Jason Lee is a Ph.D. student in the Institute of Higher Education. After graduation, he plans to continue researching higher education issues as a faculty member or as a research analyst.
Hometown:
Prospect, Pennsylvania
High School:
Slippery Rock Area High School
Degree objective:
Ph.D. in higher education
Other degrees:
B.S., Slippery Rock University
M.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Expected graduation:
Spring 2017
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
— Graduate School Research Assistantship recipient.
— Zell and Shirley Miller Graduate Fellow.
—Policy and research intern at The College Board.
— Teaching assistant for Quantitative Methods I and Statistical Social Network Analysis with Manuel González Canché.
—Research assistant for Robert Toutkoushian.
— Co-authored research grant funded by the Association for Institutional Research and The Access Group with Manuel González Canché (principal investigator) and Jeffrey Harding.
Current Employment:
Research assistant, Institute of Higher Education
Family Ties to UGA:
I’m the first in my family to attend UGA.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… of the faculty, alumni and staff affiliated with the Institute of Higher Education.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
… going for walks on and around North Campus, making the short walk downtown for a coffee or lunch break, and talking shop in Meigs Hall.
When I have free time, I like…
… to travel to spend time with friends and family.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… make a 30-hour cross-country trek from Nevada to Pennsylvania without stopping to sleep. Clearly, I could use a little more adventure in my life.
My favorite place to study is…
… the data room in Meigs. I’d also recommend the Russell Special Collections Libraries to those who haven’t been.
My favorite professor is…
It wasn’t until undergrad that I acquired a passion for learning, and I have David Valentine, Rachela Permenter and Danette DiMarco to thank for that. Since arriving at UGA, I’ve been so impressed with the faculty members both within the institute and outside of the department. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least a partial list: James Hearn, Rob Toutkoushian and Manuel González Canché. Each has contributed greatly to my education as a researcher, albeit in different ways.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
… Howard Zinn.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… probably be less anxious.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… spend the rest of my days learning. The older I get, the more curious I become.
After graduation, I plan to…
… continue researching higher education issues, whether that’s as a faculty member or as a research analyst.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
When I look back on my time at UGA, I don’t know that I’ll remember just one experience. Instead, I’ll likely remember the weekend study sessions, the annual conferences, trips to Ramsey, tennis in Bishop Park and the occasional happy hour.
