Vol. 35, No. 3, May 1999

University System to Provide "Anytime, Anywhere"
Learning with Georgia GLOBE Launch

Technology savvy working professionals and non-traditional students seeking on-line learning to prepare for today's hot jobs soon will have " anytime, anywhere" access to programs offered by the University System of Georgia, with the launch of a new enterprise called Georgia GLOBE.

Georgia GLOBE (Global Learning On-line for Business and Education) is a new entrepreneurial unit launched on May 12 by the Board of Regents to help meet the state's higher education and workforce demands via electronic delivery systems.

Dr. Richard A. Skinner, president of Clayton College & State University, has been named by University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch to serve as president and chief executive officer of Georgia GLOBE, effective June 1, 1999. Skinner will report directly to Portch, and his unit will be housed in Atlanta.

" The University System has been building to this 'eureka moment' for quite some time," stated Portch. " We have been in the entrepreneurial phase for the past five years, building our technology infrastructure along with faculty excitement and support for the use of technology on and off of our campuses. Now it's time for us to form the strategic partnerships necessary to compete successfully in this new academic arena, and there's no better person to lead that effort than our own Rick Skinner."

Georgia GLOBE will use technologies like the Internet and the Web to provide Georgians -- especially non-traditional adult students -- with expanded access to learning, particularly in employment fields strategic to the state's economic development. It is expected to become a highly visible packaging and marketing arm for the System's on-line presence. The new enterprise also will complement a reorganized information technology infrastructure in the University System's central office -- a reorganization designed to help implement newly developed " action items" emanating from the Board of Regents' in-depth analysis of technology's impact on higher education. The Board approved 16 technology principles in April. Action items developed from these principles were presented in May for first reading, with final approval slated for the June meeting.

" The University System has been building to this 'eureka' moment for quite some time."
      -- Chancellor Stephen Portch

As the digital/electronic delivery system for the University System of Georgia's education programs, GLOBE will support the System's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP) -- the highly successful economic development program. GLOBE and ICAPP will complement each other to meet the state's workforce and strategic economic development needs, with GLOBE serving as a one-stop shop for electronically offered credit courses and degrees. The self-standing unit will contract for services within the University System and externally in the higher education and information technology marketplace. The expectation is that it will " import and export world-class learning resources" nationally and internationally.

By September 1999, GLOBE -- in partnership with ICAPP and state leaders -- will target key bachelor degrees for development. Initial offerings will encompass high-demand programs identified by ICAPP needs assessments, such as bachelor's degrees in information technology/engineering, teacher education, business and general/integrative studies. By April 2000, GLOBE will partner with the University System's two-year and four-year institutions to bring the " core" of required freshmen and sophomore courses on-line, with junior and senior courses for selected bachelor's degrees following by April 2001.

Potential students and employers interested in gaining more information re: GLOBE's offerings can now access the program's website online at: http://www.GeorgiaGLOBE.org. E-mail also may be directed to Dr. Skinner at: RichardSkinner@GeorgiaGLOBE.org

A primary goal of the operation will be to expand the number of Georgians earning bachelor's degrees. Only 4.5 percent of Georgia's population is attending college compared to 5.3 percent nationally. This is partly the result of low high-school graduation rates, but also low overall participation by working adults. University System officials hope to significantly impact the state's educational attainment levels by removing the barriers of time and location that prohibit many working adults from continuing their education and/or professional development.

In related board activity, regents were briefed on the organizational restructuring of the former Office of Instructional and Informational Technology (OIIT) in the University's System's Academic Affairs division. OIIT will be restructured into two operating enterprises. One unit will be focused on academic innovation, research and development, and developing a leadership role in the technology revolution. This unit will work with the institutions and their faculties to develop the products (courses and degrees) for GLOBE. The other will provide day-to-day information technology services, including, among other duties, oversight of major administrative computing, technical support, computer trouble-shooting and maintenance of databases. ¶

University System Establishes 2003 Enrollment Targets

New five-year enrollment targets presented to the Board of Regents at the May meeting project attendance at the 34 public colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia to grow by 10 percent during 1999-2003.

Such growth will increase enrollment from a Fall 1998 enrollment of 200,102 students, to an anticipated enrollment high of 229,621 students in the Fall of 2003. All 34 campuses of the University System are planning to experience enrollment increases, with growth rates ranging from 2 percent to 37 percent.

With the adoption of its " Comprehensive Plan" in 1997, the Board of Regents established enrollment targets to strategically link anticipated enrollment demands with academic, workforce and facilities planning. Since first establishing the campus targets, the original Systemwide enrollment growth rate has increased by 1 percent. The initial rate was targeted at 9 percent for the period of 1998-2002, and has moved to 10 percent for 1999-2003.

" Our enrollments targets are aimed at managing growth rather than letting the growth manage us," said Dr. James L. Muyskens, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs with the Board of Regents. " Georgia is a popular and successful state, which continues to grow. The University System must respond effectively to that increased growth, and effectively plan to meet the demand for access to high-quality academic programs. Our enrollment planning process is meeting that objective."

Under the University System's " Comprehensive Plan," all campuses are expected to develop an enrollment planning process that considers potential enrollment relative to:

• historical and projected enrollment and population trends;
• the demographics of areas from which current and potential students originate;
• local, regional, state and national economic trends;
• the implications of public policy and academic program development; and
• the programs of the University System and other peer institutions.

Two major factors are impacting the first two years of the revised enrollment projections. The University System's Fall 1998 semester conversion process fostered a decline in full-time enrollment. The strong economy, which generally provides full-time employment opportunities for students, also tends to have an adverse impact on enrollment.

But long-term, strong demographic trends will continue to drive high enrollment projections and solid growth for the University System over the next five years. ¶

Technology Principles Approved by Regents

Britain's Sir John Daniel told the Board of Regents at their April meeting that " mountaineers say that they climb mountains 'because they are there'," but that's " not good enough as a reason for investing public money" in distance learning technology.

One of the United Kingdom's leading thinkers and higher education administrators -- knighted in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth for his service to the profession -- Sir John Daniel is vice-chancellor of the Open University in the United Kingdom and president of the United States Open University. After having served as president of Laurentian University in Ontario, Canada, and now in his current posts, he may be the first person ever to head universities in three countries: Canada, Britain and the U.S.

" The key to using distance learning in a way that is both intellectually powerful and cost-effective is to get the soft technologies right.."
    -- Sir John Daniel /Vice-Chancellor, the Open University

Sir John's presentation, which emphasized the impact and implications of instructional technology, was delivered to the Board of Regents' Strategic Planning Committee. It served as the backdrop for the final approval of the regents technology principles, which are aimed at enhancing educational delivery and access to the academic programs of the University System of Georgia. Titled " Distance Learning and Clear Thinking," the pointed presentation focused on the critical questions of cost, access and quality which permeate higher education worldwide.

According to Sir John, distance learning initiatives that " are based on a single technology are implausible," because a broader context is needed. " The notions that 'the Web will solve that' or 'videoconferencing is the answer' simply don't stand up," he stated.

" Distance learning uses a combination of hard and soft technologies," he stated. " Hard technologies are bits and bytes, electrons and e-mail, satellites and search engines. Soft technologies are processes, approaches, sets of rules and models of organization. The most important key to using distance learning in a way that is both intellectually powerful and competitively cost-effective is to get the soft technologies right. The hard technologies change."

Sir John highlighted the Open University's success, and the quality measurements and statistics that validate that success. He said the Open University -- first established in 1969 and headquartered in Milton Keynes, England -- ranks 11th out of 98 universities in the UK in terms of the proportion of its teaching programs rated as " excellent" by a national quality assessment process. With 160,000 students in degree credit courses, including a graduate school of 30,000, and about 1,500 research students, it is the largest university in that country. The institution employs 3,600 full-time staff members and 7,000 associate faculty. The majority of its students are aged 25-45, yet 800 enrollees are over age 80. Last year, 30,000 people took OU courses outside of the UK, and wrote their exams in 111 countries.

Sir John cited that the U.S. Open University, which is registered in Delaware, achieved candidacy for accreditation status with the Middle States Association of School and Colleges this past February. He said the University will seek licenses to operate in other states as the need arises. Currently, the University is seeking partnerships with American universities and community colleges " in the joint development of distance learning programs that reach beyond individual states." Partnerships have already been developed with Florida State University and the Western Governors University.

Sir John's comments were the precursor to the Board of Regents passage of its technology principles, which were read for the first time in March, and received final approval at the April meeting. The principles are titled " Education Enterprise and the Age of Learning: Transforming the Enterprise," and are organized under four headings, which include:

• Expanding access, which is aimed at minimizing prohibitive student technology costs, and developing and maintaining " anytime/anywhere" access to the System's educational offerings and support services;
  
  
• Enhancing learning via active student involvement in career planning, faculty training and development, electronic library services, and life-long learning;
  
  
• Enriching opportunity by responding to workforce development needs and fostering the transfer of new business technologies and applications; and
  
  
• Shaping effective financing and innovative governance, by creating fiscal and academic policies which support on-campus, off-campus and on-line education; and encouraging collaboration which optimizes the University System of Georgia's fiscal and administrative operations.

Since September, the Board of Regents has engaged in a study of technology's impact on higher education, first reviewing the current landscape and the entrepreneurship that has taken place on the University System of Georgia's campuses. ¶

Skinner a National Leader in Higher Education's Use of Technology
Michael Vollmer to Serve as Acting President of Clayton State

Dr. Richard A. Skinner, the new president and chief executive officer of the Board of Regents' new initiative in technology-based distance learning -- Georgia GLOBE (Global Learning Online for Business and Education) -- is no stranger to the task of using technology in higher education. (See GLOBE article).

Dr. Richard A. Skinner

Skinner was tapped by University System Chancellor Stephen R. Portch to head the GLOBE project, because he has established a national reputation for the innovative use of technology while serving as president of Clayton College & State University.

A native of Savannah and a career educator, Skinner was appointed president of CCSU in January 1994. During his five and one-half years of service, he has become -- in the words of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- " a national ambassador for technological training".

Chancellor Portch praised Skinner's leadership at Clayton College & State University: " Rick Skinner has been one of the boldest, entrepreneurial leaders in higher education," he stated. " His mission focus has been exemplary. His national leadership has meant that he is one of the most sought-out talents; we are thrilled that we're able to keep his talent here in Georgia."

Skinner led CCSU in the largest deployment of mobile computing in higher education, by launching the " Information Technology Project" and providing every student, professor and most of the campus' staff with personal use of a powerful multi-media notebook computer and unlimited Internet access on and off campus.

This initiative was followed by development of the " Information Technology Career Ladder," which enables students to " fast track" into the burgeoning IT field through competency-based progression from certificate to baccalaureate degrees in an array of highly sought after high-tech majors, including wireless technology.

The design of this new program was derived in part from Skinner's work during 1997-98 as chair of a national task force for the Information Technology Association of America, aimed at determining how higher education and the IT industry could work together in addressing the shortage of high-tech workers.

Clayton's Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree enables students to work directly with faculty to design a " customized" career-oriented degree to be earned from a combination of off-campus, " field-based" learning and on-line course offerings from colleges and universities worldwide.

In 1995, Skinner led the committee responsible for implementing the Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO), the most advanced statewide World Wide Web-based library in the country, which now ties together all of Georgia's public higher education, regional, and K-12 libraries -- as well as the libraries of 44 private colleges and universities and the aircraft carrier, Carl Vinson. When it received initial legislative funding in 1995, GALILEO was implemented statewide throughout the University System in less than 150 days.

A member of numerous national, state and local boards, including a recent appointment by Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes to the 14-member Georgia Citizens' Task Force on Y2K.

Dr. Skinner has written and spoken widely on topics as diverse as the role of telecommunications in urban and rural community development, teacher preparation, civic morality in contemporary America, telecommuting and teleworking, and, a favorite subject, " The Age of Learning."

Michael Vollmer

Portch has named Michael Vollmer, acting vice president for Operations, Planning and Budgeting at Clayton, as interim president. He will begin serving in that role effective June 1, 1999.

Vollmer joined CCSU as an executive-in-residence on July 1, 1997. In that capacity, he headed the campus' Information Technology Project from July 1997 until March 1998, when he assumed his current vice president's role.

From August 1998 until March 1999, Vollmer served as acting president of Middle Georgia College, in Cochran, Ga., while a search was conducted for a permanent president for that institution. Prior to joining CCSU, Vollmer served as director of Georgia's nationally recognized and award-winning HOPE and Pre-K programs, both of which have been recognized by Harvard University's Innovations in Government program.

Vollmer first joined state government in 1981, and served four years in the state's Office of Planning and Budget. From 1985 to 1996, he served two governors, Joe Frank Harris and Zell Miller, in varied capacities, including criminal justice and juvenile justice, health and education. He holds a law degree from John Marshall Law School and a B.A. in sociology from Greensboro College.

" Mike Vollmer's outstanding administrative and people skills will serve him well in this interim presidential appointment," said Chancellor Portch. " In a very short time, Mike has distinguished himself as a leader within the University System, and I am gratified to be able to call on him to lead Clayton State through the institution's transition to a new president."

The search for the next president of Clayton College & State University will begin in late summer. ¶

Shields Named to AACTE Board

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) has named Albany State University President Dr. Portia Holmes Shields to a three-year term on its board of directors, beginning this past March 1999. The AACTE is a national, voluntary organization that provides leadership in the advancement of school personnel preparation and annually graduates more than 85 percent of new school personnel entering the profession in the U.S. ¶

1999 Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards Presented

" Teaching goes to the heart of our mission."
-- Dr. James Muyskens /Senior Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs

Three University System of Georgia faculty members, two academic departments and one academic program have been selected to receive 1999 Regents Teaching Excellence Awards.

The Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards recognize and reward outstanding teaching by faculty and promote and recognize excellence in teaching and service by departments or programs at the University System's 34 institutions. This is the third year the awards have been presented. This year's awards were presented during an April event held at Georgia Tech.

Individuals or departments are nominated for the award, and all nominations are reviewed by a committee composed of University System faculty members. Recipients, who each receive $5,000, are selected based upon a superlative teaching record, including a strong commitment to fostering the academic success of students through classroom instruction and interaction with students outside of the classroom.

" Teaching goes to the heart of our mission," said Dr. James L. Muyskens, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs with the University System of Georgia. " Georgia is fortunate to have such a large and diverse pool of outstanding, committed faculty. The Governor's and General Assembly's on-going support for competitive salaries has had a positive impact on our ability to retain and attract great faculty in Georgia." Faculty recipients of the 1998 Regents Teaching Excellence Awards are:

• Dr. Mary Annette Chisholm, assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Georgia and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. In addition to her teaching, Chisholm was cited for her published research, her service on college and university committees and her mentoring of students. She was recognized for what the committee terms her " useful introduction of technology in the classroom."
  
  
• Dr. Mark Finlay, assistant professor of history at Armstrong Atlantic State University. A specialist in the history of technology and science, Finlay was recognized for the attention and encouragement he provides to his students to help them succeed. Finlay also is respected for his leadership role with the Honor's Program.
  
  
• Mr. J. B. Sharma, associate professor of physics at Gainesville College. Sharma was recognized for developing the Associate Degree program in Physics and Engineering, integrating technology into the classroom, and for making his classroom and lab progressive and engaging places to learn. He also is a leader in community outreach efforts through the bi-weekly introduction to physics presentations he delivers to gifted elementary students.
  
  

• The Department of Risk Management and Insurance at Georgia State University. Housing the largest actuarial science program of its kind in the nation, this department was honored for its student performance and unparalleled commitment to excellence in teaching. The department offers two undergraduate and five graduate degree programs, and its faculty serve in national leadership positions in risk management. In addition, the department sponsors symposia, colloquia and endowed lectureships in order to provide up-to-date information from business leaders and teaching professionals to its faculty and students.
  
  
• The Honors Program at Kennesaw State University. This program was recognized for reaching high-achieving, non-traditional students. The program has grown from 20 to 125 students in two years. This growth is attributed to its governing principles, which cite that each student should have three types of honors experiences: close relationships with an honors mentor, rigorous academic experiences that do not conflict with demanding outside obligations and a sense of shared community with honors faculty and students.
  
  
• The Nursing Department at Floyd College. This department was cited for exhibiting hallmarks which have resulted in high student performance and quality service to the health community. The department boasts seven full-time faculty members --all of whom are involved in professional associations -- who work as a team to create a challenging learning environment for students. Their active mentoring program also helps to insure student retention and achievement. The department regularly surveys the community where its graduates practice and adjusts its program for continued success based on feedback received. ¶
  
  

W. Georgia's Hay Receives Goldwater Scholarship

Jason Hay

The State University of West Georgia's first Goldwater scholarship was awarded to Jason Hay, a high-school senior and college sophomore physics major. Hay, a 4.0 student at West Georgia's Advanced Academy, (one of the Board's special initiatives) took the top prize for undergraduate research at the Georgia Academy of Science. Approximately 300 Goldwater Scholarships are awarded annually to sophomore and junior students in the U.S. on the basis of academic merit. The scholarship is designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of math, the natural sciences and engineering and is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type. Hay plans to pursue a doctorate and would like to do research for NASA. Only three other Georgia higher education institutions have Goldwater recipients for 1999-2000: UGA, Emory University and Berry College. ¶

Tech Wins Prestigious Hesburgh Award

The Georgia Institute of Technology is the winner of the 1999 Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Faculty Development to Enhance Undergraduate Teaching and Learning.

The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and the College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) created the Hesburgh Award to acknowledge and reward successful, innovative faculty development programs that enhance undergraduate teaching, and to help inspire the growth of such initiatives at America's colleges and universities.

Georgia Tech was recognized for its alumni-funded Teaching Programs, which help young faculty and graduate teaching assistants develop their teaching skills and become the best teachers possible. A new Senior Teaching Fellows Program allows mid-career faculty to recharge their teaching batteries.

" Georgia Tech is very proud to receive the 1999 Hesburgh award," said Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough. " Our teaching programs have truly been a team effort in recent years. Endowed by alumni gifts, administered by our Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, and supported by our provost, deans and chairs, the programs have assisted Tech's faculty and graduate teaching assistants in becoming better teachers -- and, of course, our students are the ultimate beneficiaries."

Georgia Tech's Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) emphasizes the importance of teaching and helps faculty develop their teaching skills. Dr. David J. McGill, a professor of aerospace engineering and civil engineering, is director of CETL.

" The Hesburgh Award is given to one university in the U.S. each year for 'faculty development to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning.' Winning this award is the quintessential validation of our 15-year effort to return teaching to prominence at Tech," McGill said.

The Hesburgh Award, created in 1993, is named in honor of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. Previous winners of the Hesburgh Award include Syracuse University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Miami University and Loyola Marymount University. ¶

Tuition Approved by Regents for FY 2000

For the second year in a row, the Board of Regents has approved a tuition increase of less than 5 percent. That means in-state undergraduate students attending University System campuses will pay only $27 to $52 more per semester than last year.

The board approved an across-the-board 4.5 percent increase, effective with the Fall Semester of 1999, at their April monthly meeting, held at Savannah State University. The regents also approved tuition increases for the University System's graduate programs ranging from $85 to $113 per semester, and the continuation of tuition reforms that include cost differentials for selective professional programs at the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Georgia Tech.

The actions maintain the regents' commitment to guarantee affordable access to the University System for in-state students, and reflect the lowest increase necessary to meet required revenue demands during the next fiscal year. Revenues derived from tuition comprise 25 percent of the System's instructional budget, with 75 percent provided by the state.

" Georgia's University System has a tuition program that is competitive and reasonably priced," said Chancellor Stephen R. Portch. " We have completed the phase-in of our tuition reform initiatives, and now have a more equitable structure upon which to price our increasingly outstanding academic programs."

In the Fall Semester of 1999, at the University System's research institutions, resident undergraduate tuition will increase from $1,155 to $1,207 per semester for in-state students, a $52 difference over last year. Undergraduate tuition at the System's regional and state universities and four-year colleges will increase by $39 for in-state students, from $865 to $904 per semester. At the two-year colleges, resident tuition will increase by $27 from the previous year, from $590 to $617 per semester.

According to an annual study conducted by the State of Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, the 1998-99 average national cost for undergraduate tuition and fees at a research university was $3,686, compared to $2,930 in Georgia. At the state college and university level, the average national cost is $2,915 compared to $2,144 in Georgia. At the two-year college level, the average national cost is $1,544, compared to $1,386 in Georgia. Georgia's tuition costs rank the state in the lower half of tuition costs compared to the national average.

The regents also completed implementation of a four-year plan to achieve competitive costs for the University System's graduate programs, with the final installment of an additional 5 percent increase for graduate-level courses, which is in addition to the 4.5 percent increase.

Additional tuition reform policies adopted by the board in February 1996 called for implementation of a tuition differential for select professional programs, a policy aimed at positioning tuition rates for premier professional programs more closely with rates at identified peer institutions. This year the decision impacts the pharmacy, veterinary medicine and law programs at UGA; Georgia State's MBA/M.S. program and Ph.D. in nursing programs; and the master's program in management at Georgia Tech.

The Board-approved budget includes allocations for several special funding initiatives, including the University System's $3 million Teacher Preparation Initiative, aimed at enhancing teacher preparation and continuing professional development through the state; its $2 million Regional Engineering Initiative, which is designed to expand engineering education in areas of key demand, particularly in the Statesboro/ Savannah region; the $1.5 million Desktop Learning Program, aimed at increasing educational access for working adults by removing the barriers of time and location; and the state's $11.6 million Yammacraw project, which will position Georgia as an economic development leader in the information technology, electronic design and high-bandwidth communications industries. ¶

Reading Consortium Center Launched by Regents

With the required funding for its Teacher Preparation Initiative secured from the 1999 legislative session, the Board of Regents were briefed in April regarding the establishment of a new center that will provide extensive and " guaranteed" professional development in reading for Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers throughout the state.

The reading effort is just one element of the Board of Regents' comprehensive plan to enhance teacher preparation and professional development through its 15 institutions that prepare teachers. Gov. Roy Barnes personally advocated the leadership of the General Assembly during the legislative session, to secure $3 million for the University System's Teacher Preparation special funding initiative. The System's efforts are closely aligned with the governor's focus on educational reform.

The two new programs -- a literacy institute and web-based courses -- will be coordinated through the newly approved center housed at Georgia State University, named the Center for the University System of Georgia Reading Consortium. Ten University System institutions will participate in the consortium along with the Board of Regents, the Department of Education and the Professional Standards Commission. The center will provide opportunities for statewide collaboration among professionals engaged in improving literacy among Pre-K-12 students, via the design and promotion of literacy instruction for teachers.

Dr. Jan S. Kettlewell, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs with the Board of Regents, helped shape the Teacher Preparation Initiative, and is pleased with the launch of a critical component of the statewide effort. " This reading initiative reflects our commitment to help current teachers improve students' reading in the schools," Kettlewell said.

The participating institutions involved in the consortium are collaborating to support a three-tiered sequence (called " strands" ) in reading for classroom teachers in all subjects and grade levels. All teachers who complete the reading endorsement will be required to demonstrate their ability to improve the reading ability of their students, and the Board of Regents will " guarantee" their accomplishments.

Teachers will be able to complete the coursework through either of two models: the Literacy Institute Model or the Distance Learning Model.

The Literacy Institute Model will be launched this summer (Summer 1999) at six University System institutions, including: Augusta State University, Columbus State University, Fort Valley State University, Georgia State University, State University of West Georgia, and Valdosta State University.

The program will include an intensive summer study program, focused on understanding the reading process (Strand 1), linking assessment and instruction (Strand 2), and instructional strategies which enhance students' literacy abilities in specific subject areas (Strand 3). During the following academic year, participating teachers will be expected to integrate the literacy-related instructional strategies and assessment techniques into their curriculum, with the support of institute faculty and distance learning technology.

The Distance Learning Model will be offered this fall (Fall 1999) by four System institutions, including: Armstrong Atlantic State University, Georgia State University, North Georgia College & State University, and the State University of West Georgia. This web-based model will consist of a three-semester, three-course program, that will be designed for teachers who prefer the on-line option and/or who are not close to a participating university.

Dr. Joyce Many, associate professor of language and literacy education at Georgia State University, has been named as the first director of the University System of Georgia Reading Consortium. The center may rotate to member institutions every 3-5 years, as determined by the Reading Consortium Board. ¶

Hansford Named President of North Georgia College & State University

Nathaniel Hansford

Nathaniel Hansford, William Alfred Rose Professor of Law and former dean of the School of Law at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., has been named president of North Georgia College & State University by the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch, effective July 1, 1999.

Hansford has held his current position at the University of Alabama since 1986. A native of Georgia, Hansford practiced law in Dalton, Ga., from 1973 to 1975, before joining the law school faculty at the University of Alabama in 1975. Since that time, he has held various administrative appointments as law school dean (1987-93), vice dean (1982-86) and acting director of Continuing Legal Education, while continuing to teach. During the 1997-98 academic year, Hansford served as a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., teaching constitutional law to senior-year cadets. He also has served twice as a visiting professor at the University of Georgia and as a visiting professor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

In 1982, Hansford was selected by the University of Alabama National Alumni Association to receive its Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award. In 1987, he was selected by the Law School Student Bar Association to receive its Outstanding Faculty Member Award.

Hansford was commissioned a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, and spent three years in the Army, including one year in Korea. He also served with the commandant of the Judge Advocate General's School at the University of Virginia (which provides military and civilian education for officers and government personnel), where he was responsible for administration and academic quality assurance for the school's accreditation agency. He currently holds the rank of Colonel in the Inactive Army Reserves.

Hansford earned his B.S. Ed. degree (cum laude) in 1965, and his law degree in 1968, both from the University of Georgia. He received his LL.M degree in 1980 from the University of Michigan.

The author of three books and numerous law articles, Hansford is a member of the Alabama, Georgia and American Bar Associations, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, ODK, Kappa Delta Pi, the American Law Institute, the American Arbitration Association and the faculty of the Alabama Judicial College. He also is a fellow of the Alabama Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation, and the Alabama Bar Foundation.

Hansford has served on the board of directors of Cohutta Bank of Chatsworth, Ga., for 22 years, and Synovus Financial Corp. of Columbus, Ga., for over 13 years. He is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce.

Hansford is married to the former Frances Fincher of Chatsworth, Ga., and they have two children. ¶

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