Vol. 39, No. 5, June 2002
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| During his investiture as the 10th chancellor of the University System of Georgia, Thomas C. Meredith received a specially minted silver and gold medallion. |
An historic and colorful ceremony held on June 12 at the Georgia State Capitol marked the formal investiture of Dr. Thomas C. Meredith as the 10th chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
The Georgia House of Representatives made a rare exception in allowing the chancellor's inauguration ceremony to be held in its meticulously restored chamber. Former Gov. Joe Frank Harris - the incoming chair of the Board of Regents - opened the program with a moment of inspiration, and Gov. Roy E. Barnes later delivered remarks. Several other elected state officials attended, as did delegates from a number of education organizations, members of the Board of Regents, presidents of University System campuses, the staff of the University System Office, and USG faculty representatives.
"Today is an exciting day for the University System and the State of Georgia," said Gov. Barnes. "Chancellor Meredith already has been on the job for more than five months, and in that time, I've been more convinced than ever before that we got the best person possible to lead our great University System." After Meredith received greetings from the heads of other university systems, University System of Georgia presidents, faculty, staff and students, and was presented with a specially designed medallion, the new chancellor delivered his inaugural address.
Near the end of a speech in which he assured Gov. Barnes that accountability has become the University System's watchword and that economic-development initiatives to help the state prosper will be expanded, Meredith made the following promise: "Governor, members of the General Assembly, I pledge to you that the University System of Georgia will lead the way to excellence as it has for so many years. We are your partners in creating a 'More Educated Georgia.'" Presiding over the 90-minute ceremony was outgoing board chair Hilton H. Howell Jr., who noted that the inauguration was "a truly historic occasion in the 70-year history of the Board of Regents, an event in which we are lucky to take part."
Adding to the day's pageantry was the presentation of the colors by the North Georgia College and State University Color Guard, the reading of a poem created for the occasion by Georgia Poet Laureate and Georgia State University Professor of English David Bottoms, and music by members of the Georgia State Wind Ensemble. Vocal performances of "The Star Spangled Banner" by Georgia State student Dwight Coleman and "American the Beautiful" and "My Soul is Anchored in the Lord" by the Albany State University Chorale rounded out the event.
Prior to Meredith's appointment in Georgia, he served as chancellor of the University of Alabama System from 1997 through 2001. A native of Owensboro, Ky., he served from 1988 to 1997 as president and professor of education at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. Meredith joined that institution from The University of Mississippi, where he had served as vice chancellor for executive affairs from 1987-88 and adjunct professor of higher education and executive assistant to the chancellor from 1984-1987. Before that, Meredith had served as an academic programs officer and associate director for programs and planning for the Board of Trustees of Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning from 1974-1984.
Meredith holds a bachelor of arts degree in social studies from Kentucky Wesleyan College, a master of arts degree in education administration and supervision from Western Kentucky University, and a doctor of education degree in administration and supervision with an emphasis in secondary and higher education from The University of Mississippi. He also completed the Institute for Educational Management program at Harvard University and was a participant in the 2001 Higher Education Round-table at Oxford University. ¶
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Corlis P. Cummings (right), senior vice chancellor for support services, carried the Board of Regents banner as the grand marshal in the procession that brought key participants in the chancellor's inauguration into the recently refurbished House Chamber (top left) at the State Capitol. A gleaming medallion (top right) made of sterling silver and gold was specially designed for presentation to Dr. Thomas C. Meredith during his investiture as the University System's 10th chancellor. Humor was sprinkled throughout the numerous speeches made during the ceremony, causing many a chuckle among members of the platform party (above right), which included (left to right) Dr. Meredith, Gov. Roy E. Barnes and outgoing Board of Regents Chair Hilton Howell Jr. At far right, Presidents Carl V. Patton of Georgia State University and Nathaniel Hansford of North Georgia College & State University were among those who marched in the procession. Photos by Meg Buscema/ Georgia State, and Diane Payne/BOR |
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The Board of Regents approved its annual revision of the five-year Major Capital Outlay Priority List during the June board meeting. The new list incorporates three new building projects, totaling $91.5 million, into the existing list of 19 University System of Georgia major facilities needs. The revised list, containing 22 major construction projects totaling $501.5 million, will serve as the capital funding request during the 2003 Legislative Session. The three new projects added to the list include:
Armstrong Atlantic State University's $22.5 million Academic Classroom Building; The University of Georgia's $24 million Special Collections Library; and Georgia Institute of Technology's $45 million Advanced Clean Room Complex. The capital list, revised each June, will be included in the regents' Fiscal Year 2004 budget request. Submitted to the state's Office of Planning and Budget in September, that request will be utilized by Gov. Roy E. Barnes in developing his budget recommendations for the next fiscal year and considered by the state legislature when it convenes for the 2003 Legislative Session.
"The board can act with confidence, knowing it is submitting to the governor a true list of the System's very highest priorities in terms of facilities," said Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith. "This process is highly credible. For six years now, we've used it to rank our capital priorities based on clearly defined and well-supported guidelines."
The updated list came after presidents representing 11 University System institutions made their individual cases for consideration to the Board of Regents. After hearing the presidents' presentations on their top facility needs, the regents individually evaluated and ranked the 11 projects, weighing each against their adherence to the board's 10 guiding principles for capital facilities and its updated Strategic Plan.
The 11 projects, totaling $290.6 million in state funds and $67 million in campus funds, were screened from 66 submitted proposals. In evaluating the proposals, campus and University System Office staff also adhered to the guiding principles for facilities adopted in 1997. These principles place priority on facilities that accommodate existing and future enrollment growth and required academic programs. The highest priority is given to instructional facilities, followed by academic support facilities, student support buildings, then finally administrative and infrastructure needs.
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 2002 Supplemental Budget. The new projects are added to the end of the existing list.
During the meeting the board also reviewed and approved a change in non-state funding from $8 million to $12 million in private funds for project number 5 on the existing Capital Priority List - Phase II of the School of Art at UGA.
From last June's list of 22 rank-ordered projects approved by the Board in June 2001, the General Assembly funded the top three projects for construction in its Fiscal Year 2002 Supplemental Budget at a cost of $91.5 million, as well as design funding totaling $2.85 million for the next five ranked projects. ¶
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Major Capital Priority ListThe following is the revised list of Major Capital Outlay Projects adopted by the Board of Regents on June 11, 2002:
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 Joe Frank Harris |
 James D. Yancey |
The Board of Regents elected new leadership for the 2003 fiscal year during its June meeting.
Former Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris was named chair of the University System's 16-member governing body, and James D. Yancey was named vice chair. Both men will assume office on July 1, and will serve through June 30, 2003.
Joe Frank Harris Harris served as Governor of Georgia for two terms from 1983-1991. He was appointed to the Board of Regents in 1999 by Gov. Roy E. Barnes. Harris' administration is known for having made improvements in education through the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE) and for enhancing the state's economic development activities through the creation of 850,000 new jobs. Before his gubernatorial election, Harris served 18 years as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, the last eight as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. His fiscal management brought higher bond ratings for the state and, during his term as Governor, Georgia was rated among the country's top 15 best-managed states by Financial World magazine.
"Ensuring that public higher education remains strong and responsive to the needs of this state's citizens is critical to Georgia's continued growth and prosperity," Harris said. "I am very pleased to have been asked to serve in this leadership role for the University System of Georgia."
Barred by law from seeking a third term as Governor, Harris returned to life as a private citizen in 1991. He is chairman of the Harris Georgia Corporation and a member of the boards of directors of AFLAC, Inc., and Bankhead Railway Services, Inc.
He is the first Distinguished Executive Fellow at Georgia State University, where he is a public-affairs professor in the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies. The royalties from his autobiography, Joe Frank Harris: Personal Reflections on a Public Life, are being donated to the Georgia State University Foundation to support the Governor Joe Frank Harris Scholarship Fund.
Harris earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.
James D. Yancey Gov. Barnes appointed Yancey to the Board of Regents in 2000. Of his election as the board's vice chair, Yancey commented, "I am proud to assume a position of leadership on the Board of Regents and to be playing an important role in shaping higher education in the state of Georgia."
Yancey has served as president and chief operating officer of Synovus Financial Corporation, based in Columbus, Ga., since 1997 and chairman of the board of Columbus Bank and Trust since 1998. In addition to these two firms, he also serves on the board of directors of Total System Services, Inc.
Yancey first was elected president of Synovus in 1990. Two years later, he was tapped to serve as vice chairman of the firm's board of directors. Yancey's relationship with Columbus Bank and Trust dates back to 1959, when he was hired as a teller. He had climbed the corporate ladder to become president of the institution by 1983.
Community service is an important part of Yancey's life. His leadership roles in this arena have included serving as chairman of the Columbus Board of Water Commissioners (2000-2001); a member of the board of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce (1990-2000), chairman of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce (1988-1989) and campaign chairman for the United Way (1981). He also is a member of the Bankers Round-table and chairman of the chamber's Economic Development Committee.
Yancey received an associate degree from Columbus State University in 1964 and was honored by the institution's alumni association with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1987. From 1991 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Columbus State University Foundation Board of Trustees, and in 1997, the university selected him to receive its first honorary doctorate. He also graduated from Louisiana State University's School of Banking of the South and Rutgers University's Stonier School of Banking. ¶
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The Board of Regents in June approved a plan for tackling the first year of its ambitious, Strategic Plan, characterizing FY 2003 as "a year of action toward making the System more responsive and accountable as we create 'a more educated Georgia.'"
With the Year One Action Plan in place, the board will be able to set targets for retention rates and pass rates on licensure exams, increase the percentage of students involved in study-abroad programs and implement best practices in both financial and human resource management. Framed within 11 goal statements, the Strategic Plan outlines the key areas on which he board intends to concentrate for the next five years.
"We need to listen more," said Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith in presenting the plan to the board. "We do pretty well at listening to those around us, but, from now on, we'll be listening even more to what we need to do to serve this state and its various entities better and to find out what's working and what's not working."
The Year One Action Plan focuses largely on efforts to increase access to the University System of Georgia. Among the strategies to be employed are providing degree programs where students are; analyzing and eliminating the barriers to higher education specifically faced by African-American males and non-traditional students; and marketing the value of both a college degree and the University System to the citizens of Georgia.
"We're going to be looking at not only what we teach, but where and how we teach courses," Meredith said. "Our methods need to reach into communities around the state."
Despite the heavy focus on access issues, the regents are determined that some action will be taken on all 11 goals during the first year. Various groups from around the System will be charged with taking specific steps toward achieving the goals, armed with data collected during the board's recent study benchmarking the System's performance on a number of key indicators. ¶
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Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith has been appointed president of the National Association of System Heads (NASH), an organization comprised of the chief executive officers of the 51 public higher education systems in the United States. Gov. Roy E. Barnes also recently appointed Meredith to a three-year term on the Board of Control for the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).
Annie Hunt Burriss, assistant vice chancellor for economic development, and William H. Wallace, Jr., associate vice chancellor for human resources, wrote a chapter in a book, Technology Everywhere: A Campus Agenda for Educating and Managing Workers in the Digital Age, published by Jossey-Bass. Their chapter is entitled "Economic Development: Partnerships to Close the Gap."
Arlethia Perry-Johnson, assistant vice chancellor for media and publications, is on the planning committee for the 2002 Summit of University System Advancement Officers, to be sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), on July 6-7 in Chicago. Perry-Johnson also has been has been appointed to the Georgia Council on Economic Education (GCEE) Board of Trustees Class of 2005 and the GCEE executive committee. She is chair of the organization's Communications Committee. ¶
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Albany State's $3 Million Man |
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The popular Georgia WebMBATM program offered by five University System institutions graduated from pilot program to permanent status in June, as the Board of Regents approved a tuition increase that will enable its developers to continue enhancing the program's quality.
This master of business administration degree program targeting working-professional, non-traditional students is the result of collaboration between Georgia College & State University, Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, State University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University. The business schools at these institutions have collaborated in pooling faculty and administrative resources to provide online graduate education to students who do not have the time, access or employer support to attend classroom-based master-of-business-administration programs.
"The Georgia WebMBATM has a remarkable student retention rate that compares quite favorably to similar programs throughout the nation," said Kris Biesinger, assistant vice chancellor for advanced learning technologies. She noted that 93 percent of the 29 students who enrolled in late 2000 to take the first year of on-line classes towards a master's in business administration degree are expected to graduate by the end of this year.
"Making this tremendously collaborative initiative a permanent program within the University System is just the next logical step," said Kenneth L. Stanley, dean of the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration at Valdosta State and chair of the Georgia WebMBA Consortium that runs the program. "I see the Georgia WebMBATM as a big success story for the state. We are allowing working adults to continue to support their families and contribute to the local and state economy while pursuing their education."
The newly approved tuition rates will increase the cost for Georgia WebMBATM students from $250 to $350 per credit hour, but Stanley pointed out that similar web-based MBA programs cost much more. For example, Duke University charges $1,542 per credit hour, and the University of Phoenix charges $505 per credit hour. These two competitors have increased their advertising efforts in the Atlanta market, and the Georgia WebMBA Consortium will use the increased revenues to hire a full-time program director and step up its recruitment efforts, Stanley said.
He noted that Georgia WebMBATM students were offered an opportunity to comment on the proposed tuition increase and expressed no strong opposition. The tuition increase will take effect in August, when the third class of Georgia WebMBATM students is admitted into the program. Individuals interested in applying for admission can learn more about the program by exploring the website www.web-mbaonline.org. ¶
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A Tribute to ValorCoastal Georgia Community College security officer Bobby Dykes raises a commemorative flag honoring passengers on United Flight 93, one of the doomed planes hijacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, during a short ceremony at the foot of the college's flagpole on June 9. The "Let's Roll" flag - emblazoned with the last words of passenger Todd Beamer as he and a handful of other men attempted to overpower the terrorists before the plane crashed in Pennsylvania - was handmade by a southwest Georgia man who wishes to remain anonymous. Through the organization Albany Safe Communities and Albany State University, the flag is making the rounds to every campus in the University System, to be flown for a few days. So far, it has visited campuses in the southern and coastal portions of the state and is scheduled to reach Atlanta last. Safe Communities plans to present the flag to Beamer's widow, Lisa, on or about Sept. 11. ¶ Photo by Bobby Haven/The Brunswick News |
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Nearly 80 percent of respondents to a fall 2001 survey of University System of Georgia students are "satisfied or very satisfied" with the college or university they attend, System officials announced during the June board meeting.
The results show System student satisfaction levels similar to national norms and mirror that of an earlier System-wide student satisfaction survey conducted in the fall of 1997.
"These results are very good news," said Dr. Cathie M. Hudson, associate vice chancellor for Strategic Research and Analysis. "A comparison of 2001 survey results with those from 1997 indicates an overall stability in student satisfaction levels."
A key priority of the revised Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Regents in June is improving student retention and graduate rates. There is a strong correlation between higher levels of student satisfaction and higher student retention, and the cumulative data from the surveys will help inform decisions to be made in this area.
The fall 2001 survey was conducted at the 34 USG colleges and universities in October and November.
Students were queried regarding their satisfaction with campus environments and services provided by their institutions. The surveys were modified to reflect the different missions of two- and four-year institutions.
Two-year college respondents expressed the highest level of satisfaction in the following areas:
The greatest gains in satisfaction at two-year institutions from 1997 to 2001 were in parking facilities, financial aid services, and the assistance provided in the admissions process.
Four-year college survey respondents expressed the highest level of satisfaction in the following areas:
The greatest gains in satisfaction at four-year institutions from 1997 to 2001 were in financial aid services, honors programs, computer services, registration procedures, racial harmony, and the attitude of faculty toward students.
Survey respondents at both two- and four-year System institutions were least satisfied with:
In addition, four-year college respondents expressed low satisfaction levels with residence-hall rules and regulations.
The survey response rate was 68 percent at two-year and 57 percent at four-year institutions; 23,552 University System students completed the survey.
Hudson noted this was a solid sample representative of the student body. The number of students using a particular service has a bearing on results. For example, while survey respondents gave low marks for day care and veterans' services, very few students actually use these services, she said.
The next steps in the utilization of the survey results, Hudson said, will be to focus on areas that need improvement throughout the University System and to link any recommendations to the Board's new Strategic Plan. ¶
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First installment of a new series highlighting University System of Georgia faculty. Each article will focus on a different aspect of the work of college educators. Story and photo by Steve Brady, Augusta State Office of Public Relations
Many congregations gather in traditional houses of worship built of brick and mortar, but a professor at Augusta State University is studying how some Americans are using rap music to define religion.
Ralph Watkins, an assistant professor of sociology, holds undergraduate degrees in social science and political science, a master's degree in religion, and doctorates of ministry and philosophy.
While pursuing his philosophy degree in Pittsburgh in the mid-'90s, Watkins occasionally was asked to perform funerals for area youths who had died and did not have an association with a church.
"I would go as a minister," Watkins said. "Many of the youths attending the funeral had never been to a church, yet they had an idea of religion and the existence of heaven," Watkins said.
"I wanted to explore their ideas about God. My drive was to find out how their religious world was constructed outside the walls of the church." During subsequent research in Pittsburgh from 1995 to 1998, Watkins interviewed 300 youths ranging in age from 12 to early 20s.
"There is substantial research showing that youths in inner-city communities are not attending church," Watkins said. Those same kids are asking keen questions regarding God and life after death, and their questions more and more often are being answered by rap music, he added.
"A lot of them cited rap artists in my conversations with them," he said. "The rappers were answering many of the big questions that formal religion normally answers, and I began to look at what was going on in rap music. One function of religion is to answer the unanswerable, and rap does that. It also provides a relationship with God. It is living up to what religion claims to do for us," he said.
Watkins says his work serves an important function.
"I believe it is vitally important that the larger community understands what is going on in the African-American community, specifically in the area of religion," he said. "Most people will never go to an inner city and talk about religion, but with my work they are able to 'eavesdrop' on the conversations I had with inner city youths and hear what they wouldn't normally hear." Watkins' paper, "Shadows of a New Religious Movement in Rap Music," is due to be published in Can I Get A Witness? by New York University Press later this year. The paper also is part of a larger work, a book titled A Black Theology of the 'Hood scheduled for release in 2002-03 by Oxford Press. Watkins is currently conducting research for a proposed book on black nationalism and black religiosity. ¶
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The Board of Regents' new vice chancellor for facilities is a person very familiar to campus facilities officers throughout the University System. Linda M. Daniels, assistant vice chancellor for design and construction for the System since 1998 and a member of the University System Office staff since 1992, has been appointed to fill the vacancy left by the December 2001 retirement of William K. Chatham. She will assume her new duties on July 16. George B. Wingblade, who has been serving as interim vice chancellor for facilities, will return to his duties at South Georgia College at that time.
"We are excited about the dedication, commitment, knowledge and energy that Linda will bring to this critical position," said Thomas E. Daniel, senior vice chancellor for external activities and facilities, in announcing Daniels' appointment at the conclusion of a national search that attracted 126 applicants. "Her many years of experience working with her facilities colleagues throughout the University System should serve her extremely well as she moves to this new level of responsibility."
Daniels is a registered architect with 24 years of experience in the facilities arena, including the long-range planning, master planning and maintenance of buildings and campuses.
As assistant vice chancellor for design and construction, Daniels manages an active capital improvement program of over $2 billion. She manages five program managers who serve as liaisons for the 34 USG campuses and also hires and supervises outside consultants for various projects. Daniels worked her way up at the University System Office from project architect (1992-1995) to director of planning (1995-1998).
Prior to joining the Board of Regents staff, Daniels worked as an architect at the Atlanta office of Rosser FABRAP International from 1984 to 1992, during which time her major projects included jails and detention centers.
Daniels holds degrees in environmental design and architecture from Auburn University's School of Architecture. For the first two years after she graduated in 1982, she worked as an intern architect at Yielding and Wakeford Architects, in Albany, Ga.
While an undergraduate, Daniels completed an internship with the Historic American Buildings Survey, in Washington, D.C., and worked as a cooperative education student for Tiller/Butner/Rosa Architects, in Montgomery, Ala. ¶
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| BOARD OF REGENTS | OFFICERS | ||||
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Hilton H. Howell, Jr.
Joe Frank Harris Hugh C. Carter, Jr. Connie Cater
William H. Cleveland, M.D.
Michael J. Coles
John Hunt Donald M. Leebern, Jr. |
Allene H. Magill Elridge W. McMillan Martin W. NeSmith
Wanda Yancey Rodwell J. Timothy Shelnut Glenn S. White Joel O. Wooten, Jr. James D. Yancey |
Thomas C. Meredith Gail S. Weber
William R. Bowes
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