Photo caption: (Left to right) Michael Fackler and Kenzo Tsuru, graduates from the first cohort of the M.I.S. in Higher Education Administration program, talk with Assistant Professor Daniel Blake in the Georgia State University Welcome Center.
story by Claire Miller
The state of Georgia has a variety of colleges and universities where students can pursue a postsecondary education: Universities in urban and rural communities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), colleges in the mountains and on the coast, technical colleges and more.
The University System of Georgia alone oversees 26 institutions of higher education across the state where students can earn their degree.
David Johnson, associate professor of higher education in Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development (CEHD), saw this range of postsecondary institutions – and the thousands of employees who support each institution’s mission – and wanted to design a graduate education option specifically tailored for these individuals.
In 2022, he and his colleagues in the Department of Educational Policy Studies proposed creating a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) in Higher Education Administration program to give working professionals the knowledge and skills to have successful careers in Georgia’s postsecondary education institutions.
“Given the national reputation that Georgia State University has for innovative approaches to student success, our status as an R1 university in downtown Atlanta and the rich ecology of higher education institutions in Georgia, we saw a major need and opportunity to support higher education professionals through a master’s program,” Johnson said. “Our goal for the program was to create a dynamic learning environment led by researchers actively engaged in research on higher education, with a curriculum organized around the postsecondary landscape of Georgia.”
The college hired Daniel Blake, assistant professor of higher education, to lead the program, which is offered in a fully online format. The first cohort of students began their studies in August 2023.
“It has been great to see the diverse students the program has attracted, including working professionals from a range of institutions across Georgia who serve in a variety of roles,” Blake said. “It has been fulfilling to teach such driven students and to see how we all learn from each other’s unique perspectives and experiences.”
The program’s coursework gives students a better understanding of the higher education landscape in Georgia and teaches them how to apply higher education theory and concepts in real-world settings.
For example, one of Blake’s assignments requires students to learn more about an area of higher education that they don’t currently work in. Michael Fackler, an academic advisor II at Georgia State's Alpharetta campus, used the assignment to learn more about developing programming for students who commute to campus.
“I’m really passionate about nontraditional student experiences – especially long-distance commuters or those with lots of commitments outside of the classroom,” he said. “I spoke with leadership at three universities across the country about what they do for those students, and one woman shared her research in this area with me. I hope I can do more to support nontraditional students.”
Students in the program have a mix of virtual evening classes and asynchronous coursework, which gives working professionals like Jennifer Spradley Paulk the ability to work full-time while completing their degree.
Paulk, a student affairs coordinator at Georgia Gwinnett College, has worked at several higher education institutions over the last 15 years. She applied to the program to further develop her leadership skills and learn more about the challenges and opportunities that universities face, and she appreciates the relationships she’s built with her classmates and professors.
“I was pleased with the quality of online instruction, and how members of my cohort built community and connections through these virtual spaces. I was surprised by how many of my classmates were also working full-time in higher education positions,” she said. “It was comforting to know that many of my peers were going through similar experiences, which allowed us to create a network of long-lasting connections that will continue beyond this program.”
Fackler, Paulk and other students from the first cohort in higher education administration will graduate from Georgia State this spring.
Some graduates will continue working in their current positions or seek new opportunities in higher education. Others, like Egypt Faust, will begin doctoral studies and continue learning more about working in postsecondary institutions.
“My professors took the time to understand my aspirations and encouraged me to pursue a doctoral degree, something I had never thought about before. I truly appreciated that shift,” she said. “The guidance and support I received helped me develop a new game plan that aligns more closely with where I want to be professionally and the impact I hope to make in higher education.”
To learn more about the higher education administration program, visit https://education.gsu.edu/program/higher-ed-administration-mis.