Diamond Jubilee Celebration - Speeches
Governor Sonny Perdue
In 1932, back when Georgia had a population of less than 3 million people, about 6,000 students were enrolled in our public colleges. Forty years later, we had close to 100,000.
And today, 75 years after its founding, 260,000 students are enrolled in the member institutions of the University System of Georgia, the crown jewels of our state’s higher education.
260,000. You’ve heard that number once or twice this afternoon, but I want you to think about it. Don’t think about that as one massive number – but think about 260,000 Chenelle Marshalls.
Right now there are 260,000 students getting ready to go back to our colleges and universities across the state. They’re registering for classes, buying books and moving into their dorms. More than a quarter of a million Georgians are making a commitment to their futures in the form of higher education.
And in four years, the 260,000 faces we have in the system today will have given way to 260,000 more new faces – likely, many more than that.
That’s what higher education is all about: it’s a commitment to the future, a belief in what’s to come. It’s one of the reasons I’m so optimistic about this great state. It’s about building upon the knowledge accumulated in the past, in hopes that we will unearth new knowledge in the future.
Learning is inherently optimistic. It’s about hope and faith. It’s the hope that the 260,000 students in the university system right now will carry their knowledge into the future. The hope that they will leave a bit more of that knowledge for future generations to build on.
For 75 years now, the Board of Regents has worked to strengthen that hope – that faith – in higher education in this state.
In 1932, a group of forward-thinking individuals recognized the need for a unified university system. This system would emphasize the quality and access of statewide education, and it would coordinate the world of all the state universities, getting the maximum benefit for the students of Georgia. And I believe that’s exactly what we’ve achieved.
Today, a talented group of men and women are carrying on that tradition, making a world-class higher education accessible to everyone in the state. And in the last year we have:
• celebrated the millionth recipient of the HOPE scholarship;
• implemented the “Fixed for Four” program, allowing families and students to make financial plans for college knowing that tuition will not increase for four years;
• and opened the doors to the University System’s latest addition, Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville.
The Board has made great progress in this business of hope and learning. The 260,000 current students and the millions of graduates stand as examples of this progress.
We’ve seen great things in the last 75 years of Georgia’s University System. And I’m optimistic about the 75 to come.
Now, on behalf of the 9.3 million people of Georgia served by the University System – because whether they attend or not, they’re served by the mission – I present to Chairman Vigil and Chancellor Davis this proclamation for the 75th anniversary of the Board of Regents.