I first met Hank Huckaby in 2011, shortly after he was appointed Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. We were at a UGA leadership retreat, and after his remarks, I introduced myself. He already knew I’d been appointed as UGA’s new CIO and smiled knowingly: “You’ve got a big job ahead of you.” But it's something he said at a faculty lunch the next year that I'll never forget: “Too many people are questioning the value of a college degree. I never thought I’d see the day.”That comment stuck with me. Chancellor Huckaby, who believed deeply that college was essential to the nation’s prosperity, took the rising skepticism as an affront. He saw it not just as a cultural shift but as a leadership failure—a sign that his generation hadn’t done enough to communicate higher education's enduring value. It weighed on him, not just professionally, but personally.Chancellor Huckaby passed away in 2021, but his commitment to defending the value of higher education still echoes across the state. In today’s Dispatch, we explore how Georgia continues that work—confronting skepticism through data and transparency.

Episodes

Degrees and Dollars in Georgia