The program offers 30 African-American males the opportunity to enroll in ASUO1000, a three credit hour orientation and study skills course at Augusta State.  They will also attend math workshops and receive mentoring from ASU faculty, staff, and students. Scheduled daily events will include guest speakers and workshops related to central issues such as financial literacy, career exploration, interviewing, ethics, character-building, and leadership.

The program is supported by the University System of Georgia through its African American Male Initiative

For more information, call ASU’s Office of Admissions at 706-737-1685

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The recommended consolidations are: Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University (Dahlonega); Middle Georgia College (Cochran) and Macon State College; Waycross College and South Georgia College (Douglas); and Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University.

 
“The Board’s approval now paves the way for us to proceed,” said Huckaby. “We will focus on how these consolidations enable us to better serve our students and areas of the state more efficiently and effectively. I look forward to working with the eight institutions on this process.”

 
Now that the plan has board approval, Huckaby will begin to implement the plan, which is expected to take between 12-18 months to finalize.
Campus working groups will be appointed by Huckaby and charged with developing detailed recommendations for consolidation. Huckaby said the campus working groups should be up and running by the end of January. Implementation actions will be reviewed by the University System Office and approved by the Regents’ Special Committee on Consolidation and the full board.

 
The consolidation plan is just one of a series of new efforts launched by the chancellor, each part of a focus on increasing college completion rates, broadening access to public higher education and maintaining affordability. Others include the System’s participation in Gov. Nathan Deal’s “Complete College Georgia” initiative, a study of how the USG uses its current facilities, the future design and construction of facilities, the expansion of distance education, a new model of academic program review as well as the integration of academic, facilities and fiscal activities.

The University System has created a special website to help coordinate information and communication related to the consolidation effort: http://www.usg.edu/consolidation/
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The recommendation incorporates the six principles for consolidation previously adopted by the Regents at their November meeting http://www.usg.edu/news/release/regents_approve_principles_for_consolidation_of_institutions and is one of four consolidations being proposed. Other consolidations include merging Waycross  College  and  South Georgia  College ; Gainesville State College and  North  Georgia  College  and  State  University ; and Middle  Georgia  College   and Macon State College.

If approved, the ASU-GHSU consolidation process will begin immediately with a target date for full integration by fall 2013. Next steps include the appointment of a broad-based implementation committee, with representatives recommended by the respective presidents and approved by the Chancellor. That committee will make recommendations for final approval by Board of Regents.  Further discussions with the campus and broader community regarding the consolidation will occur next week.

The consolidation will create a new comprehensive research university in Georgia that builds on the strengths of both institutions to increase degree offerings, provide greater service level to students, enhance education attainment rates, expand distance learning options and create economies of scale.

“Our goal is a more educated Georgia, with a network of institutions that offer a range of needed degrees for 21st century demands,” said Hank Huckaby, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. “We are going to fulfill our mission within the limited resources available.”

ASU President William A. Bloodworth, Jr., who previously announced his decision to retire from the presidency after serving almost 19 years, pledged his support and assistance for the consolidation.  Plans are that GHSU President Ricardo Azziz will become president of the new university.
“The consolidation will present some challenges; however Chancellor Huckaby, Board Chair Benjamin Tarbutton and, especially, Dr. Azziz are fully committed to ASU’s focus on student learning, access and the value of the liberal arts and sciences,” said Bloodworth.

Increasing efficiencies is also a goal of the consolidation. It is anticipated that it will take at least 12 to 18 months to implement the consolidation and to properly calculate savings attained by the action. Realized savings will be reinvested into the instructional mission to serve students, said Huckaby.

“I am very excited about the recommendation from the Chancellor and USG staff to create a larger comprehensive university benefiting our students, faculty and staff through collaborative research, greater educational offerings and enhanced economic impact for the community and State of Georgia,” said GHSU President Ricardo Azziz.

The direct economic impact of both institutions combined is nearly 2.5 billion dollars. A consolidated institution would help increase that impact to the state and local community.

For more information, visit the USG Consolidation Web site, http://www.usg.edu/consolidation/.

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The increase in the mandatory fee for all USG students, which will be effective for the upcoming spring 2010 semester, has been set at $100 at research universities and six other universities, $75 at most comprehensive universities, and $50 at two-year and state colleges. The increase will be added to the current mandatory fee, which went into effect in January 2009. The total new mandatory fee thus will be $200/$150/$100.

In addition to the fee, the board approved a moratorium on student fee increases for FY 2011 and a sunset date of June 30, 2012 for the total mandatory student fee increase. The lone exception to the moratorium will be fees for public/private venture projects, such as residence halls, student-financed recreation centers and other facilities with a revenue stream or fees required under extraordinary circumstances and with significant student support.

Initially approved in concept and for planning purposes by the regents in August 2009, the eight percent reduction plan is designed to help preserve academic quality while having the least possible negative effect on students, Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Usha Ramachandran advised the board. “We are striking that delicate balance between maintaining high academic quality and preserving affordability in these very tough economic times.”

While the additional student fee will generate $24 million in FY 2010, an additional $12 million in savings must also be realized in the budgets of the System’s 35 public colleges and universities, either through additional employee furlough days, the elimination of positions, employee layoffs or other program and structural changes. Including continuing cuts from FY2009 of $275 million as well as FY2010 reductions, USG officials are currently managing $410 million in state funding cuts, which were only partially offset by $148 million in formula funding received in FY 2010 as a result of significant increases in student enrollment.

To move from the six percent to the eight percent reduction level, the original August budget reduction plan called for no additional cuts to institutional budgets and a somewhat higher student fee, of $150 at the research universities and six comprehensive universities, $100 at most comprehensive universities, and $75 at two-year and state colleges.

“When the board approved the initial concept, we were working from data we had at the time on the economy and the state budget,” said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “Since August, the situation has evolved. While the state’s budget situation has continued to decline, we were able to revise our eight percent reductions in a way that minimizes the financial burden on students as much as possible.”

Ramachandran noted that the overall Fiscal Year 2010 reductions spread the impact among faculty and staff, campus operations and students in a very balanced manner. “Approximately 86 percent, or $152 million of the reductions are being borne by our institutions and employees,” she said. “The student share of the cuts with the additional fee is 14 percent, or $24 million.”

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In addition to the $12.1 billion in total impact generated by the University System in FY2008, the study determined that Georgia’s public higher education system is responsible for 108,405 full- and part-time jobs – 2.6 percent of all the jobs in the state – while approximately 39 percent of these positions are on-campus jobs, a majority – 61 percent – are positions in the private or public sectors that exist because of the presence in the community of USG institutions.

The report quantifies the economic benefits that the University System of Georgia’s institutions convey to the communities in which they are located. It was determined that $8 billion (66 percent) of the $12.1 billion in total economic impact was due to initial spending by USG institutions for salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses, and other budgeted expenditures, as well as spending by the students who attended the institutions in FY2008. Re-spending – the multiplier effect of those dollars as they are spent again in the region – accounted for another $4.1 billion (34 percent). Researchers found that, on average, for every dollar of initial spending in a community by a University System institution, an additional 51 cents was generated for the local economy hosting a college or university.

The Augusta area receives a substantial economic benefit from the presence of both Augusta State University (ASU) and the Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

“People often hear how ASU and MCG provide jobs and a stable labor market, but this study ‘quantitatively’ demonstrates the economic impact that ASU and MCG have on the local/regional economy,” says Dr. Mark Thompson, the Cree Walker Professor of Economics in the Hull College of Business at Augusta State.

“ASU and MCG are major economic drivers on the local area. The tangible impacts include jobs and output, but the intangible benefits include educating the next generation, leading to a more educated workforce, and developing new/innovative technologies through research that will continue to improve our standard of living,” he adds.

Augusta State’s economic impact alone was estimated to be over $190 million.

“This does not measure the impact that the institution has on neighboring South Carolina,” says Dr. Thompson.
“I suspect the impact may be higher after incorporating the neighboring counties of Aiken and Edgefield, South Carolina.”

Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the Selig Center, says that the research has consistently shown the important economic contributions public colleges and universities make to communities and the state.  “For each job created on a campus, there are 1.6 jobs that exist off-campus because of spending related to the college or university. These economic impacts demonstrate that continued emphasis on colleges and universities as a pillar of the state’s economy translates into jobs, higher incomes, and greater production of goods and services for local households and businesses.”

The University System’s largest institution – the University of Georgia (UGA) with 34,180 students – has the single greatest economic impact: $2.2 billion on the Athens-area economy, or 18 percent of the System’s total statewide economic impact.

To download the Selig Center’s FY2008 report, go to     http://www.icapp.org/pubs/usg_impact_fy2008.pdf.

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Dr. Richard Sutton, assistant vice chancellor for international programs, noted that, “Studying abroad has a major impact on student learning, academic achievement, and career success. The USG is committed to making these opportunities accessible and affordable for every Georgia student.”

Contributing to the USG numbers is the increase in the number of Augusta State University (ASU) students who participate in study abroad. ASU’s study abroad programs have seen an increase of about 20 percent in the past few years.

“It’s really important to realize how far ASU has come in such a short time. ASU has grown from three study abroad programs in three departments to 17 programs in almost every academic department,” says Dr. Holly Carter, ASU’s assistant vice president for international affairs.

One of the first programs developed by Augusta State was the Salamanca, Spain, study abroad program headed by Dr. Jana Sandarg, foreign languages professor in ASU’s Department of English and Foreign Languages. She and a group of students traveled to Mexico in 1982 in ASU’s first study abroad experience. The Salamanca program, which currently serves the entire USG, was given to ASU in 1992 and has been under Dr. Sandarg’s direction since then.

“I have students from all over the state. It is good for them to get to know students from other Georgia universities. This program helps make students more accepting of others outside of Augusta and it inspires them. I think this is a definite plus for our students,” says Dr. Sandarg.

Study abroad is currently being offered in 75 percent of the departments at ASU. To make it more affordable and convenient to ASU students, the sweat equity program was developed. The program allows students to earn their way abroad by selling concession items at sporting events. The money received from the concessions is applied to the individual student’s study abroad fund. ASU students also participate in fundraising events which include drawings and silent auctions.

“About 60 percent of our students participate in sweat equity or some form of fundraising. Some students are able to pay for their trip at one time; but the reality for most of our students is that they participate in some of the fundraising programs,” says Dr. Carter.

One such ASU student, Mr. James Mayes, a business major, has participated in three study abroad trips which have been partially funded by the Sweat Equity program. Through study abroad, Mr. Mayes has had the opportunity to dine with the governor of Florida at the embassy in Paris.

“It is through the sweat equity program that I have been able to afford to participate in study abroad. My field of interest is international business, so the opportunities that study abroad has presented will assist me in reaching my goals,” says Mr. Mayes.

“This high level of student participation in study abroad reflects the importance of the regents’ Strategic Plan in preparing Georgia students for the global economy of the 21st century,” says Richard Tucker, chair of the Board of Regents.

During the 2007-08 academic year, a total of 6,076 students from the System’s 35 colleges and universities studied outside the United States, as compared to the 1,850 students who studied abroad during 1997-98.

“I am delighted that our students are exploring the global classroom in such record-setting numbers,” says Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, Jr. “Not simply traveling, but living and learning in other countries will give them tremendous skills and advantages in meeting the challenges of a complex world.”

For more information on International Education Week, go to http://iew.state.gov/. The Institute for International Education’s Open Doors 2008 report, released today, is available at http://www.opendoors.iienetwork.org/.

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