Atlanta — May 15, 2003

University System of Georgia Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith announced today he has appointed Dr. David G. Brown, former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Asheville and founder of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), as interim president of Georgia College & State University (GC&SU), in Milledgeville, Ga. Dr. Brown is currently Vice President and Dean of the International Center for Computer Enhanced Learning at Wake Forest University,

Brown will begin his appointment as interim president of GC&SU on July 1. He will serve in that capacity until a new president is named for the institution at the conclusion of a national search. Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, president of the college since 1997, recently was named as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and will assume this new position in July.

“I have known and admired David Brown for a long time. David brings to this position a wide range of experience, particularly in the critical area of a liberal arts education,” said Chancellor Meredith, upon announcing his appointment. “I am certain he will serve the University well and provide solid leadership as we continue to focus on enhancing Georgia College’s special mission.”

Georgia College & State University is Georgia’s only public liberal arts university and is one of only nineteen public liberal arts colleges in the country that are members of COPLAC. Georgia College & State University is committed to combining the educational experiences typical of esteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education. A residential learning community, GC&SU emphasizes undergraduate education and offers selected graduate programs. The university enrolls approximately 5,500 students.

Brown said that in his upcoming role as interim president, he sees his role as a facilitator. “My task is to sustain the themes and programs that the University has worked so hard to build over the past several years, and to prepare the ground for new plantings by a new, continuing president,” Brown said. “The chance to become involved in a COPLAC member university is one that makes this interim appointment a very special opportunity for me.”

In addition to his current position at Wake Forest, which he has held since 1999, Brown has served as Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Asheville from 1984-1990, President of Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., 1982-1983, and as Provost at three universities (Wake Forest, 1990-1998; Miami University of Ohio, 1970-1982; and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, 1967-1970).

Of special significance for GC&SU, during his tenure as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Dr. Brown initiated the public liberal arts college movement, now known as COPLAC. GC&SU was invited to join this prestigious organization of institutions committed to liberal arts education in June 2001.

Brown has chaired several national groups including the American Association for Higher Education, Higher Education Colloquium, the American Council on Education’s Council of Chief Academic Officers, and the Academic Council of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). He founded the Annual Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and is currently a member of EDUCAUSE’s committee on teaching and learning (EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using information technology to transform higher education).

During his tenure in Asheville, Brown was a key player in the founding of the Asheville Institute on General Education, sponsored the first national conference on undergraduate research, and founded the university’s Center for Creative Retirement. The honors program and honors scholarships were created, the average SAT scores of incoming students were raised by 80 points, research funding increased by more than 300 percent. The University of North Carolina at Asheville’s first masters program was launched (in liberal arts), special funding was gained for the library and computers, and the university gained national visibility and prominence.

Extremely active in the community, Dr. Brown chaired The Asheville Economic Summit, promoted new leadership programs, and served on more than a dozen boards.

Brown holds an A.B. with honors in economics from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.

He and his wife, Lin, have two married children, Alison and Dirk.

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