TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE

Libby V. Morris, Director

The Institute of Higher Education is an academic unit of the University of Georgia, located in Meigs Hall on the historic north campus. The Institute offers a residential Ph.D. in higher education research and policy studies and an Ed.D. focused on administration and professional practice. Graduate students may earn an M.P.A. with a higher education specialization through the School of Public and International Affairs. The Institute is noted for its multidisciplinary approach to graduate education and research with areas of specialization in federal and state policy, governance and administration, faculty development and instructional improvement, the law and higher education, and institutional research and evaluation.

The Institute was established in 1964 by the University of Georgia in response to a recommendation by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to establish one or two centers for the study of higher education in the region. Since that time, the Institute has graduated more than 150 doctoral students to fill leadership positions in Georgia colleges and universities and beyond, including presidents, development officers, institutional researchers, deans, department chairs, and faculty. UGA offers the only program of higher education studies in the University System of Georgia.

The quality and reputation of the Institute's doctoral program is reflected in its rank of 7th among approximately 110 programs of higher education nationwide (U.S. News and World Report). Many of the Institute's tenured faculty members also hold adjunct appointments in other colleges and schools including the School of Law, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Public Health. External funding for research totaled over $2.5 million in 2008-09, up from $600,000 in 2004, the highpoint over the previous 40 years. These awards are from federal agencies as well as private foundations. Nearly all funded research and service projects involve and support Institute graduate students.

Public service was a major function of the Institute in the early years. Today, the Institute faculty uphold this tradition by collaborating with other UGA colleges and schools to support outreach programs. Faculty Development in Georgia, the longest standing outreach program, has enabled more than 250 faculty members from other Georgia colleges and universities to pursue doctoral education and concomitantly to engage in Institute seminars for the improvement of teaching and learning. The newest outreach program, the Georgia College Advising Program, is entirely supported by private funds and aims to improve college-going in Georgia through the placement of recent college graduates as college advisers in Georgia high schools.

The Institute is committed to advancing state, national, and international higher education. To learn more about our research, graduate education, and outreach, please explore our website. We may be contacted at ihe@uga.edu or by phone, 706-542-3464.

History of the Institute
IHE celebrates over 40 years of scholarship, leadership and service to higher education in the state, the region, and worldwide.

Mission
To improve postsecondary education policy and practice in the state, region, and beyond.

Meigs Hall History
This historic building in the heart of north campus has been the Institute's home since 1999, when it was fully renovated to provide state-of-the-art facilities and technology for teaching, research, and IHE programs.