentlessly persevered in the face of defeat.

An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers’ achievements, shares littleknown stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.

Jennifer Kinson of the New York Times states that “the important thing about this story is not who arrived first at the pole, but who did the best field research along the way. ‘If the race to the South Pole eventually consumed Scott, it was never at the expense of science.’ Larson contends.” These expeditions also helped prove that Antarctic was a continent and not merely a block of ice.

Edward J. Larson is university professor of history and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling chair in law at Pepperdine University. His numerous books include Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion, for which he received a Pulitzer Prize in History.

Larson splits his time between Georgia and California.

An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science, Yale University Press. 

ccording to the College Board, four out of ten graduating high school students start their college careers at community colleges.

With the benefits of lower tuition and more hands-on attention from faculty, community college can be an attractive beginning to a college career.

There are over 1,600 community colleges in the United States, serving 11 million students. One of those “first-responder” institutions is Western Nebraska Community College, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Its newly appointed president is Institute of Higher Education alumnus Todd Holcomb.

“There are many challenges to being president at a rural community college where our service area covers 17,000 square miles,” explains Holcomb. “Those challenges include declining rural demographics, competition with metropolitan areas, cost of instruction and delivery of services, and hiring qualified faculty and staff.”

When Dr. Holcomb became president of WNCC, he was fully prepared to take on those challenges with many years’ experience and a dedicated staff of professionals to help students succeed. “We just recently completed our new mission statement and strategic plan. The promise, ‘WNCC assures learning opportunities for all — enriching lives, invigorating communities, and creating futures,’ is printed on the back of every business card. It is part of our organizational culture and a fundamental expectation of being an effective educator at WNCC.” Reflecting back on his time at the Institute, Dr. Holcomb explains, “My doctoral work created the foundation for my future career. We were taught to examine issues in a 360-degree manner, argue positions from both sides of the table, and defend our position in a confident and assertive manner. We encouraged each other to be better educators and people.”

Todd Holcomb encourages today’s higher education students to, “Take risks, accept challenges, and stretch yourself to be a better student, professional and colleague”. 

By Betz Kerley

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Nancy Zimpher with UGA President Michael Adams

McBee Lecturer Calls for Fundamental Reforms to Aid Academia, Nation A nationally recognized leader in education, Chancellor Nancy Zimpher is known as an effective agent of change.

President Michael Adams affirmed this statement in his introduction when he said she was “one of America’s truly great academic leaders . . . and she is at the forefront of many issues we are facing today [in higher education].”

Transporting her leadership style from the University of Cincinnati to SUNY, she has introduced a new set of initiatives called the Power of SUNY, while also leading the way for groundbreaking legislative reforms. Zimpher believes that we desperately need ambitious institutional transformation.

In her presentation, Dr. Zimpher gave her recipe for “a 5-way approach to the perils that are plaguing public higher education in tough academic times.”

■■ Institutional transformation: Vision trumps everything and is derived at the hands of many ■■ Assessment and accountability are cornerstones 

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Anchor institutions are “sticky” capital: “The reciprocal relationship between our universities IHE Report

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and our communities is the life blood of economic revitalization for our country.”

Sealing the leaky education pipeline: “We have to ‘shake it up’ with business and industry and get more faculty working with more responsibility for the education pipeline.”

■■ Access and the talent dividend ■■ Student mobility: ( e.g., transferring course credits between institutions more easily) ■■ New technologies for teaching and learning: “We have a long way to go in integrating innovative instructional technologies into our work.”

In closing, Dr. Zimpher shared her belief about education with a quote by David Leonhardt (New York Times), “It helps society leverage every other investment it makes. Educating more people and educating them better appears to be the best, single bet that a society can make.” 

The Three-Day Sabbatical

By Betz Kerley

A

ccording to educator William Arthur Ward, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.

The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” But what happens when the great teachers lose their inspiration?

Teaching faculty in higher education have enormous demands on their time. When their job is to motivate, instruct, deal with administrative tasks and stay current with changes in the profession all at the same time, burnout can be a real problem.

Finding a balance where student engagement and student success coincide with all the other daily responsibilities can be difficult to achieve.

That’s where the Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) Program comes into play. Established in 1995 by former Georgia Governor Zell Miller, the GTF provides Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. On average, 40 applicants apply each year to participate in one of the GTF programs of which 12 to 14 fellows are chosen.

Participants are selected based on their teaching experience, their interest in continuing instructional and professional development, and their ability to make a positive impact on their own campus.

“Part of what we do in this program is to reinforce that what they do is very important,” states Marguerite Koepke, director of the Institute’s GTF program. Fellows have the

option of participating in a three-day program (six sessions per academic year) or a summer symposium (two weeks).

Koepke likes to call one of the programs, “The Three-Day Sabbatical”. “Institutions give faculty sabbaticals for renewal, and they are quite expensive. The (GTF) three-day sabbatical has transformed careers.”

Rich Halstead-Nussloch, associate professor, Southern Polytechnic State University, agrees. “The GTF has established a community of practice for ‘teaching and learning’ that has aroused public envy among colleagues from outside Georgia.

And it is afforded at a price that is only a fraction of the total price of all the fellows taking an individual sabbatical.”

Dean Priscilla Danheiser, College of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at Mercer University, says, “I see so many important outcomes of the program, not just for the individual faculty member, but also for the faculty member’s colleagues, for our university, for the state, and, most importantly, for our students. Simply put, the GTF program symbolizes the state’s commitment to excellence and innovation in higher education and to our state’s college students.” Whether that commitment is for two weeks or a year, it’s worth it. 

2011 McBee Lecture Minnesota President Robert Bruininks 11:00 a.m. November 2 in the UGA Chapel

Robert H. Bruininks was appointed the 15th president of the University of Minnesota on November 8, 2002, and he retired on June 30 after nine years of service. He served the University for more than 40 years, formerly as a professor, dean, and executive vice president and provost.

With more than 65,000 students enrolled system-wide—including more than 50,000 on the Twin Cities campus alone—the University of Minnesota is one of the nation’s largest.

During his tenure at the University, Bruininks was instrumental in founding the National Center on Educational Outcomes, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living, and the Institute on Community Integration. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Fellowship.

Named Executive of the Year by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal in 2009 and Minnesotan of the Year by Minnesota Monthly in 2004, Bruininks serves on the Itasca Project and the Minnesota Business Partnership and regularly advocates on behalf of the University of Minnesota and its essential role as the state’s economic engine. In 2008 he served as chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and he was a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board until 2009. 

Autumn 2011

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Lessons in Leadership

President and CEO, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA)

Mike Cassidy

President, Kennesaw State University

Dan Papp

Special Assistant to the President, Georgia State University

Tom Lewis

President, University of Connecticut; Former Executive Vice Chancellor, University System of Georgia Susan Herbst

Lieutenant Governor, state of Georgia

Casey Cagle

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IHE Report

By Betz Kerley

“

May you live in interesting times.”

This is not a wish for peace and tranquility but, instead, a curse referencing upheaval and trouble.

With more and more businesses failing and many business models floundering, the curse seems to have been effective.

(Given that it is said to be an ancient Chinese curse, perhaps that is not surprising.) The people running the show have never been in a more precarious position.

Why? Some analysts blame shareholder pressure. Others point to a lack of effective leadership in corporations.

The same holds true in higher education. It, too, is under the microscope. Dissatisfaction is driven by various stakeholders, including Leadership should be government about creating a vision, demands, communicating a policy, and student implementing a strategy. needs and Charles Knapp satisfying local communities.

Today’s world has become tougher, more competitive and less forgiving of wasted resources and squandered opportunities. Even traditionally sheltered universities are now forced to conduct their activities in a more businesslike manner.

Whether it is in the corporate world or in the world of academia, the search for effective leadership has never been more important. The economic climate demands that things be done differently. Leadership has become less hierarchical and more fragmented. Disparate groups of people must be guided to deliver goals. Technology is ever changing and more complex. Making the tough decisions to cut unnecessary overheads today, while setting attainable goals for tomorrow, may be the most challenging task of all. That’s why it is more important than ever before to understand what makes a good leader, whether it is on Wall Street or running a university.

Dr. Charles B. Knapp (interim director, Executive Ed.D. Program in Higher Education and president emeritus of the University of Georgia) has been hosting a series of guest lecturers in an on-going discussion about leadership. The speakers represent a vast range of experience and include a university president, the lieutenant governor of Georgia, a nationally recognized football coach and athletic director, and the president of Coca-Cola North America.

“I asked each of the speakers to come in and talk about the challenge that they faced, and then go through

Commissioner, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Holly Robinson

President, Coca-Cola North America

J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr.

Associate Vice President for Admissions and Enrollment Management, University of Georgia Nancy McDuff

President, Southern Regional Education Board (retired)

Mark D. Musick

Former Coach and Athletic Director, University of Georgia

Vince Dooley

Outstanding Alumni Khoi Dinh To (PhD, 2011)

Charles Knapp

how they approached that challenge,” explains Knapp. “The people who came in to speak have different leadership styles — some were laid back and some were effervescent.

Part of the lesson is that it’s not cookie cutter. These people have different leadership styles; they

have different personalities.”

“All the people who came, though, had a sense of what they wanted to accomplish within the complicated organizations they were in,” Dr. Knapp continued.

“They were smart about tactics, but they drove it all out of an overarching understanding of what they wanted to accomplish and why — why that was a good thing, and why you could get people to follow you. Vision to implementation was a common theme among all the speakers.”

The ability to change the way people look at issues is key to good leadership. Dr. Knapp stressed that all good leaders understand the need of gradual changes within an organization. “You have to affect change at a pace the environment can stand,” says Knapp. “Leadership should be about creating a vision, communicating a policy and implementing a strategy.”

Knapp concludes with this thought: “The students (in the Executive Ed.D. program) have to not only have the wealth of information that has been part of It is more important than this program, but ever before to understand what makes a good leader, they also need to whether it is on Wall Street understand how or running a university… to use it, and how to use it wisely.”

Whether the job is branding and marketing a soft drink or taking the helm at a major university, the challenge is still the same.

“The commonality with leaders is they have an ability to see around corners,” says Knapp. “What you have to do is think about the way things are going to be five years out and hit that target.” 

W

hen Khoi Dinh To, a native of Vietnam, decided to study in the U.S. he had no contacts here, so he looked at the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings and applied to several universities. UGA was the first to offer him a place in its doctoral program and he took it. He believed that, “not only would a degree from the IHE afford me great job opportunities, but I could work with Drs. Sheila Slaughter and Jim Hearn on NSF projects, and the weather was similar to that of Saigon!”

Khoi earned a B.A. in international business from the Foreign Trade University in Saigon, and a dual MBA from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand and L’Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris, France. In addition, he went through a training program at the Korea Stock Exchange in Seoul sponsored by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam. Khoi also spent four years as the finance controller at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Saigon, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He enjoyed the size of the IHE’s program, which “guarantees a lot of individual attention from faculty and staff and plenty of interaction outside the classroom”. Khoi wanted to “live as a native” and tried every kind of American food, while staying true to his roots and traveling frequently to Atlanta’s Vietnamese restaurants.

Khoi’s graduate assistantships at the IHE were spent conducting data analysis on various NSF projects. His dissertation, directed by Dr. James Hearn, was on how faculty’s compensation, research expenditures, and time allocations influence the degree production processes of universities at the STEM field level and the departmental level.

Khoi demonstrated the same diligence when applying for jobs that he had practiced when looking for higher education programs. It paid off, and he is currently an institutional research analyst in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. 

By Elisabeth Hughes

Autumn 2011

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International Scholars Make Themselves at Home at IHE

I

By Elisabeth Hughes

n 2011, the IHE continued to expand its global connections by hosting international scholars from Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Korea, China, and the U.K.

Early in January, Professor Peter Maassen from the University of Oslo, who directs HEDDA (Higher Education Development Association), returned to the Institute to give a presentation titled “The Transformation of Higher Education: Beyond the Global Script Perspective.” At the end of the month, Professor Jürgen Enders, director of CHEPS (Centre for Education Policy Studies) at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, also returned to the Institute to give a talk on “The Transformation of Higher Education and Research in the Knowledge Society.”

Three scholars from the U.K. were scheduled to visit the IHE this year. Dr. Rajani Naidoo, Director of the Doctor of Business Administration in Higher Education Management program at the University of Bath, gave a presentation on “Higher Education and Hegemonic Rivalry in the 21st Century.” Professor Roger Brown, Co-Director for the Centre of Higher Education Research Development (CHERD) at Liverpool Hope University, was a discussant at the September meeting of the executive Ed.D. program, and Professor John Taylor, of the University of Liverpool’s School of Management is scheduled to give a talk in September on comparative higher education issues.

Jürgen Enders Dr. Taylor is also interested in pursuing a partnership between his university and the Institute.

Sociologist Dr. Ilkka Kauppinen, a senior assistant researcher at the University of Jyväskylä, Rajani Naidoo

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IHE Report

Ilkka Kauppinen

Finland, completed his Fulbright research grant at the Institute and then received an additional grant from the Academie of Finland to return for the month of June to work with Dr. Charles Mathies and doctoral student Leasa Weimer, students of Professor Sheila Slaughter.

Kiyong Byun Dr. Kauppinen chose to come to the IHE because of Dr. Slaughter and her work on academic capitalism, and because the Institute emphasizes interdisciplinary work. While at the IHE he has written articles on the economic status of knowledge in higher education, integration of higher education and transnational R & D and production networks. He returned to Finland to edit a book on French social theories, but will look back fondly on his time in Athens. Dr. Kauppinen said that he will miss the friendliness of the people, the vibrant music scene, the weather, boiled peanuts and Terrapin Rye Beer.

However, he will still be around IHE alumni. Dr. Mathies has a position at the University of Jyväskylä to establish an IR department and Ms. Weimer is spending the 2011-12 academic year there on a Fulbright grant and an AmericanScandinavian Foundation grant to support her dissertation research.

In August, Dr. Kiyong Byun, associate professor and vice-director of the Higher Education Policy Research Institute at Korea University, joined the Institute for 6 months as a visiting scholar to conduct research into higher education in the U.S.

Finally, in early September, Qian He, a Chinese doctoral student of Professor Baocun Liu of Beijing Normal University, who hosted the Ed.D. students in China this summer, was awarded a China Government Scholarship and will join the Institute for the 2011-12 academic year. 

The 2011 Louise McBee Scholarship was awarded to doctoral student Heidi Leming. For Heidi, her time at the Institute has meant that, “not only have I benefited from learning alongside peers who challenge me intellectually, but I have also been fortunate to study with faculty who are experts in their fields, who truly care about student learning, and who go out of their way to assist students.” (l-r) Heidi Leming and Dr. M. Louise McBee

Students Beyond the Classroom

The graduate programs at IHE are now ranked 5th nationally and will see a decided increase in enrollment over the next year with the addition of a master’s degree program. IHE’s Ph.D. program not only offers an exceptional opportunity to study with top-ranked and internationally respected faculty, it also affords its students distinctive opportunities for intensive research experiences with prestigious national and international grants. New Ph.D. student Jarrett Warshaw “joined the IHE because of its rich tradition in and continued promise of shaping leaders — whether scholars, policy analysts, or institutional and governmental administrators. The resonance of shared values, of seeking intellectual expansion along side of both peers and professors, gives me daily confidence in my choice to enroll at UGA. And the campus itself immediately strikes me as a terrific and compelling place to think, to write, and to nurture lasting connections with the university, friends, and mentors.”

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Beyond the Classroom ■■ Heidi Leming is the 2011 recipient of the Louise McBee Scholarship from the Georgia Association of Women in Higher Education. The purpose of the scholarship is to support educational enrichment for women exhibiting leadership potential in the field.

Heidi was the recipient of a Division-J travel grant to attend the 2011 AERA National Conference in New Orleans where she co-presented a paper with Dr. Erik Ness. During the 2010-2011 academic year, Heidi held an assistantship at the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia where she served as an advisor for the Student Advisory Council and worked on state policy issues. Leming, who entered the IHE Ph.D. program after 11 years in student affairs at the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech, is working with Professor Erik Ness looking at higher education governance at the state level. Her experience in student affairs has paid off, Leming has just been appointed the assistant V-P for student life at the College of Coastal Georgia, the state’s newest 4-year institution.

■■ Leasa Weimer was awarded a Fulbright grant and an AmericanScandinavian Foundation grant in support of her dissertation research on international student tuition fees in Finland. The grants will support Weimer as she spends the 2011-12 academic year in Finland interviewing education ministers, faculty, and administrators on the recent introduction of tuition fees in the Finnish higher education system.

In the spring of 2011, she was also awarded the Association of International Education Administrators’ (AIEA) Harold Josephson Award for professional promise in international education at the annual AIEA conference in San Francisco.

■■ Yarbrah Peeples is the 2010-11 Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellowship in the Institute of Higher Education. Peeples is a third-year doctoral student in the Institute of Higher Education.

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IHE Report

Her professional interests include examining organizational theory and behavior related to historically black colleges and universities and higher education access and success issues related to first generation, low-income, and minority students.

Currently, Yarbrah is the program assistant for the Georgia College Advising Corps working with Dr. Libby Morris. Ms. Peeples had an article published in the International Journal of Educational Advancement titled, Philanthropy and the Curriculum: The Role of Philanthropy in the Development of Curriculum at Spelman College, 10(3), 245-260.

■■ Sarah Brackmann was selected as an editorial fellow for the International Association for Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE) where she will serve on the committee to publish the conference proceedings. She also presented three papers at national meetings: “Academic Capitalism, Community Engagement, and the Public Good”, ASHE 2011 Annual Meeting; “Investigating the Impact of Time in Service-Learning on University General Education Outcomes”, (with Paul H. Matthews) IARSCLE 2011 Annual Meeting; “Community Engagement and the Public Good”, IARSCLE 2011 Annual Meeting.

■■ Lauren Collier presented (with Sarah Brackmann & B. Kliewer) “Service-Learning and Neoliberalism” at the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement annual meeting: International Perspectives: Crossing Boundaries through Research.

■■ Wes Fugate is the new executive assistant to the president at Randolph College, Lynchburg, VA. Before accepting the position at Randolph College, Wes was the advisor to the Interfraternity Council at UGA for over three years. He was honored in July by the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity as Greek Advisor of the Year for his work at UGA.

Beyond the Classroom ■■ Stephanie Hazel is now the assistant director of assessment in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at George Mason University in Fairfaix, VA. The job entails general education assessment and working on programs assessing distance learning.

■■ Anthony Jones has been promoted to director of policy research at the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance in Washington, DC. In this role, he designs and directs all policy studies and research conducted by the committee. He continues to serve as director of the higher education regulations study, which is a Congressionally mandated study on the impact of regulations on postsecondary institutions in the U.S. Anthony presented at the 2011 annual conference of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. His session was titled “Efficiencies of Reporting Requirements and the Higher Education Regulations Study”. Anthony served as a reviewer of session proposals for upcoming conferences of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR). At the 2010 AIR national forum, Anthony co-presented a paper entitled “What a Long, Strange Trip It Can Be: Issues Associated with Doctoral Student Retention.” He also participated in the graduate student public policy seminar at the 2010 ASHE Conference.

■■ Jaynefrances Nabawanuka is currently writing her thesis on brain drain of African higher education institution, a case study of Makerere University. While visiting Uganda in spring of 2011, Jaynefrances helped raise approximately $18,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Uganda, a nonprofit that she cofounded in 2006.

The funds will provide scholarships for three orphan girls to attend medical school.

■■ Kyle Tschepikow recently accepted a position as the director of assessment and staff development in the division of Student Affairs at UGA. His responsibilities include

overseeing strategic planning, priority planning, and assessment processes; providing training to staff in the areas of assessment, research, and strategic management; and designing studies to understand student behaviors, satisfaction, and attitudes related to division and institutional goals.

Tschepikow also had a productive year of scholarship. He authored an article, “Why Don’t Our Students Respond? Understanding Declining Participation in Survey Research among College Students,” which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. He also collaborated with colleagues at the University of Georgia on a chapter in a forthcoming monograph titled Best Practices in Assessment: A Companion Guide to the ASK Standards. He presented a paper (with Dr. Karen Webber) on examining the use of learner-centered assessment techniques among faculty in U.S. colleges and universities in Toronto at the 2011 convention for the Association of Institutional Research. Tschepikow served on the directorate for ACPA’s Commission on Assessment and Evaluation as well as the planning team for the 2011 ACPA Assessment Institute, at which he facilitated sessions on assessment design and rubric construction.

■■ Michael Trivette (with Dr. Rob Toutkoushian) will present a paper at the 2011 ASHE Conference in Charlotte titled “An Alternative Approach to Measuring the Financial Return to Attending College.”

■■ Jennifer Stephens continues to serve on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Education Advancement Council (2008-present) where she served as secretary during 2009-10.

Stephens also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association (LTTA) to represent Georgia Gwinnett College in this citywide organization (2009-present).

In addition, she serves on the Public Relations Advisory Council (1999 – present).

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Beyond the Classroom ■■ Samaad Wes Keys had the opportunity to work with the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) during summer 2011 as a doctoral intern under the leadership of Dr. James T. Minor (IHE Fellow).

SEF is one of the oldest nonprofit organizations in the South that specializes in not only advocating but advancing equity, affordability and access to underserved students within the southern region.

Keys gained experience in program development, had the opportunity to meet over 100 Historically Black College and University presidents and trustees during their 2011 HBCU governance and institutional effectiveness conference (hosted by SEF), as well as participate in the development of grant proposals and contribute to their efforts to better assess student learning outcomes at select minority-serving institutions. Keys hopes that this will be the beginning of a strong relationship between the SEF and IHE and he is glad to have been a part of it.

■■ Adam Wyatt spent his summer working with the Escuela Agricola Panamericana Zamorano, also known as Zamorano. The institution focuses solely on agricultural education for students in the Central American region. There, he worked and will continue to work as a consultant as they begin their SACS accreditation process.

He also began research for his dissertation, which focuses on examining strategic planning among globally ranked research universities— specifically, what these universities are doing to internationalize to become more competitive. 

Institute Graduates 2010 M. Jan Whatley

Sean Brumfield

Haixia Xu

Mark S. Kavanaugh

D. Welch Suggs

Joan E. Cranford

David P. Bunnell

Tiffany E. Daniel

Jennifer L. Frum

2011 F. Mauricio Saavedra Rodney Ellis

Khoi D. To

Christine Miller

Theresa Wright

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IHE Report

Austin Lacy

New Teaching Technology Expands the Classroom Experience at IHE

S

tudents sit in a classroom at the University of Arizona and interact with students at the University of Georgia, while a faculty member at each institution teaches class. The students at both locations watch each other on large screens and interact as if they were sharing the same classroom. A few years ago this could have been a scene from a “sci fi” film, but it is today’s reality. Two IHE faculty members, Drs. Sheila Slaughter and Erik Ness, are teaching a graduate seminar in collaboration with the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Robert Lusch and Dr. Matthew Mars will facilitate the seminar at the University of Arizona, and Drs. Slaughter and Ness will facilitate the seminar at IHE using “real-time” distance learning technologies.

Students enrolled in the seminar include those It’s a great way to pursuing doctoral degrees develop a research in higher education, agenda on what higher sociology, management, and public administration level administrators do . . . and policy.

Sheila Slaughter

In order to more fully explore and understand isomorphism, networks and innovation, the seminar will broadly explore the systems and networks that underpin the strategies and decision making of upper-level university managers in an era of academic capitalism. The content will be theoretically and conceptually framed according to institutional, systems, and market theories, academic capitalism, social networks and ecology. There will be a panel of speakers, including recently retired university presidents, provosts, and research deans, as well as secular actors who have experience with universityindustry collaboration and past science and technology policy officers.

The students will have the advantage of learning from top researchers from two major research universities. The activelearning classroom in Meigs Hall allows Institute faculty to experiment with new technologies and modes of teaching.

The Institute faculty hopes to expand this model to include classrooms on other continents. The world is the limit for “real-time” distance learning. 

IHE Community Mourns Admired Scholar, Teacher, Friend

T

he Institute lost a stalwart colleague and true friend on May 4 when Professor J. Douglas Toma passed away after a long battle with melanoma. In his tragically shortened life, Doug influenced and inspired students, created and led academic programs, formed professional collaborations that endured, and made innumerable friends throughout the world.

Doug earned a B.A. from Michigan State University, then turned to the University of Michigan for an M.A. in history, a J.D., and a Ph.D. in higher education. Before coming to the Institute in 2003, Doug held positions at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Pennsylvania. Dozens of monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles attest to his wide-ranging scholarly influence, as do his many presentations to national and international meetings. In the last two years of his life alone, Doug authored two books, Building Organizational Capacity: Strategic Management in Higher Education and Managing the Entrepreneurial University: Legal Issues and Commercial Realities in Higher Education.

Doug also provided highly valued teaching, advising, and academic leadership. He helped foster international partnerships for the Institute in numerous nations, including China, Uganda, Australia, Croatia, and the U.K. As dean of the university’s Franklin Residential College for six years, Doug led, challenged, and mentored hundreds of undergraduates.

He was also the main architect of the Institute’s new, innovative Executive Ed.D. program and led it through its first two years. Elisabeth Hughes, who worked closely with Doug on the program, spoke of what made him such a special academic colleague: “Doug had the uncanny ability of bringing

people together. He had so many ideas and was so much fun. Work was fun, arguing was fun, even mundane things like planning a meeting were fun.” In December, that program’s first cohort will graduate, holding strong memories of Doug’s leadership, expertise, spontaneity, and humor.

Many of Doug’s family, students, friends, and colleagues gathered for his memorial service in the University Chapel in June. There was a striking consistency in the remembrances shared that day. Doug’s longtime Institute sidekick, Chris Morphew (now of the University of Iowa), said “He and I had the best times discussing our ideas, and I was always jealous of and awed by his willingness and ability to push forward on the next big idea.” Matt Hartley of the University of Pennsylvania noted that “Doug had this incredible ability to nurture students’ enthusiasm.” Institute Director Libby Morris, speaking about Doug excitedly sharing his creative ideas for the Institute, said “I miss those conversations with Doug, where he could transport us to the ideal collegiate environment. Those discussions, those minutes, were some of the best in my career.”

Doug will also be remembered as an extraordinary husband and father. He is survived by his wife of fourteen years, Linda P. Bachman, and their seven-year-old son Jack Toma. He was a true partner to Linda in every sense of the word, and their small family traveled the world together. Doug was also a dedicated coach and fan for Jack’s athletic activities, and the two of them rarely missed the Bulldogs’ home football, baseball, and basketball games. To the end, Doug helped encourage Jack’s curiosity, his love of reading and learning, and his sense of humor and joy.

All who knew Doug will deeply miss him. 

Autumn 2011

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institution or a community college on minority and low-income student college completion. She has also studied the relationship between faculty productivity and earnings. Dr. Melguizo received an M.A. in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics of Education from Stanford University. Her work has been published in Teachers College Record, The Journal of Higher Education, The Review of Higher Education, and Research in Higher Education. She is a recipient of the American Education Research Association (AERA) dissertation grant. Dr. Melguizo has also received grants from the Spencer foundation, AERA, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Jack Kent Cooke, Nellie Mae and Lumina foundations and from the Association for Institutional Research, National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (AIR/NPEC).

“Unionization and the Modern Professoriate in the [Long] 1930s”

Greg Wolniak

Education Policy Seminars 2010-11 The Education Policy Seminars bring distinguished scholars to the Institute to address critical issues and cutting-edge research in higher education.

“Socioeconomic Impacts of College: What We Know and What We Can Do About It” Greg Wolniak earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Iowa State University, his master’s degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his Ph.D. in Social Foundations from The University of Iowa in 2004.

Wolniak’s research interests are located at the intersection of the broad fields of education, economics, and sociology.

Typically his research focuses on how educational choices impact individuals once they complete their formal schooling and enter the labor market.

“Math Assessment and Placement Practices in California Community Colleges: Evidence from Los Angeles”

Tatiana Melguizo works in the field of economics of higher education. She uses quantitative methods of analysis and large-scale longitudinal survey data to study the impact of institutional characteristics as well as public policies on the persistence and educational outcomes of minority (African American and Hispanic) and low-income students. Specifically, she studies the impact of first attending either a selective

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IHE Report

Tim Cain’s research explores historical and modern issues involving faculty work and faculty workers. He examines faculty unionization, academic freedom, tenure, and academic administration. His current focus is on the earliest faculty unions affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the Congress of Industrial Workers.

While most accounts trace faculty unions to the mid-1960s, he demonstrates that they date to 1918 and include an array of reasons for and reactions to organizing. This work explores issues of professionalization, politically motivated dismissals and attacks, and the ability of academic administrators to foster or forestall academic freedom.  Tim Cain

Tatiana Melguizo

Yarbrah Peeples named Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellow

Outstanding Alumni Mauricio Saavedra (PhD, 2011)

Y

arbrah Peeples was “honored that faculty members would consider her” as this year’s Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellow.

She should not have been surprised.

The fellowship, established in 2005, is awarded to the graduate student who shows great promise for a future career in higher education.

A doctoral student working with vice provost and IHE director Dr. Libby Morris, Peeples has been working in an advisory role with disadvantaged and underrepresented students from the time she became a college student herself. She earned a B.S. in business management and an MBA from Florida A & M University and an M.S. in higher education from Florida State University. Her dissertation on the restructuring process at Florida A & M, is a financial necessity, she agrees, but also an opportunity for the university to reposition itself in the current academic environment.

For the past three years Peeples has been the program assistant for the Georgia College Advising Corps, helping recruit and train recent UGA graduates to work as college advisers in selected high schools across Georgia, assisting first generation and underrepresented students enroll in college.

She appreciates the trust that Dr. Morris, who directs the program, has had in her. The program has also offered her management experience, and given her the opportunity to create training materials and expand her network.

The Miller Graduate Fellowship has enabled her to buy research materials and go to conferences. It has also helped with travel costs and made writing an out of state dissertation a reality.

When she graduates next year, Peeples would like to work for a government agency or foundation for a few years doing strategic planning with a focus on the challenges faced

by HBCUs. Her career dream “is to end up as president of an HBCU and be written up in the IHE Report.” That dream may very well come true. 

M

auricio Saavedra left his home in Ecuador in 2005 to enroll in the University of Kansas, where he graduated two years later with a master’s degree in higher education.

In 2007, he moved to Athens to enter the doctoral program at the Institute of Higher Education and work with Dr. James Hearn.

For the next four years, Saavedra worked as a graduate assistant in the Office of Institutional Research under Drs. Karen Webber and Denise Gardner. This was the perfect opportunity to turn what had been a departmental assignment into a future career. Institutional research is non-existent in Ecuador’s approximately 70 universities.

Saavedra wanted to contribute to higher education in Ecuador and was concerned that there was no informed decision making and policy analysis being done using data at either the local or national level. He decided he wanted to work with universities to create IR offices and train them to use data at an institutional level.

That ambition became a reality when he received his doctorate and returned to Ecuador, where he is currently the general director of institutional research and the director of research for the social sciences and humanities at Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE). It is the first university in Ecuador with an IR office and he hopes to expand these offices throughout Ecuador and, eventually, the rest of South America. To this end he will do an IR presentation in Argentina in October.

The Saavedra family—Mauricio, his wife Catalina Calderon, Nicole (born in Kansas) and Josue (born in Athens) were excited to return home to see their families and adopt a dog and a cat. According to Mauricio, what he will miss most of all is “the U.S. education system and the independence it gave me. I am very grateful for all the wonderful support I received from faculty and staff at the Institute.” 

By Elisabeth Hughes

By Elisabeth Hughes

Autumn 2011

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INVEST IN THE FUTURE at the

If we want to improve the future, we have to invest in it.

Your donation to the Institute of Higher Education is more than just giving back. Every gift – in any amount – provides the foundation that allows the IHE to respond to changing times.

From directed gifts to bequests, there is a way for you to help. 









The Doug Toma Support Fund: Established in Professor Toma’s name to enhance IHE’s efforts to develop emerging scholars in the field of higher education and foster national and international collaborations, which were a hallmark of Doug’s career.

Institute Development Fund: Brings prominent scholars to UGA for the educational policy series and other programs, and assists students and faculty with conference and research activities.

Thomas G. Dyer Academic Support Fund: Supports the academic mission of the Institute, including the doctoral program in higher education, visiting scholars, and student programs and activities.

Louise McBee Professorship of Higher Education: In recognition of her quartercentury of distinguished service, this fund sponsors the annual fall lecture.

Zell and Shirley Miller Fellowship: Awarded annually to a promising IHE doctoral student. The award supports the professional development of the Miller fellow.

We ask that you give, with every expectation that we will use your gifts wisely.

Please contact us about your preferred way of giving, or mail your gift to: Institute of Higher Education University of Georgia  Meigs Hall Athens, Georgia 30602 – 6772 http://ihe.uga.edu/giving 32

IHE Report

Faculty

Libby V. Morris

Director, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Professor of Higher Education

James C. Hearn

Associate Director, Professor of Higher Education, Adj. Professor of Sociology

Patricia L. Kalivoda

Adj. Assistant Professor, Higher Education; Senior Vice Pres.

Public Service and Outreach

Erik C. Ness

Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Graduate Coordinator

Thomas G. Dyer

Vice President for Instruction Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus

Charles B. Knapp

Interim Director, Executive Ed.D.; Distinguished Public Service Fellow; President Emeritus

Sheila Slaughter

Louise McBee Professor of Higher Education

Elisabeth Hughes Associate Director Executive Ed.D. Program

Marguerite Koepke Adj. Associate Professor, Higher Education

Robert K. Toutkoushian Professor of Higher Education

Karen Webber Associate Professor of Higher Education

Institute of Higher Education The University of Georgia Meigs Hall Athens, Georgia 30602-6772

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Permit No. 11 Athens, Georgia

Address Service Requested

Study

Abroad

with

IHE’s

Executive EdD Program This two-year program, taught in Atlanta, is the perfect opportunity for senior managers interested in the increasingly entrepreneurial nature of universities and colleges to gain a global perspective on higher education.

A new class begins in January 2012 and will include two experiences abroad.

ihe.uga.edu/graduate-programs/edd

www.ihe.uga.edu