Atlanta — December 10, 1997

The Board of Regents today (Dec. 10) amended its Fiscal Year 1999 Capital Outlay Priority List to modify several existing projects and to respond to pending off-campus site proposals.

Three of four proposed off-campus centers designed to meet regional academic needs were approved after the regents heard presentations from the university and college presidents who will be responsible for operating the new facilities. The four presented projects included:

• Coastal Georgia Community College’s Camden Center in Kingsland;
• Floyd College’s Bartow Center in Cartersville;
• Georgia State University’s North Metro Center in Alpharetta; and
• The Gwinnett Center in Lawrenceville, to be collaboratively administered by DeKalb College and The University of Georgia.

The three approved centers now will be included in the University System’s Fiscal Year 1999 capital request, originally drafted in June in an extensive process that led to the development of a five-year rolling funding request. DeKalb College’s and The University of Georgia’s proposed $22 million Gwinnett Center will be added as priority #14 on the capital outlay list, extending the list to 28 projects. Coastal Georgia Community College’s $17 million Camden Center will be cited as priority #18, replacing their previously approved $9.2 million Joint Use Facility from the initial capital priority list. Floyd College’s $17 million Bartow Center will wrap up the new list as priority #28 , replacing the previously approved $6.7 million Library/Technology Addition project.

The fourth project, Georgia State’s proposed $9.2 million North Metro Center, was approved in concept only, with the regents requesting additional information regarding how the community participation component of the project might be enhanced.

“Approval of these permanent centers reflects this board’s responsiveness to regional and community needs,” stated Dr. Lindsay Desrochers, senior vice chancellor for capital resources and treasurer for the University System of Georgia. “It also illustrates the University System’s commitment to provide access to our services throughout the entire state, an operating principle that guides the leadership of our campuses. When these facilities are brought on line, they will be extremely critical in meeting the rapidly increasing demand for academic programs being driven by Georgia’s population growth and evolving workforce demands.”

All four of the proposed centers were analyzed and recommended to the board based on their compliance with recently adopted decision rules for such operations approved by the Board of Regents at their October meeting, with some contingencies attached to the recommendations. The projects were not included in the FY ‘99 capital request initially approved in June, because the criteria for evaluating such projects had not been finalized. The newly adopted decision rules encompass issues of demographics, economics, academic programs and community financial participation.

In addition to approving the three permanent centers, the Board of Regents also voted to accept the request by Georgia Southern University to substitute a Science & Nursing Building in lieu of the Fine Arts Building that had previously been approved in June. The $24 million science and nursing facility now will be listed as project #17 on the priorities list. The previously approved $21 million Fine Arts Building now will be pursued as a series of smaller minor capital projects over the next five years. In that way, Georgia Southern officials can plan to expedite the transition of nursing and science students from leased and antiquated facilities, while addressing enrollment and academic program concerns, eliminating leased space on the campus and improving access for students with disabilities.

Also approved was an increase in project scope for Macon College’s Nursing, Health Science & Outreach Complex, adding an additional 30,000 gross square feet to accommodate the programs of sister University System institutions operating in the community. The project is number #21 with a cost of $15 million. The new multi-campus facility now will encompass the program offering of Georgia College & State University and Fort Valley State University, a cooperative arrangement that will result in the elimination of $666,000 in annual rent being paid by the other two institutions for off-campus sites.

All of the approved projects will be reflected in the FY ‘99 capital budget request to be considered in the 1998 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

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