State of the university system is strong
The selection of Erroll B. Davis Jr. as the new chancellor and the creation of Georgia Gwinnett College came at the top 2005 accomplishment for the University System of Georgia, according to Interim Chancellor Corlis C. Cummings.
“We have a strong system. We have a system of excellence. We have a system that is responsive,” she said during her Jan. 11 State of the System address to the Board of Regents. “And we have a system that is not afraid to tackle the important issues and devise solutions that serve the state well.” Mrs. Cummings told the 18-member board its work and actions are positively affecting public higher education in Georgia.
The state government’s strong support of a record $1.8 billion appropriation to the University System has “put the System on a course that will have even greater impact in the future,” Mrs. Cummings said.
The responsibility of the Board of Regents, she said, is to use state dollars wisely to enable the 35 campuses to build upon a growing national reputation for academic excellence.
She cited the inclusion of Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia on US News & World Report’s annual ranking of top public universities for the sixth consecutive year as an indication of this strong national standing. Tech ranks ninth and UGA 19, and Georgia is one of only four states with two or more public universities in the top 20.
Other major accomplishments during 2005 cited by Cummings included:
- Record highs in student enrollment (253,552 students in fall 2005)
and extramural funding ($980.6 million);
- A $7 million public/private partnership to add more than 300 nurses
and technologists to the Georgia workforce over the next two years under
the System’s Intellectual Capital Partnership Program;
- Grants awarded to 10 USG institutions under the African-American
Male Initiative designed to increase black male participation in
college;
- The quick response of system institutions to assist students and citizens displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
While the system has a record number of students, Mrs. Cummings cautioned that the state needs many more Georgians to pursue higher education.
She said encouraging more Georgians to pursue higher education reflects not just the University System’s goal, “Creating A More Educated Georgia,” but also the state’s new slogan, “Put your dreams in motion.”
For the full text of the State of the System address, visit www.usg.edu/chancellor/reports/2006/jan06.phtml/.