College of Education Professor Delivers UGA's Louise McBee Lecture
ATHENS, Ga. (Nov. 9, 2012) — John Thelin, research professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation in the College of Education, served as the keynote speaker for the University of Georgia 24th Annual Louise McBee Lecture Nov. 1 in Athens.
Thelin addressed "Academic Procession: Presidents and Professors from Past to Present." He focused primarily on academic presidents and their historically changing roles and challenges leading from the past to important episodes of the present. He also covered recent events that depict the challenges and role of present-day presidents (e.g., the University of Virginia and Pennsylvania State University).
The author of six books, Thelin also writes articles and book reviews and reviews manuscripts for many of the leading scholarly journals in the field of history and higher education. His book, "A History of American Higher Education," explores the history of colleges and universities, particularly campus life, as part of American popular culture. The book has remained the standard account of the evolution of American universities and colleges since its publication in 2004 by the Johns Hopkins University Press. In addition to writing for scholarly journals, he has had essays published in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His upcoming book focuses on rising college costs and the economics of higher education.
During his tenure at UK, Thelin has received a Great Teacher Award and the University Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition, the American Educational Research Association conferred on him the Exemplary Research Award for Postsecondary and Higher Education research, and he is the recipient of Outstanding Research Achievement Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education, for which he served as the organization's president.
A 1969 alumnus of Brown University, Thelin initially concentrated his scholarship in European history. He earned a master's degree in American history, a doctoral degree in the history of education and was a Regents Fellow, all at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining the UK faculty, he was professor of higher education and philanthropy at Indiana University. He also served at William & Mary and for the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. He has been a consultant to the National Science Foundation and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute's higher education working group in Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1989, the McBee Lecture is one of the few in the U.S. focused solely on higher education. The annual event honors Louise McBee, a former UGA vice president for academic affairs and a former state representative from Athens. For more information on the McBee Lecture, visit ihe.uga.edu/events/louise-mcbee-lectures.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jenny Wells, (859) 257-5343; Jenny.Wells@uky.edu