A record 301,892 students enrolled this fall in the University System of Georgia’s (USG) 35 public colleges and universities, an increase of 18,914 students over fall 2008. Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. announced the latest numbers today in a report to the Board of Regents.

The numbers represent a 6.7 percent increase from fall 2008 to fall 2009, well above the 4.8 percent growth in enrollment from fall 2007 to fall 2008. Since fall 2006, enrollment in the USG has grown 16 percent, or by 41,947 students.

“We added almost the equivalent of a Georgia Southern University [fall 2009 enrollment: 19,086] since last fall,” Davis said. “The trend lines historically are up; we have grown just above 16 percent since fall 2006. We have exploding demand for public higher education as individuals prepare themselves for careers requiring a college education in a changing and uncertain economy.”

The fall 2009 Semester Enrollment Report shows enrollment gains across the board. Thirty-four USG institutions posted a record high enrollment this fall.

Ten institutions had double-digit growth from fall 2008 to fall 2009, accounting for 6,072 students or 32.1 percent of the overall enrollment increase. Eight of these institutions are in either the state or two-year college sectors. These are the sectors identified in the regents’ Strategic Plan to accommodate the bulk of the System’s projected enrollment growth through 2020. Both state as well as two-year college sector enrollment increased 10.4 percent from fall 2008 to fall 2009. These two-year or state colleges are:

• Georgia Gwinnett College with an increase of 88.5 percent (2,947 total students);
• Atlanta Metropolitan College, 19.9 percent (2,688 total students);
• Gordon College, 17.9 percent (4,545 total students);
• Darton College, 16.6 percent (5,854 total students);
• Dalton State College, 15.4 percent (5,722 total students);
• Bainbridge College (3,558 total students) and Waycross College (1,077 total students), both 15.1 percent; and
• Georgia Highlands College, 11.3 percent (5,219 total students).

The remaining two institutions with double-digit growth are two of the USG’s three historic black colleges and universities:

• Fort Valley State University, 14.4 percent (3,553 total students); and
• Savannah State University, 10.6 percent (3,820 total students).

The USG’s six largest institutions had 41.1 percent of the enrollment growth, or 7,775 students.

• Georgia State University enrolled an additional 2,198 students for total enrollment of 30,427, a 7.8 percent increase.
• Georgia Perimeter College’s enrollment grew by 1,741 students to 24,549 or 7.6 percent.
• Georgia Southern University’s enrollment grew by 1,322 students to 19,086 or 7.4 percent.
• Georgia Tech enrolled 869 more students, a 4.5 percent increase to hit 20,293 students.
• Kennesaw State University’s enrollment increased by 940 students to 22,389 or 4.4 percent.
• The University of Georgia had an additional 705 students, or growth of 2.1 percent for a record high of 34,885 students.

First-time freshmen enrollment continued to show gains, increasing 5.7 percent over last fall to a total of 49,157 freshmen this fall.

Women, continuing a long-term trend in both the University System and nationally, have an enrollment in fall 2009 in the USG that is 35.7 percent higher than men: 173,818 women to 128,074 men. Female enrollment increased from fall 2008 to fall 2009 by 6.4 percent, or 10,498 students, while male enrollment was up 7 percent, or 8,416 students. However, women now account for a slightly lower percentage of total enrollment, dropping from 57.7 percent in fall 2008 to 57.6 in fall 2009.

The University System continues to be a diverse system, as evidenced by the numbers in the Enrollment Report, and minority enrollment saw the largest percentage increase from fall 2008 to fall 2009.

African American enrollment increased from fall 2008 to fall 2009 by 10,205 students, or 14.6 percent, more than double the percentage enrollment increase for all students. African American enrollment now stands at 79,976 students, or 26.5 percent of total USG enrollment.

Hispanic enrollment increased by 29 percent, from 9,874 students in fall 2008 to 12,734 students in fall 2009, an increase of 2,860 students. Hispanic students now comprise 4.2 percent of total USG enrollment.

Asian enrollment also continued to show gains, increasing by 1,451 students, or 8.1 percent, from a fall 2008 total of 17,805 to a fall 2009 enrollment of 19,256. Asian students make up 6.4 percent of all students.

Reporting of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander enrollment is slightly different this year, following new reporting requirements by the federal government. Now individuals must report their ethnicity (Hispanic or not) and race separately. Also, Asian and Pacific Islanders were formerly combined, now they are two separate reports.

The system’s full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for fall 2009 is 266,575, an increase of 7.9 percent over fall 2008, adding 19,407 FTE students. This increase is above the overall enrollment increase of 6.7 percent and is a record high for the University System. The increase in FTE enrollment indicates that more students are taking additional hours of courses, compared to students in fall 2008.

The USG fall 2009 enrollment report is available on the web at: http://www.usg.edu/research/students/enroll/fy2010/fall09.pdf

As state tax collections continue to decline, the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents today approved plans to adjust the System’s budget from a six percent reduction ($135 million) to an eight percent reduction level, ($176 million) for the current fiscal year (FY2010). The Board’s actions call for new reductions to the System’s 35 public colleges and universities as well as implementing an additional mandatory student fee.

The increase in the mandatory fee for all USG students, which will be effective for the upcoming spring 2010 semester, has been set at $100 at research universities and six other universities, $75 at most comprehensive universities, and $50 at two-year and state colleges. The increase will be added to the current mandatory fee, which went into effect in January 2009. The total new mandatory fee thus will be $200/$150/$100.

In addition to the fee, the board approved a moratorium on student fee increases for FY 2011 and a sunset date of June 30, 2012 for the total mandatory student fee increase. The lone exceptions to the moratorium will be fees for public/private venture projects, such as residence halls, student-financed recreation centers and other facilities with a revenue stream or fees required under extraordinary circumstances and with significant student support.

Initially approved in concept and for planning purposes by the regents in August 2009, the eight percent reduction plan is designed to help preserve academic quality while having the least possible negative effect on students, Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Usha Ramachandran advised the board. “We are striking that delicate balance between maintaining high academic quality and preserving affordability in these very tough economic times.”

While the additional student fee will generate $24 million in FY 2010, an additional $12 million in savings must also be realized in the budgets of the System’s 35 public colleges and universities, either through additional employee furlough days, the elimination of positions, employee layoffs or other program and structural changes. Including continuing cuts from FY2009 of $275 million as well as FY2010 reductions, USG officials are currently managing $410 million in state funding cuts, which were only partially offset by $148 million in formula funding received in FY 2010 as a result of significant increases in student enrollment.

To move from the six percent to the eight percent reduction level, the original August budget reduction plan called for no additional cuts to institutional budgets and a somewhat higher student fee, of $150 at the research universities and six comprehensive universities, $100 at most comprehensive universities, and $75 at two-year and state colleges.

“When the board approved the initial concept, we were working from data we had at the time on the economy and the state budget,” said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “Since August, the situation has evolved. While the state’s budget situation has continued to decline, we were able to revise our eight percent reductions in a way that minimizes the financial burden on students as much as possible.”

Ramachandran noted that the overall Fiscal Year 2010 reductions spread the impact among faculty and staff, campus operations and students in a very balanced manner. “Approximately 86 percent, or $152 million of the reductions are being borne by our institutions and employees,” she said. “The student share of the cuts with the additional fee is 14 percent, or $24 million.”

For more information, see the Spring 2010 Mandatory Fee Frequently Asked Questions

And if you need any additional encouragement, Governor Sonny Perdue has proclaimed November 9-13 as Georgia Apply to College Week, noting that all citizens of the state of Georgia deserve an opportunity to learn – and earn – and that college provides this opportunity.

Georgia Apply to College Week will be held at 44 participating Georgia high schools. While open to all seniors at those schools, the program will provide college application information designed to encourage and aid those who would be the first in their family to attend college, minorities, and non-traditional age students.

During each local Apply to College event, seniors can apply to college using http://www.GAcollege411.org. This online resource helps students and their families select a college, apply for admission and plan to finance higher education. The GAcollege411 website offers access to information about colleges, universities, and technical colleges throughout Georgia. Volunteers from Georgia colleges and universities will be on hand to assist students as they complete their applications.

University System of Georgia Director of Student Access Sarah Wenham noted that on an anonymous student evaluation form, a 2008 Apply to College participant wrote that this special week helped by answering a number of questions and pushing the student to apply early.

At the first Georgia Apply to College Week in 2008, more than 50 volunteers assisted almost 900 students with completing admission applications at eight pilot high schools. Seven of eight of the 2008 pilot high schools reapplied to participate in 2009.

This week of events is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Foundation of Independent Colleges, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Communities in Schools, the Technical College System of Georgia and the University System of Georgia (USG), and endorsed by the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The event is receiving funding from the College Access Challenge Grant, a federal program that fosters partnerships among federal, state, and local governments and philanthropic organizations through matching challenge grants that are aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

For more information, please visit http://www.usg.edu/apply-to-college.

Editor’s Note: A list of the participating Georgia high schools can be found at: http://www.usg.edu/images/news_files/GACW2009HighSchoolList.pdf. And a copy of the Governor’s Proclamation can be found at: http://www.usg.edu/apply-to-college/docs/gov_proclamation2009.pdf

The opinions and positions expressed in this press release are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the opinions and positions of the U.S. Department of Education. Any references within the document to specific education products are illustrative and do not imply endorsement of these products to the exclusion of other products that are not referenced.

WHO: During the Georgia Apply to College Week (GACW) event at their high school, seniors will be given the opportunity to apply to college using GAcollege411.org. Volunteers from Georgia colleges and universities will be on hand to assist students as they complete their applications.

WHAT: GACW is held to provide all Georgia high school seniors with the opportunity to apply to college using GAcollege411.org, with a focus on providing assistance to first generation students as they navigate the college application process. GACW is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Foundation of Independent Colleges, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Communities in Schools, the Technical College System of Georgia and the University System of Georgia, and endorsed by the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (GACRAO).

WHEN: November 9-13, 2009: this is the second year of the event which has expanded from eight to 44 high schools across the state.

WHERE: List of Participating High Schools

Editor’s Note: For overall information, please contact Sonja Roberts at 404-656-2262. To inquire further about Georgia Apply to College Week or to learn more details on a specific high school event, please contact Sarah Wenham at 404-656-2235.

“Dr. Keel has Georgia roots, and is a graduate of two USG institutions, so he is an outstanding success story for the University System and the state. He brings tremendous academic credentials, understands our state challenges on all dimensions and has the experience to link industry and the academy together in creative and compelling ways,” said Chancellor Erroll Davis. “I have no doubt that he will be a great partner for the board while leading Georgia Southern to the next level.”

Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr. chair of the Special Regents’ Committee for the presidential search at Georgia Southern, added that Keel’s “history of leadership in higher education is impressive. The committee is extremely confident in his ability and readiness to lead Georgia Southern.”

Keel will assume his post on January 1, 2010, according to USG Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Susan Herbst. He will replace Georgia Southern President Dr. Bruce Grube, who will step down as President, effective December 31, 2009. Dr. Grube has served the University System in this role since July 1, 1999.

“We were searching for someone who understood that the center of Georgia Southern is its students, faculty, and staff. And in order for Georgia Southern to further build its research profile, we needed a leader who knows how to develop research infrastructure,” said Herbst. “Brooks has keen understanding of what makes a university work effectively and efficiently for its many stakeholders.”

Prior to his appointment at Louisiana State University, Keel was a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and associate vice president for research at Florida State University, Tallahassee, from 2002-2006. His professional career began in 1985 at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, where he served in a variety of positions including the Daniel K. Roberts Distinguished Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1995-2001), president of the Women’s Research Institute (1993-2001), and director of Reproductive Medicine Laboratories (1994-2002).

He is a member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, among others. Keel has served on numerous boards related to his discipline, including the American Board of Bioanalysis, and has been honored for his work by these and other organizations. Keel earned a Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, and a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry from Augusta College (now Augusta State University), Augusta, Ga.

He has done postdoctoral work at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Vermillion.

WHAT: A special meeting of the Board of Regents has been called by Board Chair Robert Hatcher and the board’s Executive Committee.

WHEN: 1:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 26

WHERE:

Via conference call
Board of Regents’ offices
Room 7019 (the Chancellor’s Conference Room)
270 Washington Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

WHY: The board members will discuss and act on the appointment of a new president for Georgia Southern University.

Editor’s Note:

If you plan on attending this Special Called Meeting, please contact John Millsaps at (404) 656-2251 or (404) 656-2250 by 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 26. Information regarding the outcome of this meeting will be issued immediately following the meeting.

Strains in the relationship were first made public in the summer of 2008 when the regents terminated the Cooperative Organization status of the Foundation. The president of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), Dr. Daniel Rahn, and others also resigned from the Foundation’s board in subsequent months. The suit contends that the Foundation has refused to cease using the name Medical College of Georgia as it was contractually bound to do and also required to do under the trademark laws of the United States and the State of Georgia.

Additionally, the Foundation is alleged to have violated its fiduciary responsibilities to the Medical College under its Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws; has failed and refused to align its fundraising priorities and efforts with those of the Medical College and the Board of Regents; has refused to furnish, in a timely manner, financial information necessary for MCG’s budgeting and planning purposes; has violated Georgia’s Unfair Trade Practices Act; and otherwise has acted in a manner contrary to the best interests of the Medical College as required by the Foundation’s articles.

The lawsuit also notes that the Cooperative Organization Agreement expressly provided that, on termination, the Foundation was prohibited from using the MCG name, symbols and trademarks and that a separate agreement known as the “Affiliation Agreement” provided that use of the Medical College name, trademark and symbols was subject to the approval of the MCG president.

According to the lawsuit, the Foundation acknowledged its obligation to cease using the name in correspondence after the termination of the formal relationship between the entities and even filed papers to change its name in June, 2009, only to change it back to the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, Inc., in August 2009.

The suit also contends that the Foundations’ Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws require it to supplement and enhance actions taken by the Board of Regents to support MCG, but today, the Foundation makes no effort to follow the fundraising priorities of the Regents and MCG. Rather, according to the lawsuit, the Foundation independently determines its fundraising priorities without regard to the most important needs of MCG. The lawsuit contends that the failure of the Foundation to collaborate and cooperate with MCG and the Board of Regents is harmful to MCG and not in its best interests and could jeopardize MCG’s accreditation and its fundraising capacity.

Formal and informal discussions and negotiations following the action terminating the Foundation’s Cooperative Organization status were intensified in the months leading up to the filing of the lawsuit. Representatives of the Board of Regents, MCG, the Attorney General’s office and the Foundation were involved in those discussions. These efforts have not been successful.

The Board of Regents now believes the courts provide the only means of resolving the relationship between MCG and the Foundation.

Since August 2008, the Board of Regents and MCG have been affiliated with the Georgia Health Sciences University Foundation, a cooperative organization operating within the Board of Regents’ guidelines.

In the two years since the launching of Georgia ONmyLINE (GOML) – http://www.georgiaonmyline.org, a searchable catalog of the online courses and programs offered by all 35 USG institutions statewide, the 35 programs and 1,600 courses offered online have now expanded to 169 programs and nearly 2,870 courses, according to Dr. Kris Biesinger, associate vice chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) Services. In addition, she noted the GOML website has been visited by more than 90,000 visitors from 50 states and 140 countries.

The number of students who are taking at least one online course from a USG institution in any given semester now stands at 43,000, a little less than 15 percent of the nearly 300,000 students enrolled at System institutions.

What kind of student turns to a computer rather than showing up in an actual classroom?

“When you think of distance learners, you probably think of someone who works all day, then logs on to their course in the evenings after their children are in bed,” said Dr. Catherine Finnegan, OIIT’s director of online instructional support services and Biesinger’s co-presenter. “You may think that they never have parking problems, have to use the library or meet with a faculty member on campus. But, to be honest, very few distance students take classes exclusively off-campus. In fact, the vast majority are picking up one or two online courses that fit in better with their busy lives or that help them to meet graduation requirements in a more timely fashion.”

Finnegan said the demographics of the USG’s online learners – revealed by a market analysis study conducted earlier this year – are in line with national trends. “More women than men take distance-education courses from the USG,” she said. “Nearly half of all of our online learners are over the age of 24, or non-traditional students, and 31 percent of them are African American. In fact, these courses attract a slightly higher percentage of minority students overall than are in the general USG population.”

Where are these students taking their courses? The analysis shows that the University System’s two-year, access colleges and state universities generate the most distance semester credit hours each year, and the four USG research institutions the least, Finnegan said. Georgia Perimeter College far outstripped any other USG institution, having generated more than 94,500 distance semester credit hours during fiscal year 2009.

In her presentation, Finnegan acknowledged that, “Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about online learning is, ‘is it really quality learning?’” She was able to report that, “In a national study released this past June, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same courses solely through face-to-face instruction. We believe that our USG institutions are making decisions that ensure quality in our online offerings.”

“Distance education is an approach that USG institutions can use to address a number of our strategic goals, such as building enrollment capacity despite constraints on classroom space,” Biesinger said. “And, as the DOE study shows, we don’t have to worry that increasing online courses will lead to a drop in quality. In fact, quality remains equal to or even higher than traditional classroom instruction.

“As our enrollment growth in the University System continues to climb, we must be creative so that we can continue to serve our traditional student populations while being aggressive in serving currently underserved populations,” Biesinger said in summary. “USG institutions need to fully recognize the importance of delivering education in multiple formats and increase the integration of distance learning into their curricula.”

The University System of Georgia’s (USG) governing body, the Board of Regents, took a step today to revise the core undergraduate curriculum. The regents approved a revised core curriculum, the basic courses all students must take in order to earn a degree, in order to help students complete their majors in a timely way, strengthen the focus on liberal arts, preserve the ability of students to transfer courses across institutions, and boost the assessment of student learning. The new core will go into effect in the fall of 2011.

“This is a major step for the University System,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Susan Herbst. “We have engaged hundreds of our faculty from across the system in a comprehensive process over the past year to create a flexible and rigorous general education curriculum.”

The revised core builds upon one of the University System’s strengths as revealed in a review of higher education systems nationwide –– the relative ease with which students in the System’s 35 degree-granting colleges and universities can transfer between USG institutions.

“The ability of a student to transfer easily between institutions positions that student to graduate more quickly,” Herbst said in a presentation of the new core curriculum to the regents. “Transfer lies at the heart of core curriculum issues for large systems, but we must also protect the unique missions of all colleges and universities. The core curriculum committee, presidents, administrators and faculty have done an excellent job of reconciling these competing goals to the benefit of all students.” She said that the committee used this “unrivaled transferability” as the foundation upon which the new core curriculum was built.

A ten-member Core Curriculum Evaluation Committee, chaired by Professor George Rainbolt of Georgia State University, oversaw the revision process and conducted the review of higher education systems’ core curriculums.

The revised core curriculum supports the Board’s Strategic Plan Goal One, which calls for a renewal of excellence in undergraduate education to meet students’ 21st century educational needs. This marks the first major revision of the core curriculum since 1998.

The new core curriculum is designed to:

• give all students a broad liberal arts education;
• mandate more assessment of student learning than ever before in the USG’s history;
• enable students to finish their majors/degrees in a more timely fashion;
• protect the already-strong within-USG transfer between institutions; and
• give USG institutions the flexibility to create unique core curricula that give students a powerful, shared, intellectual experience and allow students to choose an institution that fits their needs and interests.

The revised core curriculum includes the addition of new learning outcomes, which allows educators and the public to assess how effective teaching really is in a college or university.

Rainbolt said that the USG core curriculum is vital to the entire state of Georgia. “The core represents the primary body of knowledge all undergraduate students must master in order to graduate,” he said. In addition, Rainbolt said that with the new core curriculum, every student who graduates from a USG institution will have demonstrated critical thinking abilities, as well as a solid understanding of their nation’s role in the world.

The core curriculum demands that students understand the general nature of the sciences, the social sciences, the humanities and the fine arts. “This broad, rigorous education will enable them to become strong leaders of their communities, businesses and professions in the future,” said Herbst.

To see details of the USG’s new core curriculum, visit: http://core.usg.edu/

WHAT: October Board Meeting

WHEN/WHERE:

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1-4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.–noon

Library Technology Center, Room 356
North Georgia College & State University
117 Georgia Circle
Dahlonega, GA 30597

Parking is available behind the university’s Library Technology Center (no parking permit required); access for this parking lot is across from Dairy Queen on South Chestatee St. Directions and campus map available at http://www.ngcsu.edu/Univ_Rel/campusmap.htm

WHY:

Twice each year, the Board of Regents holds its monthly meeting on a campus in the University System of Georgia, typically in the spring and in the fall.