Vol. 37, No. 5, June 2000
Vol. 37, No. 5, June 2000
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Nine University System of Georgia presidents from around the state personally delivered their requests for new campus buildings during the June meeting of the Board of Regents.
In return, the regents approved a newly revised five-year Major Capital Outlay Priority List totaling $514.7 million in requested major construction projects on June 14.
The capital list, composed each June by the 16-member Board of Regents, will be a major element of the regents' Fiscal Year 2002 budget request. Submitted to the state's Office of Planning and Budget in September, that request will be utilized by Gov. Roy Barnes in developing his budget recommendations for the next fiscal year, which will be considered by the legislature when it convenes for the 2001 Legislative Session. The updated list is the result of a full day of presidential presentations held on June 13 at the board's offices in Atlanta.
During these meetings, presidents from nine of the University System's colleges and universities presented their cases during 20-minute presentations made directly to the board of regents.
The revised Major Capital Outlay Projects List is designed to accommodate new funding requests from the University System's campuses, replacing the dollar amount of projects funded in the Fiscal Year 2000 Supplemental budget with four new projects totaling $114 million. The new projects have been added to the end of the existing list.
The nine projects, totaling $213.5 million in requests, were screened from 22 proposals submitted by campus presidents. In evaluating the eligibility of the proposed projects, central office and campus staff adhered to 10 guiding principles for capital facilities approved by the Board in 1997. The regents used those same criteria to individually evaluate and rank the short list of nine capital requests. At the meeting, the Board of Regents also approved four new payback project requests for submission with the budget, at a cost of $35 million. These also were ranked by the regents in the following priority order: a $12 million parking deck at the University of Georgia, a $5.2 million University Center at Augusta State University, the acquisition of a parking deck at Georgia State University for a cost of $2.1 million, and a $15 million parking deck project at Kennesaw State University.
"The Capital Planning component of the University System's Comprehensive Plan has proven to be an effective tool for both the presidents and the regents to use in identifying and prioritizing the System's growing need for new facilities," said Chancellor Stephen R. Portch.
Portch emphasized that the Board's decisions regarding capital priorities are influenced primarily by the need for facilities to accommodate existing and future enrollment growth and required academic programs. Highest weight is given to instructional facilities, followed by academic support facilities, student support buildings, then finally administrative and infrastructure needs.
From last year's list of 26 rank-ordered projects approved by the Board in June 1999 Ñ the third year of the new capital planning process Ñ the General Assembly funded the top six projects on the list for construction in its Fiscal Year 2000 Supplemental Budget at a cost of $101.8 million. While already funded for construction, those six projects still need $9.2 million in funding to pay for the loose equipment associated with their operation. ¶
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The following is the revised Major Capital Outlay Projects list adopted by the Board of Regents on June 14, 2000:
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The Board of Regents elected a new chair and vice chair for the 2001 fiscal year during its June meeting. Regent Glenn S. White was named chair, and Regent Hilton H. Howell, Jr., was named vice chair of the 16-member governing body. They will assume office in July and will serve a one-year term through June 30, 2001.
Glenn S. White
White, a resident of Buford, Ga., was appointed to the Board of Regents in 1997. He has served on the Finance and Real Estate committee since June 1997, and as chair of that committee since July 1998.
"I am fortunate to have this opportunity to serve the state," said White. "During my years as a member of the Board of Regents, I have become an advocate of the comprehensive role the University System of Georgia can and does play in Georgia's development of its citizens, its communities and its economic prosperity. As chair, I look forward to working with my fellow regents, the Governor and the General Assembly to help create a more educated Georgia."
Currently president and chief executive officer of the First Bank of Gwinnett, White has 26 years of experience in the banking industry. He is a former president of Premier Bank, the former president and a founding director of The Bank of Gwinnett County, the former president of First National Bank of Gwinnett and was a senior vice president of First National Bank of Atlanta. In addition to his service on the Board of Regents, White serves on the board of directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce and is a past chairman of that association. He has a long and active volunteer record in Gwinnett, where he has served as a founding director, president and member of the board for the Council for Quality Growth. He also is a former member of the board and president of the Gwinnett Council for the Arts and a United Way Advisory Board member.
Hilton H. Howell Jr.
Howell was appointed to the Board of Regents as a member-at-large in 1997. Prior to being named a regent, Howell served from 1993 to 1997 on the board of the Georgia Department of Human Resources.
"Georgia is a state with a strong commitment to education and I am proud to have been asked to serve in this leadership role for the University System of Georgia," Howell said. "I look forward to working with my fellow regents on a number of key public higher education issues during the coming year."
Howell is president and chief executive officer of Atlantic American Corporation, an insurance holding company. He also is executive vice president of Delta Life Insurance Company and Delta Fire & Casualty Company, as well as vice president, secretary and director of the Bull Run Corporation and a director of Gray Communications Systems, Inc. Prior to locating to Atlanta with Atlantic American, Howell was in private law practice in Houston, Texas. ¶
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Board of Regents incoming chair, Regent Glenn White (right), and vice chair, Regent Hilton Howell, Jr. (left), congratulate outgoing chair Regent Kenneth Cannestra, on his leadership during the past fiscal year. |
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The Board of Regents received a final report during its June meeting on a master plan aimed at strengthening the University System's technology infrastructure and identifying strategies for its administrative and instructional use.
The plan, developed with the assistance of Arthur Andersen LLP, provides strategic direction and recommendations for more efficient use of information technologies to support the System's immediate and long-term goals and challenges. A continuation of the Regents' 1998-99 strategic planning focus on instructional technology, which resulted in the creation of the Georgia GLOBE initiative, the technology master plan identifies:
"This planning effort is just the first step in what should be considered an on-going process," said Dr. Beheruz Sethna, interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs with the Board of Regents, who spearheaded the development of the master plan. "As the System's needs change over time, the plan will need to be periodically revisited and adjusted to reflect new technologies and changing needs."
The master planners developed 25 recommendations to guide the System's technology planning efforts. They estimate the cost of implementing the initial phase of recommendations will be $8.6 million, but emphasize that the cost of some initiatives -- such as supporting distance education -- has yet to be quantified, and could increase the total figure significantly. Nine of the 25 recommendations in the master plan involve strengthening PeachNet -- the computer network that connects the state's 34 public colleges and universities and other educational and state agencies. The cost of implementing these recommendations is estimated to be $7.7 million. The master planners further recommend that the University System employ a long-term proactive approach to planning and budgeting for technology expenditures by having several members of the Board of Regents serve on a newly created, standing Technology Committee. In the second phase of the planning effort, officials at each USG institution will use a template -- created by the consultants -- to develop customized campus technology plans.
The Regents are expected to take action on the master plan at the August meeting. ¶
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A statewide leadership program that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in technical programs has singled out a practical nursing student at Coastal Georgia Community College. As the winner of a local-level Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), Deborah Ann Blades, received a four-day trip to Atlanta, where she will compete for a statewide award with students from other technical institutes and two-year colleges with technical divisions. The state winner will travel throughout Georgia to promote technical education. The GOAL program, the first statewide leadership program in the nation to focus on students in technical programs, is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. ¶
The U.S. Department of Education has included three University System of Georgia institutions among 122 colleges and universities nationwide that collectively will receive $43 million in grants for training teachers to use technology in the classroom Georgia Southwestern State University, the State University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University each will receive "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology" implementation grants providing three years of technical assistance and training opportunities related to advanced computer and instructional technologies. ¶
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UGA student Daniel Lunde started the summer with extra money in his pocket, thanks to his second-place finish in the Georgia Technology Awareness Program (GTAP) Website Design Showdown. In February, technology students from Georgia colleges and universities were invited to showcase their talents in a statewide website design competition that put them in front of the state's hottest high-tech employers and gave them the chance to build their portfolios. The students were given eight weeks to design an original E-business website. Lunde and a student from Oglethorpe University tied for second place, collecting $5,000 apiece, while a Mercer University student captured first place, earning $20,000 and a consultation with the Nexchange Corporation, which will provide commerce capabilities to his winning website.
"This seemed like the perfect way to help the up-and-coming work force learn about the opportunities in Georgia while giving employers a chance to see the skill levels of students at over 50 schools in the state," said Jason Smith, president of iStaff, which originated and helped sponsor the contest. ¶
The ashes of a fire that ripped through Savannah State University's Hill Hall in early May have long since cooled, but university officials are still feeling the warmth of generous well-wishers who want to see the historic building restored.
Two Savannah sister radio stations, WSOK-AM and Love 101.1 FM, held a Memorial Day weekend radiothon that generated more than $32,500 in pledges and donations for Hill Hall, and on June 5, the Junior League of Savannah presented SSU President Carlton E. Brown with a check for $2,500 to help restore the building.
Built in 1901 by the students and faculty of what was then the Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, Hill Hall has served at various times as a cafeteria, dormitory, student center, library and classrooms and offices. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Vacant since 1996, the building was undergoing an extensive three-phase renovation to become the university's Center for Enrollment Management when a fire broke out on May 8. Investigators have determined that the blaze was caused accidentally by a construction worker's cutting torch. The damage, although extensive, was confined to the third floor, and university officials say that Hill Hall is fully reparable. ¶
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The University System's new Georgia GLOBE (Global Learning Online for Business and Education) distance learning initiative will get underway this fall as five System institutions debut new "e-Core" on-line courses. The Fall 2000 term "e-Core" courses are designed to meet freshmen and sophomore requirements, including courses such as English, history, math and political science.
Registration for the E-core online courses begins July 5 on the Georgia GLOBE website at www.georgiaglobe.org Students may also call Georgia GLOBE at 1-888-404-2740 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, to register for the fall semester. The schedule for GLOBE telecourses will be announced later in the summer.
The five institutions serving as affiliates of Georgia GLOBE are: Clayton College & State University, Columbus State University, Floyd College, State University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University. 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. Georgia GLOBE will be the digital/electronic delivery system for the System's education programs. ¶
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Dr. Daniel S. Papp, director of educational programs for Yamacraw and professor of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named senior vice chancellor of academic affairs at the Regents Central Office. Papp's appointment concludes an aggressive national search that was conducted to fill the post. He begins his new appointment on July 17.
As senior vice chancellor for academic affairs with the University System of Georgia, Papp will be responsible for meeting the academic needs of more than 200,000 students, and for working with over 8,000 University System faculty members. He will assume the academic leadership post at a time when the Board of Regents is engaged in conducting an extensive benchmarking initiative aimed at identifying the System's strengths, weaknesses and national peers. He also will be responsible for implementing a master plan for the utilization of technology in academic and administrative operations. In addition, the System is engaged in the final phase of implementing a rigorous admissions policy, aimed at improving student preparation for college and reducing the need for remedial studies programs for traditional students.
A seasoned administrator, who has served in his current post since August 1999, Papp has held five senior administrative positions within the University System. In his current role, he has been responsible for coordinating the participation of eight University System of Georgia institutions in Yamacraw, an initiative aimed at helping Georgia become a world leader in broadband technology. He is charged with overseeing the hiring of 85 to 90 faculty in high-tech academic disciplines, and with guiding the integration of the University System's research, educational and economic development programs.
"I'm pleased that Dan Papp emerged as the top candidate; this appointment places him in the leadership role of working with others to drive the academic mission and key policies of the University System," said University System Chancellor Stephen R. Portch. "Dan brings an outstanding portfolio of skills to this position; he's a skilled administrator, a respected member of the faculty, and a great people person. He's a true asset, and there is high enthusiasm around his appointment."
During 1997-98, Papp was appointed by Portch to serve as interim president of Southern Polytechnic State University while a national search was conducted to fill the position permanently. Previously, he had served as executive assistant to the president of Georgia Tech, from 1994-97, while also maintaining an academic appointment as a professor of International Affairs.
An accomplished academic, Papp has served not only on the faculty of Georgia Tech, but also has held visiting and research professor roles at Fudan University in Shanghai, China; the Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education, at the U.S. Air University in Montgomery, Alabama; the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., and the Western Australia Institute of Technology in Perth, Australia. He also is a senior fellow for international security affairs at the Southern Center for International Studies.
Papp's research specialties include international security policy, U.S. and Russian foreign and defense policies, and the impact of information and communications technologies on international affairs. He replaces Dr. James L. Muyskens, who left the Regents' Central Office last fall to become chief executive officer and dean of the faculty of the new Gwinnett Center. ¶
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Dr. Thomas Z. Jones, vice president for academic affairs at Columbus State University, was named president of Armstrong Atlantic State University by the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch on June 14. The appointment will be effective August 1, 2000. Jones has served in his current role at Columbus State since 1988. Beyond serving as the institution's chief academic officer, he has directed the university's strategic planning efforts, coordinated the budgeting and strategic planning efforts and overseen the university's efforts in institutional research and assessment. In addition, Jones has initiated new "select mission" efforts for the institution in the fine and performing arts, science, mathematics and educational technology.
He also has played a major leadership role in economic development and international education. In particular, he provided leadership for the innovative and nationally recognized computer retraining program developed for Columbus-based Total System Services, Inc., under the auspices of the University System of Georgia's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP).
"I'am very pleased that Tom came out on top in a national search," said Portch. "Tom's previous experience at Columbus State has prepared him well for this position, particularly his roles in strategic planning and economic development. He is extraordinarily well-respected on the campus and in the community."
Prior to joining Columbus State, Jones served at the West Virginia Institute of Technology for 15 years in several capacities, including as chairman of the Division of Engineering Technologies. From 1980-85, Jones served as chair of the Department of Mining and as the Westmoreland Professor of Mining, an endowed professorship in which he conducted research in engineering geology, rock engineering, and hydrogeology. In 1985, he became dean of the College of Technology and Applied Science, before becoming vice president for academic affairs.
For eight years, from 1980-88, Jones also served as president of his own company, Technical Evaluation Consultants, Inc., in Charleston, W. Va., providing scientific, engineering and technical services to industry and legal firms and technical short courses for industry clients.
Jones began his academic career as an instructor of geology at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1970. He served as acting chairman of the Department of Geology and instructor of geology at Emory and Henry College, in Emory, Va., from 1970-71, and during the summer of 1972, while working on his Ph.D.
Jones has chaired or served on numerous committees within the University System, and he is extremely active in community and civic affairs. Most recently, he has served as chair of the University System's Administrative Committee on Academic Affairs (ACAA), and the Administrative Committee on Institutional Effectiveness. He also chaired the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Policies and Procedures Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee's Work Group on Education Technology, the Electronic Delivery Technology Committee, and the General Education Outcomes Assessment Task Force. In addition, he served as a liaison to the ACAA's Ad Hoc Committee on Electronic Delivery Technology.
Jones earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Fairmont State College, in Fairmont, W. Va., in 1969. He earned his master's degree in geology in 1970, from West Virginia University, in Morgantown; and a Ph.D. in geology from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, in 1976. ¶
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Dr. Harold Loyd, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College since 1989 and a member of the college's faculty since 1971, has announced he will retire on July 31.
Under Loyd's leadership, the ABAC Foundation has reached an unprecedented level in fundraising, with $1 million brought in last year and $2.5 million expected this year. In April, the college learned it would receive $1.2 million - its largest gift ever - from the estate of alumnus Maurice D. Gortatowsky of Albany.
Loyd, a 55-year-old Missouri native, spent his entire academic career promoting the benefits of an ABAC education. Two years after his arrival on the Tifton campus, he was asked to served as interim chair of the Business Division. He received the permanent appointment two years later. In 1985, he took on the added responsibilities as director of the evening and off-campus programs. He also taught classes on a daily basis and continued to teach at least one class a year after the Board of Regents appointed him president in 1989.
"ABAC is a special place," Loyd said, reflecting on his tenure. "I believe that students who enroll here get a great education, but beyond that, they also catch that special ABAC spirit, a spirit that will remain with them the rest of their lives. The same will be true for me."
With his background in business and the evening program, Loyd expanded ABAC's outreach tremendously. He made the director of the evening program into a full-time position and led the charge into Moultrie, where the college now has a permanent building and more than 300 students per semester. The college also offers classes in Fitzgerald, Valdosta and on Sea Island on the Georgia coast.
Three years after Loyd took office as president, ABAC's enrollment reached an all-time high of 2,851 students. Significant new programs initiated during his tenure include the hospitality management program and the poultry technology program. He also built strong relationships with Valdosta State University, Albany State University and Georgia Southwestern State University. These three institutions now offer complete degree programs on the ABAC campus.
But the Loyd commitment to ABAC is not limited to the president alone. Lloyd's wife, Rowena, retired in December 1999 after 23 years with the ABAC Computer Center. ¶
The Board of Regents adopted a resolution formally welcoming the Office of Public Library Services to the University System of Georgia at the June board meeting. Under the terms of the A-Plus Education Reform Act, the public libraries were transferred to the University System from the Department of Technical and Adult Education effective July 1.
The Office of Public Libraries is responsible for allocating state funds for salaries, equipment, book purchases and technology for the state's 57 public library systems. To make the transfer as smooth as possible, Chancellor Stephen R. Portch has appointed a transition team that includes Central Office staff, local librarians and representatives from some System institutions. He has appointedTom Ploeg as acting director of the Office of Public Libraries (OPLS). Ploeg, a program consultant to OPLS, has been serving informally as acting director for the past year.
"With the tremendous success of GALILEO, and with the addition of Georgia's 371 public libraries to the University System of Georgia, we will be able to provide Georgia's citizens with a unique opportunity in the years ahead to access material from not only every corner of our state, but literally from every corner of the world," Portch said. ¶
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Two System faculty members have been selected for some of the state's highest literary honors. Kennesaw State University Professor of English JoAllen Bradham was named Author of the Year in the category of fiction by Georgia Writers Inc. for her novel "Some Personal Papers." Bradham has written numerous plays, poems and creative nonfiction, but "Personal Papers" is her first novel.
And Georgia's newly designated poet laureate, David Bottoms, was selected by Gov. Roy Barnes after the governor read Bottoms' latest collection, "Vagrant Graces." Bottoms teaches creative writing as a member of the English faculty at Georgia State University and is the author of five books of poetry.
Both faculty members were recognized by the regents and Chancellor Stephen R. Portch during recent board meetings. ¶
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| BOARD OF REGENTS | OFFICERS | ||||
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Kenneth W. Cannestra J. Tom Coleman, Jr.
Thomas F. Allgood, Sr. Juanita Powell Baranco Connie Cater
Joe Frank Harris Hilton Hatchett Howell, Jr.
John Hunt |
Edgar L. Jenkins
Charles H. Jones Donald M. Leebern, Jr. Elridge W. McMillan Martin W. NeSmith Glenn S. White Joel O. Wooten, Jr. James D. Yancey |
Stephen R. Portch Gail S. Weber
Lindsay A. Desrochers
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