Dr. Michael McLendon Delivers Inaugural Address at University of North Carolina
On January 14, Dr. Michael McLendon, professor of higher education policy and leadership and the associate dean at SMU's Simmons School of Education and Human Development, delivered the inaugural address in the Hussman Education Policy Colloquium Series at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. His talk was entitled, "Politics, Public Policy and Postsecondary Education: Observations on the Methods of an Emerging Field.” In attendance were faculty and students from UNC's School of Education and from other academic departments of the university, as well as UNC system leaders.
Texas Higher Education Policy Report Authored by SMU Higher Education Professor Michael McLendon
The Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education today released a major new report examining the unique role of public research universities, and outlining how well Texas’ two flagship universities, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin, compare with their peer institutions nationally. The report, “Committed to Excellence: An Assessment of the Conditions and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education at the University of Texas at Austin and at Texas A&M University,” was commissioned by the Coalition and authored by Dr. Michael K. McLendon, Professor of Higher Education Policy at SMU’s Simmons School of Education and a national expert on state higher education policy. It uses the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to provide “apples to apples” comparison of public research universities.
You can view the full report here.
Higher Education Faculty Represented at ASHE Conference
On Nov. 15-17, EPL Professors Lee Alvoid, Michael Harris, and Michael McLendon, as well as several Simmons students, presented research papers at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the leading scholarly association in the field of higher-education studies. Their appearance at ASHE marked the first by EPL faculty, and coincides with the recent launch at Simmons of new graduate degree programs in Higher Education studies.
Professor Harris presented two research papers, entitled “Institutional Diversity: Protecting the Strength of American Higher Education,” and “The Permanent Campaign, Neoliberal Ideology, and Higher Education: An Analysis of Public Statements of Secretary Duncan.”
Professor McLendon also presented two research papers, entitled “The Shifting Ground of State Governance for Higher Education: Governance, Finance, and Budgeting Eras in Public Higher Education in the Modern Era,” and “Financing the Freedom to Learn: An Analysis of Factors Influencing State Spending on Need-Based Student Aid, Merit-Based Aid, & Campus Appropriations from 1990-2010.” The second study was reported at an ASHE Presidential Session that focused on the role of state policy in ensuring the opportunity for students to learn at the postsecondary education level in the United States.
The EPL Department and the Simmons School also hosted an association-wide reception during the conference.
Dr. Michael McLendon Delivers Keynote Address at Florida State University
On October 11, EPL Professor and Simmons School Associate Dean, Michael K. McLendon, delivered the keynote address to the annual College of Education Dean’s Symposium at Florida State University, in Tallahassee, Florida. His address, entitled, “The Great Accountability Shift in U.S. Public Higher Education: Antecedents, Patterns, and Emerging Implications for Students, Campuses, and States, focused on postsecondary education performance and finance in an era of intense scrutiny of higher education in the U.S. Participants in this year’s symposium included educational researchers and scholars, Florida policymakers, campus leaders, and faculty and students. The goal of the Symposium is to enable elected officials, state agency staff, and educators in Florida to understand better critical higher education issues that are likely to arise in the 2013 Florida legislative session.
Visit Dr. McLendon's Webpage