Communications

External Affairs Division

David L. Potter Named President at North Georgia College & State University

Atlanta — November 16, 2004

Dr. David L. Potter, commissioner of Higher Education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, was named today as president of North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) by the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith. Potter will assume the presidency of NGCSU on Jan. 1, 2005.

“Dr. Potter was an exceptionally strong candidate for this important presidency,” said Meredith. “His proven record of leadership is what we were seeking in North Georgia’s next president. I am confident he will continue to propel this institution into the top ranks of the nation’s colleges and universities.”

Potter said, “I am deeply honored to be selected to serve as the president of North Georgia College & State University and to join the University System of Georgia. This institution has a distinguished and unique heritage as well as great promise. I look forward to working with the entire North Georgia family to preserve the legacy of its past and to secure the bright future it so richly deserves. I also am proud and grateful to be joining one of the nation’s premier systems of higher education, and excited about working with my presidential colleagues and Chancellor Meredith.”

Potter has served in his current position as the chief executive officer for the Board of Trustees overseeing the eight public universities in Mississippi since 2003. Prior to his position with the state commission, Potter served as president of Delta State University, in Cleveland, Miss., from 1999 to 2003. Delta State is a public, regional university of 4,000 students, with programs ranging from baccalaureate through doctoral degrees and an annual budget of $40 million.

Previously, he held a number of teaching and administrative positions at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., from 1987 to 1999, including provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, vice president for executive affairs, executive assistant to the president, and adjunct faculty in the department of sociology and anthropology.

Potter also gained extensive administrative experience at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), serving in a number of posts between 1981 and 1986 for that state coordinating agency for higher education. He served as SCHEV’s assistant director for academic programs, assistant to the director for legislative programs and coordinator of academic programs.

In addition, Potter also has held administrative and teaching posts at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, N.Y.; Denison University, in Granville, Ohio; and Silliman University, in Dumaguete, Philippines.

Potter currently serves as a member of the Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness for the American Council of Education. He has served on various commissions and committees for higher education organizations, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (including service on its executive committee), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

He earned his B.A. cum laude in history from Amherst College, in Mass., and both his M.A. and Ph.D. in social science from Syracuse University. Potter and his late wife, Pam Mathews, had two children: Elizabeth, now a lawyer in San Diego, and Holly, who works at the State Department.

To obtain an electronic image of Dr. Potter, contact Diane Payne at: (404) 657-1295, or Diane.Payne@usg.edu

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