Legislative update: a briefing for faculty and staff of the University System of Georgia, No. 5 (Feb. 4, 2002)

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
A Briefing for Faculty & Staff of the University System of Georgia

No. 5, Feb. 4, 2002

Budget News Encouraging for State's Black Universities

Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith shared the good news and the challenges of the University System's current budget situation with the alumni of Georgia's black state universities last week and requested their assistance with the University System's efforts to attract more African-American male students.
Meredith served as the keynote speaker at the 17th annual gathering of the Georgia Association of Black State Universities (GABSU) Leadership Luncheon in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 30,

during the organization's two-day Legislative Conference, hosted by Fort Valley State University. A consortium of the national alumni associations of Albany State, Fort Valley State and Savannah State universities, GABSU represents more than 55,000 graduates worldwide.
The chancellor gave the alumni and officials of the three universities in attendance at the luncheon some reassuring news regarding cuts that the Governor has ordered to the budgets of all state agencies. Reduc-

tions of 2.5 percent were ordered for the FY 2002 Amended Budget and 5 percent for the FY 2003 Budget and the University System's Special Funding Initiatives have been particularly hard hit.
"All institutions will share the pain across the board," Meredith said, "but our main goal in complying with these reductions is not to harm students. They are and will be our main focus." He noted that the Governor has recommended $5.3 million in funding over a two-year period for the special initiative known as "Investing in

Excellence at Historically Black Universities." This would result in only a 1.4 percent reduction over the two fiscal years, he said.
The chancellor also noted that the Governor has recommended funding support for a program run by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) that will increase the number of minority students enrolled in doctoral programs for those planning careers in teaching science, math and engineering at the college level.
See "Good News," Page 2 ...

Senate Subcommittee Hears FY '02 Amended Budget Needs

Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith had a chance to make a renewed plea for several items critical to the University System in the FY 2002 Amended Budget when he briefed the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Gov. Roy E. Barnes' recommendations on Jan. 31.
Meredith emphasized the importance of the Major Repair and Rehabilitation (MRR) funds that enable the System to maintain the facilities on

its 34 campuses. Last fall, state officials took steps to reduce the FY '02 allocation of $54 million by $12.2 million. The Governor's recommendation does include $31 million in bonds, but that amount is to cover the period from now to June 2003.
"These funds are so critical to us. We must protect our investment," Meredith said. "This situation needs to be addressed, if not now, then in the FY '03 Amended Budget during the 2003 Session."

The $30 million pledged to the University System by the Governor to help offset funding challenges resulting from semester conversion also is crucial, the chancellor said. "Our institutions are counting on these dollars. I absolutely cannot say that we are at the end [regarding the need for these funds], but I am looking at this closely, and I can tell you that it won't be much longer."
Meredith also called the subcommittee's attention to the funding

needed to support the University System's Eminent Scholars program. Thirteen Eminent Scholars positions at seven USG institutions are awaiting state funds to match the required private donations already secured.
"Even though no state funds were recommend for this program, I hope you will give it some consideration," Meredith said, adding that the program is "certainly a good deal for the state,"
See "Amended Budget," Page 2 ...

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE -- February 4, 2002, Issue No. 5

ICAPP Initiative to Help Health-Care Industry Meet Workforce Needs

Gov. Roy E. Barnes' recommendation to expand the Board of Regents' innovative Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP) to help alleviate a critical statewide shortage in health-care professionals was discussed when the House Appropriations Committee's Higher Education Subcommittee met Jan. 28.
After hearing details of the workforce shortage from health-care officials, the subcommittee heard an outline of the ICAPP solution from University System Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Economic Development Annie Hunt Burriss.

The ICAPP Advantage program, which has been highly successful in helping to staff Georgia's employers with highdemand knowledge workers, involves a public-private-partnership that can be used to generate health-care professionals currently in low supply. The University System plans to ease the workforce shortage by offering accelerated academic programs to qualified participants recruited by hospitals and health-care organizations who have guaranteed the students good-paying jobs upon successful completion of the program.
The Governor has recommended $1.53

million in the FY 2003 Budget to fund the proposal.
"Gov. Barnes knows that, partly due to the rapid growth of the state's population, one of the few employment sectors with an expanding number of positions right now is health care. He wants to build on the ICAPP public-private partnership model to meet needs across Georgia for all kinds of health-care professionals, such as registered nurses and pharmacists," Meredith told members of the subcommittee.
The ICAPP model is designed to help Georgia employers quickly get educated workers that

are in high demand and low supply, Burriss said. ICAPP funds are used to secure the faculty, space and equipment needed to set up fast-track education programs for students, who are eligible for service-cancelable loans through the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Terry Durden, director of ICAPP operations, will lead this new initiative.
Past experience with the ICAPP Advantage program, which has been in operation since FY 1997, shows that for every dollar spent, the return on that investment is $15 as ICAPP Advantage participants become productive members of the Georgia workforce, Meredith said.

Good News
Continued from Page 1...
And, Meredith added, the Governor has not recommended cutting the funding that supports Fort Valley State's landgrant mission efforts.
Among the Governor's recommendations for funding new facilities was $4.69 million that will allow Fort Valley State to purchase and improve a 33,000-square-foot building in Warner Robins currently used by Macon State College and Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center.
Also, all three universities in the GABSU have

projects on the regents' University System on

Major Capital Priority

improving its African-

List, the chancellor

American male enroll-

noted, including:

ment, which is half of

N a $12.8 million academic classroom

that of African-American female students.

building for Savannah

"This will enable us to

State that is No. 12 on find out why so few

the list;

African-American males

N a $16 million academic classroom building for Fort Valley State that is No. 14; and
N a $22 million liberal arts building for Albany State that is No. 18 on the list.

are in college classrooms," Meredith told the alumni. "This is a critical issue, and one that could benefit from this organization's experience, clout and standing. You know why these young men aren't in college, and you need to

The chancellor

help us [the University

wrapped up by noting

System] understand it."

that the Governor has

recommended $200,000

to fund research by the -- 2 --

Amended Budget
Continued from Page 1...
in that the scholars bring with them research projects and related business interests that create new jobs.
The chancellor also introduced committee members to Dr. Lamar Veatch, recently appointed state library director, who outlined the needs of the Georgia Public Library Service, and Mike Cassidy, president of the Georgia Research Alliance, who detailed budget recommendations related to GRA and Yamacraw.