Vol. 33, no. 1 - Winter/Spring 1997

Salary, formula and capital projects are fully-funded
in University System's FY '98 Budget

It was the ability of the University System to speak
with one voice that was crucial in the budget
process, Chancellor Stephen Portch noted.

Georgia's strong commitment to education was clearly illustrated in the recently completed session of the General Assembly.

The University System's FY '98 Budget, as passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Zell Miller, maintains public higher education's momentum in three key areas: merit salary increases for faculty and staff, a fully-funded formula, and approval of an unprecedented number of capital projects.

In addition, the budget complied with the Governor's guidelines for redirection. The total budget amount approved by the General Assembly was $1,465,535,169.

In his report to the Board of Regents at the April meeting, Chancellor Stephen Portch said, "This was a very challenging budget year, but the Board, the institutional presidents and faculty and staff worked well together to communicate both the importance of our programs and our appreciation for the General Assembly's support."

The Board adopted the FY '98 Budget and related tuition and fees at the April meeting.

In communicating the University System's needs and accomplishments during the session, Portch noted that institutional presidents were more involved than ever before. "They made the bulk of the Appropriations Committee presentation; they visited the capitol regularly; and they responded magnificently when we faced the salary challenge," he said.

Portch also expressed appreciation to students, who "were full and effective partners," and to the regents, who "were able advocates, often quietly behind the scenes." But it was the continuing ability of University System officials to speak with one voice that was crucial, the chancellor noted.

And this unified voice was heard at the highest level of state government. "Governor Miller was most responsive to your budget proposal. He remained a strong proponent throughout the session. We are blessed by outstanding leadership of our committees in both the Senate and the House. (Senator) Jack Hill and (Representative) Calvin Smyre are not only able politicians and strong advocates for higher education, they are also the type of human beings you want making public policy decisions," the chancellor said.

Six Percent Merit Salary Increases

This is the third year of the governor's four-year commitment to provide average six percent merit salary increases for faculty and staff.

The goal is to make teachers' salaries not just competitive compared to other states, but the benchmark.

Despite some concerns in the House, in the end the General Assembly passed the full six percent merit increases for faculty and staff recommended by the governor at a cost of $69.1 million.

"Clearly our biggest challenge was maintaining the salary priority," Portch said. "The House ... reduced that for non-faculty. With the help of our involved employees, the strong advocacy of Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard and Senate conferees (Senators George Hooks, Sonny Perdue, and Charles Walker), we were able to reverse that decision. And even though we disagreed with the House on that issue, the Speaker and House conferees (Representatives Terry Coleman, Thomas Buck and Larry Walker) were extremely responsive to our priority of major repair and renovation.

"There is an affection and pride in the University System and any criticisms are grounded in that love. In the end, the right thing is usually done. And I want to thank the many fine public servants who serve under the golden dome," Portch said.

Formula

Gov. Miller recommended an increase in the formula funding of $23.5 million and this was adopted by the General Assembly. The increase is based on enrollment growth and an increase in quarter credit hours taken by students. The General Assembly's support of the governor's recommendations enables system institutions to meet needs and accomodate growth.

Capital Priorities

The University System also fared well in capital outlay allocations. The final legislative outcome funded 29 projects at $141.2 million. This included all seven of the remaining projects on the major capital projects priority list, all five projects on the minor capital "A" list, all seven projects on the minors "B" list, one payback project and funding for emergency-planning needs at two institutions. In addition, the General Assembly appropriated money to complete a previously-funded project at Georgia Southern University. (See chart of approved projects).

The Board of Regents' comprehensive planning process continues to march forward, with the Board hearing a report in January on workforce development and then approving this report at the February meeting.

In March, the Board heard a first reading of Academic Program Principles and approved a final version of these principles at the April Board meeting. Workforce planning principles help define how the University System should respond to the changing workforce needs of Georgia and will be used to help guide decision-making about academic program planning and focus resources on System priorities.

While meeting society's needs as defined by the three traditional areas of instruction, research, and public services is the University System's mission, this task is much broader than just supplying well-qualified graduates for the workforce.

As former Regent Elsie Hand said during the November board meeting, "Our priority ought to be to prepare students in our System well; to give them enough career education to make a living and enough traditional education to make living worthwhile."

Thus the System's goal is not only to provide students with the skills that business and society need today, but to ensure today's graduates are able to grow and build upon their skills and knowledge in the future.

Workforce Planning Principles

The workforce planning principles adopted by the Board cover three broad areas: the role of the University System; student outreach; and economic development. The following are highlights of these principles:

Role of the University System

The University System of Georgia should:

• lead in developing Georgia's "intellectual capital" ... and take an active role in workforce development in all regions of Georgia;
• collaborate with the Department of Technical and Adult Education, the State Department of Education and other groups;

• engage in ongoing needs assessment to determine academic areas of future growth or decline;

• redirect funds to increase production of graduates in fields where needs assessment has demonstrated future state needs; and

• continue to emphasize liberal arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences as an integral part of each student's general education.

Student Outreach

The University System of Georgia should:

• through its institutions educate students about career opportunities as they relate to students' choices of degrees and majors;

• encourage ease of access for both traditional and non-traditional students to enroll, making available the widest possible range of choices through technology;

• emphasize the continuing cycle of education, career, and further education in helping students maximize career opportunities; and

• through its institutions expand work-based learning experience opportunities and encourage faculty to place learning into work contexts or use workplaces as learning laboratories.

Economic Development

The University System of Georgia should:

• work to meet the higher education needs of the state's workforce;

• through its institutions identify and respond to workforce needs and the needs of the communities these institutions serve, insuring that needs assessment is an ongoing process;

• work to strengthen Georgia's economic base, to enhance the quality of the economic base, and to increase its competitive advantage in attracting and keeping good companies for the benefit of all Georgians;

• be prepared to respond creatively and aggressively to emerging needs; and

• support the rising expectation that postsecondary education is vital to the economic success, competitiveness, and well-being of Georgians in the future.

"Both John Hunt and Glenn White bring unique business
talents to the University System ... and Joe Kennedy
has long experience in the State Senate. Elridge
McMillan has served with distinction ... and
I am proud to re-appoint him to a fourth term."
                                  - Governor Zell Miller

The look of the Board of Regents has changed with Gov. Zell Miller's appointment of three new regents and his re-appointment of a long-standing member, Regent Elridge W. McMillan.

The three new regents are George "John" M. D. Hunt III of Tifton, who represents the Second Congressional District; Joseph E. Kennedy of Claxton, who represents the First Congressional District; and Glenn S. White of Lawrenceville, who represents the 11th Congressional District.

"Both John Hunt and Glenn White bring unique business talents to the University System of Georgia, and Joe Kennedy has long experience in the State Senate," Gov. Miller said. "Elridge McMillan has served the people of Georgia with distinction in many capacities over the years, and I am proud to re-appoint him to a fourth term."

Regents Hunt and White were appointed in January, 1997. Regent Kennedy was appointed in March, 1997. Regent McMillan was re-appointed in January, 1997.

Regent George M.D. Hunt

Regent Hunt is a Tifton businessman who previously served as chairman of the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism board of directors. He resigned that position upon joining the Board of Regents.

He is president of Hunt Advertising and Communications,Inc. and J.H. Services Inc. Regent Hunt is past president of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. He is married to the former Julie Ewing and has two children, Dallas Hunt and Julie V. Hogan.

Regent Hunt succeeds Regent Elsie P. Hand, who has joined the staff of U.S. Senator Max Cleland.

Regent Glenn S. White

Regent Glenn S. White Regent White is the president and founding director of the Bank of Gwinnett County. He is a board member of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, the Gwinnett Foundation and Community Bankers Association of Georgia. White is the former president of First National Bank of Gwinett and a former senior vice president of First National Bank of Atlanta. He is a University of Georgia graduate with a major in Finance. White has been active in the Business in Education Partnerships program in Gwinnett as well as the Gwinnett Council for the Arts, including a term as president of the Arts Council. Regent White holds the 11th Congressional seat that was vacated by redistricting.

Regent Joseph E. Kennedy

Regent Kennedy was first elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1967 and served 24 years as a state senator, being re-elected 12 times. He represented the Fourth District, was elected President Pro-Tem of the Senate in 1983 and re-elected to this position four times, serving eight years as President Pro-Tem.

He served on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Corrections, Natural Resources, and Reapportionment Committees and served six and one-half years as executive assistant commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections. Now retired, Regent Kennedy is married to the former Lalah Kennedy and has three children and two grandchildren.

Regent Kennedy is the First Congressional District appointee, with Regent S. William Clark now representing the Eighth Congressional District because of resdistricting.

Regent Elridge W. McMillan Regent McMillan is president of the Southern Education Foundation, Inc. A graduate of Clark University with a masters degree from Columbia University, Regent McMillan is a member of the Presidents Council of Tulane University, and a board member of the Herndon Foundation, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, and the Atlanta Committee for Public Education. As the senior member of the Board of Regents, McMillan has served on the Board of Regents since 1975 and served as Board Chair for the 1986-1987 year. This marks an historic fourth term for Regent McMillan. He is currently chair of the Education Committee.

Regent Elridge W. McMillan

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host the President of the United States was given to Augusta State University on February 5, 1997, when President Bill Clinton spoke about his education initiatives at the university. He was introduced by Tanya Davis, a December 1996 Augusta State University graduate, whose education was financed by Georgia's HOPE scholarship program that President Clinton has praised and would like to emulate nationwide.

(Above) President Bill Clinton congratulates Augusta State University graduate Tanya Davis (center) after her introduction of his speech on the university's campus. Governor Zell Miller (on left) and other top officials, including Board Chair Thomas Allgood and Chancellor Stephen Portch attended the day-long event focusing on the President's national education initiatives.

The President addressed an enthusiastic, full-capacity crowd in the main arena on his ten-point plan for American education.

"The most important thing we can do is to give people a good education ... That's why I came to Georgia - because Governor Miller, with the HOPE scholarship, with the pre-kindergarten program, with the commitment to hook up all your schools to the Internet, with all the other initiatives, has turned the lights on, and America is seeing the light," the President said.

Seated on stage with the President were U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Gov. Zell Miller, Davis, U.S. Senators Paul Coverdell and Max Cleland, Augusta State University President Dr. William A. Bloodworth, Jr. and U.S. Tenth District Congressman Charles Norwood.

In addition to his campus address, President Clinton participated in a round table discussion on education reforms.

"I would prefer that dollars in this state
be spent on education, not litigation."
               - Chancellor Stephen Portch

In response to the filing of a lawsuit against the Board of Regents regarding the use of race in the consideration of admissions, University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch said, "the Board of Regents does not engage in discriminatory practices."

"We are actively engaged in developing and implementing policies and programs for the University System that are designed to achieve equity of access to our colleges and universities for all of Georgia's citizens," Portch said in a press statement issued on March 4, the day the suit was filed.

"Our goals at the system level are aimed at achieving a level of academic excellence among those who will enter our institutions that expands their options regarding the number and type of institutions in which they will be eligible to enroll," Portch said.

Portch pointed out that current policies which address some of these very issues include the Board of Regents' Admissions Policy Direction, which was initially passed in June 1995, and for which an implementation plan was passed in June 1996.

That policy is aimed at implementing admissions standards throughout the University System, based on a student's grades, standardized test scores and completion of the College Preparatory Curriculum at the secondary school level.

Another related initiative, the board's P-16 Council, was launched in the summer of 1995 and is designed to foster collaboration between the K-12 schools, the vocational technical institutes and the University System.

P-16's goals include addressing reform issues necessary to enhance academic preparedness, which also will expand postsecondary options for Georgia's students. In addition, the Board's Postsecondary Readiness Enrichment Program (PREP), piloted in the summer of 1996, provides academic support services for students in at-risk situations. That program already is serving more than 10,000 students statewide.

"All of these goals are aimed at 'raising the bar' of academic expectations for incoming students, which ultimately leads to expanded choices," Portch said. He added that the University System also is committed to continuous quality improvements in academic programming at all 34 institutions.

"In particular, we have placed strategic emphasis on strengthening graduate degree offerings at our historically black institutions, with positive funding from the General Assembly," Portch said.

"We would hope that the plaintiffs share some of these same goals and would welcome an exploration of these issues prior to fully engaging in litigation," Portch said. "I would prefer that dollars in this state be spent on education, not litigation."

The (semester) calendar is ticking and as the date for conversion draws nearer, the Board of Regents received an update at the February board meeting.

The Board approved implementation of the semester calendar in December 1995, with conversion scheduled for fall 1998 at all System institutions except Georgia Tech, which will convert in fall 1999.

The Board heard reports by Martha Nesbitt, special assistant to the Chancellor, and co-chair of the Semester Conversion Task Force; Don Wagner, director of special programs at the State University of West Georgia and co-chair of the Semester Conversion Task Force; and Sandra J. Storrar, assistant vice president for Enrollment Services and Registrar, Georgia State University.

The following are some of the key points that have surfaced or objectives reached to-date in the semester conversion and curriculum review process:

• Credit transfer: Nesbitt told the board that "while there has been every effort to provide for institutional flexibility, when hard decisions had to be made, we came down on the side of students to have reasonable transfer."

• Common course names: to ease the transfer of credits, common course names and numbers are being developed by System academic committees that will be used by all institutions.

• New academic calendars: the conversion process also offered all System institutions the opportunity to reset their individual calendars so that each institution begins classes for the fall and spring semesters during the same weeks each year.

• Student advising and communications: Storrar noted that the key to assisting students in a successful semester conversion had three elements, "one, communication; two, communication; and three, communication." All institutions are preparing a Semester Conversion Manual for faculty, staff and students.

• Faculty/staff training, student communications: Additional resources for faculty and staff training, communications to students, and student advising have been provided, beginning in the summer of 1996 and implementation of these critical components is well underway.

• The World Wide Web: Georgia State and other institutions are planning to place all semester conversion information on their web pages. A semester conversion page for the System also is being planned by the Central Office.

• Curriculum review: Wagner noted that the primary benefit of semester conversion had been the curriculum review. "This review has resulted in a better definition of the general education outcomes expected for students, the linking of these with institutional mission, and their incorporation into the curriculum," he said. Wagner cited examples of new courses that cover science and technology, ethics, critical thinking and the formation of values, applied technology, perspectives in comparative culture, and principles of leadership.

• Credit creep: when the Board approved the semester conversion and curriculum review policy directions, it specifically directed the institutions to investigate the issue of "credit creep," a process that gradually adds new courses to degree requirements, thus lengthening the time it takes to earn an undergraduate degree. Wagner said most institutional presidents indicate that streamlining degree requirements to four years has proven a positive benefit. But the process is not rigid, and recognizes that some degrees nationally require more hours, such as engineering and music. Any degrees which require longer than two or four years must now go to the Office of Academic Affairs at the Board of Regents for review and a grant of a waiver. This process is in place to keep a check on credit creep.

• Georgia Tech's Co-op Program: Georgia Tech's one-year delay in semester conversion due to the Olympics provides the institution additional time to plan for any impact on this important program and thereby allow students to finish their degrees in a timely manner. Tech has made Co-op student scholarships part of its fundraising campaign and to-date has raised a significant amount toward this end.

'PREP it UP!' communicates new admission requirements to middle school students

" Hey listen, seventh or eighth grader, think about college, the rules in Georgia have changed, so get some knowledge" raps the narrator in an upbeat public service announcement that hit television and radio in February.

The 30-second spot (produced in both video and audio formats ) grabs the attention of middle school students by using rap as its "hook" and then drives the message home that they will have to work harder to meet the University System's new admission standards, effective fall 2001 .

According to Chancellor Stephen Portch, "by speaking to young people in their own voice, we are more likely to get our message across."

The video is just one element of a comprehensive communications program to get the message out statewide to students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors.

A different version of the PSA targeted at parents also is being produced. Currently the student version is appearing through the cooperation of the Georgia Broadcasters Association and its 270 member radio and 36 television stations.

In addition to the PSA, two ten-minute videos in versions for both students and parents have been produced for the campaign. Each provides in-depth information about the new admissions requirements, the Postsecondry Readiness Enrichment Program (PREP) to help students meet the new requirements, and Georgia's HOPE scholarship program .

The communications campaign was developed by the Board of Regents' Office of Media and Publications, with pro bono support provided by Atlanta's WSB-TV Channel 2, Georgia Power Company, and the public relations and marketing firm GCI/Atlanta.

Other elements of the communications campaign include two brochures designed with dual messages to middle schoolers as well as parents and teachers. One brochure details the Board's 2001 admission requirements and the other highlights the benefits and specifics of the PREP initiative.

Over the past eight months, the top spots at six University System institutions have opened. At four of these institutions - Gainesville College, Georgia College & State University (GC&SU), North Georgia College & State University (NGC&S), and Southern Polytechnic State University - interim presidents have been named by Chancellor Stephen Portch and the Board of Regents.

At Savannah State University a president and vice president of academic affairs have been appointed by Chancellor Portch and the Board.

At the University of Georgia (UGA) it is expected a new president will be named by the time current president Dr. Charles Knapp leaves on June 30, 1997, to assume his new position as head of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. Knapp announced his resignation in November 1996.

Presidential search committees have been formed and are working to identify candidates for the president's post at GC&SU, Gainesville, and UGA.

Dr. Sherman R. Day

North Georgia College & State University At NGC&SU, Dr. Sherman R. Day is serving as interim president. Day replaced Dr. Delmas Allen in Sept. 1996. Prior to his appointment, Day was responsible for the implementation and day-to-day operation of Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. On loan from Georgia State, Day held those responsibilities as managing director of Legacy and Olympic Programs for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games from 1992 until August 1996. He has served in a wide variety of capacities at Georgia State, including as acting president.

Georgia College & State University In November, Dr. Edwin G. Speir announced his decision to leave the presidency of GC&SU after 15 years, to return to the institution's faculty. Dr. Speir stepped down on Dec. 31, 1996, and Dr. Ralph Hemphill, vice president and dean of faculties at GC&SU, was named by Chancellor Portch as interim president, effective Jan. 1, 1997.

Dr. Ralph Hemphill

Dr. Daniel S. Papp

Southern Polytechnic State University In February, 1997, another long-time University System president, Southern Polytechnic's Dr. Stephen R. Cheshier, announced his resignation after 17 years at the helm of the institution he helped grow from an extension of Georgia Tech to a premier polytechnic university. Cheshier will step down at the end of the current academic year and join the Southern Polytechnic faculty in August 1998. Chancellor Portch has named Dr. Daniel S. Papp to serve as interim president through the 1997-1998 academic year. Papp is currently executive assistant to the president and professor of international affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. He was the founding director of the School of International Affairs at Tech.

Gainesville College At Gainesville, Dr. Katherine M. Fuller, vice president for academic affairs, was chosen to serve as interim president from April 1, 1997, until a new president takes office. The College's current president, Dr. J. Foster Watkins, left on March 31 to assume the presidency of the University of Alabama - Walker College, in Jasper, Alabama. Dr. Fuller has taught reading and English at Gainesville College since 1973, where she has served as an assistant, associate and full professor. Since 1994, she has served first as acting and then as interim vice president for academic affairs and faculty dean.

Dr. Katherine M. Fuller

Savannah State University

In March 1997, Savannah State University President Dr. John T. Wolfe announced his decision to step down, and accepted a post as an assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs in the central office.

Chancellor Portch and the Board appointed a distinguished educator, Dr. Carlton E. Brown, to lead Savannah State over at least the next five years. Dr. Brown is currently vice president for planning and dean of the Graduate College at Hampton University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Portch and the Board also tapped a senior University System official to join Brown in an executive team leadership role. Dr. Joseph H. "Pete" Silver, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, has been named vice president for academic affairs at Savannah State and professor of political science. Silver also has been asked to serve at least five-years. Both Brown and Silver begin their duties on July 1, 1997.

During the 1997 CASE District III conference, a number of University System institutions were recognized for their work in the marketing and communications of various programs and activities.

The annual awards program recognized 265 programs submitted by public and private colleges and universities in 42 categories; University System of Georgia institutions received 52 of these awards, or almost 20 percent of the total, including 5 "Grand Awards."

The Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association together received 20 awards, the University of Georgia received 17, Georgia State University received 9, Kennesaw State University, 3, Valdosta State University, 2 and Georgia College & State University, 1.

CASE also honored Reagan Walker, the higher education reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with its "Media Award." Walker was recognized at the conference's closing brunch.

One of the state's newest economic development initiatives took on a human face with the graduation of 80 computer programmers/analysts from an accelerated, six-month curriculum at Columbus State University in March.

The graduation ceremonies were especially significant, coming only a year after the program was announced. The statewide Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), introduced in March 1996 by Gov. Zell Miller and developed by the University System, links the state's economic development agenda with the University System to support the work-force needs of specific businesses for highly-educated employees. In Columbus, the first application of the ICAPP program, known as ICAPP Accel, was designed as a quick response to the needs of Total System Services, Inc. The company's 1996 expansion plans depended upon the availability of 1,200 computer programmers and business analysts.

Utilizing the new ICAPP concept, the University System created a custom-designed computer programming curriculum that will educate up to 340 students to help meet Total System's 1997 requirements.

By mid 1997, the program also will be available at Augusta State University, thanks to Georgia's GSAMS distance-learning video capabilities, which will complement on-site instruction. This first application of the ICAPP program was funded with a $4.5 million allocation from the General Assembly in March 1996.

Initially launched to be a quick response to critical workforce educational needs, ICAPP is now the University System's umbrella program for economic development.

As of early 1997, the program has been involved in more than a dozen headquarters, research and development, and manufacturing projects, all which are considering Georgia as a location for development.

ICAPP is based in the Board of Regents' Office of Development and Economic Services and is led by Assistant Vice Chancellor Annie Hunt Burriss.

U .S. Senator Paul Coverdell signed an agreement with Georgia College & State University (GC&SU) on March 27, 1997, to donate papers relating to his tenure as Director of the Peace Corps to the university library's special collections.

Sen. Coverdell headed the Peace Corps from May 1989 through October 1991. In August 1990, he and then GC&SU President Ed Speir established a Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program at the institution. The program -- one of only two in the nation -- allowed returned Peace Corps volunteers who had completed two years as teachers abroad to enroll in its master's degree program while teaching in rural public schools in Central Georgia.

In January 1993, Sen. Coverdell was instrumental in helping GC&SU obtain a $120,080 grant from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The grant enabled GC&SU to expand the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program.

Dr. Jackson O. Blanton, professor of physical oceanography at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, recently received notification that he is the winner of a J. William Fulbright Scholar award for study in Portugal at the University of Lisbon. Dr. Blanton will study circulation processes in the Mira estuary south of Lisbon and teach a course in coastal oceanography.

Fort Valley Choir performs at Capitol

The Fort Valley State University Concert Choir was featured during the Georgia State Holiday Commission's salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, J r., in a program held January 17, 1997, at the State Capitol. The choir, directed by Dr. Christin Horton, performed two musical selections for the program. Kennesaw State University President Betty Siegel serves on the Georgia State Holiday Commission, chaired by Representative Calvin Smyre.

Gov. Miller receives Big Heart Award

Regents Ed Jenkins and Juanita Baranco joined Chancellor Stephen Portch in a February 15 event saluting Gov. Zell Miller as the 1997 recipient of the "Big Heart Award," presented annually by the Georgia District North Civitans.

During 1996, the Council on International Education reports, 1,662 University System students participated in study abroad programs.

University System student participation in study abroad programs increased 37 percent in 1996, to .8 percent, which puts the System above the national average of .6 percent for such student participation.

That increase follows the approval of the Board of Regents' International Policy Direction in March 1996.

One policy outcome is to have two percent of all System students participating in study abroad by the year 2000. The 1,662 students that participated in the 1996 programs represent an .8 percent participation level for the System.

Early indications are that participation in study abroad will continue to increase in 1997.

That optimism is supported by the following factors:

• a tripling of attendance at the study abroad fairs in 1996;
• 29 more study abroad programs being offered by System institutions in 1997;
• increased information on more than 500 study abroad programs available on the Council for International Education's web site;
• the annual availability of 100 study abroad $1,000 scholarships; and
• a reduction in study abroad administrative barriers across the System.

Additional information on study abroad is available on the Council for International Education's home page at http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcie and by contacting the System's coordination office for study abroad at (706) 542-1557.