The Institute of Higher Education 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 350 doctoral students to fill leadership positions in Georgia colleges and universities and beyon
d, 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 6th among approximately 110 programs of higher education nationwide in 2020 (U.S. 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. Faculty regularly receive external funding for research; in 2019-2020, new grants and sponsored funding to faculty totaled to $1.3 million. 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 Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program, one of the Institute’s many forms of outreach, has given over 625 Fellows from other Georgia institutions opportunities, skills, and networks to improve higher education throughout the state. The newest outreach program, the Georgia College Advising Corps, 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.
