The system supplement: a report of the Georgia Board of Regents, Vol. 34, no. 6 (Nov. - Dec. 1998)

Vol. 34, No. 6, Nov.-Dec. 1998
q Board of Regents Hears Progress Report on Technology q University System Reports Fall 1998 Enrollment Numbers q Name Change for Dalton College q Research Symposium Poster Competition Entries Due Jan. 14 q North Georgia Cadets Rank First q Tech Focuses On Microchips q Georgia Southern Student Earns Scholarship q On Campus
r Gainesville College is TERRIFIC r Southern Poly Student Broadens Horizons r Georgia Perimeter's Belcher Represents System in Europe r Dr. Hugh C. Bailey presented with Distinguished Citizen Award r UGA Scores Third Rhodes Scholar in Four Years q Dunning Elected Chair of Georgia Academy q Kennesaw State University Artwork at Regents' Offices
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Board of Regents Hears Progress Report on Technology
The University System of Georgia's distance education strategy is moving from an entrepreneurial stage - wherein individual campuses have competed and gained status is as leaders in the Information Age - to a Systemwide implementation phase.
This next phase will be marked by indentification of best practices and standardization among campuses, the Board of Regents were told during its November meeting, held on the campus of Dalton State College.
The report was another installment of the "learning phase" of the regents 10-month study of technology's role within the University System, expected to culminate in the Spring of 1999 with policy recommendations.
"This is a vast frontier for educational enterprise and we fully expect to be respected competitors in this arena." -- Senior Vice Chancellor James Muyskens
Dr. James Muyskens, senior vice chancellor of academic affairs for the board of regents, said that a key concern presently faced by the Board of Regents is to define the policies and procedures which facilitate course and program offerings using distance learning delivery methods. But at the same time, Muyskens said, the regents must ensure quality and fiscal responsibility.
"We are pleased with the innovation and progress of our institutions in extending the reach of their programs around the state, nationally and even internationally," Muyskens stated. "Now it is equally important for us to focus on coordination and review, to ensure that we appropriately channel our resources toward unique and complementary offerings, avoiding duplication."
Several University System initiatives are currently underway to achieve a system of coordinated, technology-focused activities within the network of 34 public colleges and universities:
q Georgia Learning Alliance: A new initiative by the University System, announced for the first time at the board meeting, the Georgia Learning Alliance is aimed at providing a "virtual university" site for on-line courses and academic programs. Aimed at eliminating the barriers of time and location, the Alliance will: facilitate access to an expanded learning environment, encourage and facilitate workforce development efforts, provide electronic dissemination of the System's distance education offerings and increase access to educational programs which address critical areas of need for the state. Located on the World Wide Web at http://www.usg.edu/alliance/, this website currently provides links to the System's institutional distance education sites; however, in the near future it will provide access to keyword databases of distance education courses throughout the University System.
q GeorgiaCAID: Another new initiative announced at the hoard meeting, GeorgiaCAID is a public/private partnership administered by the University System and designed to expand the state's educational technology infrastructure. The GeorgiaCAID network will achieve this expansion by bringing together ideas from academic and products from corporate partners in the technology industry. One of the desired outcomes of this partnership is the development of creative new ways to deliver educational programs and content to Georgia's students. This public/private partnership will encourage an entrepreneurial approach to the process of developing new programs. It also will help hold down the costs of conducting experiments and developing solutions in the technology arena -- costs which traditionally can be high. One of the planned expansions is to provide the next generation of the Internet --Internet 2 -- to University System faculty and students.
q Enrollment/Tuition Model Guidelines: To address the cost implications of on-line course and program offerings, University System officials have devised acceptable transaction models that campuses may consider for their distance learning offerings. For the next two years, campuses may choose any or several of these models to address student needs. The guidelines are aimed at addressing costs students should be assessed when they matriculate in on-line courses provided by their home institution, in collaboratively offered courses, in contracted programs, and other arrangements adopted by System colleges and universities. The guidelines also address the need for market-based pricing for customized coursed offered to corporations, non-profit organizations and other entities.
q Quality Assurance: To address the quality concerns of on-line curriculum and instruction, student services, faculty support, learning support services and other issues associated with, the demands of a "virtual university," University System officials are in the process of shaping a document that will identify principles of good practice for addressing these issues "at a distance". The document has been drafted and is beginning the review process, and will be presented to the regents for final action.
"At the end of this academic year we expect to adopt strong, consistent principles and policies that will enhance the System's presence in OEeducational cyberspace'," Muyskens stated. "This is a vast frontier for educational enterprise - and we fully expect to be respected competitors in this arena. Our goal is to ensure that our presence will be marked by the same high-quality standards and academic programs for which the System's consistently recognized."
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University System Reports Fall 1998 Enrollment Numbers
The University System of Georgia enrolled 200,102 students in Fall 1998, a decline of 2.6 percent The decline had been predicted because of the conversion to the semester calendar according to University System Chancellor Stephen R. Portch.
The total credit-hours taken by students declined by 11.6 percent. Credit-hour declines resulted from existing students already enrolled in the University System choosing to take four courses under the semester system instead of the traditional three courses under the quarter system; however, five courses is a full semester load. Freshmen who have never experienced another system tend to take the full five-course load.
Studies of the first year of academic calendar year conversions at other institutions throughout the country reflect that traditionally both headcount and credit hour enrollments decline.
The University System of Utah also converted from the quarter to the semester system this fall; its headcount declined 6 percent and its credit hours were down 8 percent. The only institution not to have a decline in that system was Utah Valley State College, which converted to semesters in the fall of 1990.
Interestingly, the only University System institution not to decline in either headcount or credit hours was Georgia Tech (tip 7.6 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively). Tech will not convert to the semester system until next year, because of the full year it dedicated to hosting the 1996 Olympics.
Besides Georgia Tech, eight other University System institutions saw increases in headcount students: the Medical College of Georgia (2.0 percent), the University of Georgia (1.1), Georgia Southwestern State University (6.9), State University of West Georgia (2.8), Coastal Georgia Community College (1.1), Darton College (2.9), East Georgia College (2.4), and Gordon College (5.5).
"This is a temporary and predicted decline in our enrollment due to semester conversion and a robust economy enticing many of our students to work more hours," said Chancellor Portch. "We will recover this enrollment quickly and expect to grow to 232,000 students by the year 2002."
In addition to a temporary decline because of semester conversion, there was also a 5 percent reduction in out-of-stare students. System officials also were pleased to learn that due to increases in academic admissions requirements, there was a 11.2 percent decline in the number of students enrolled in learning support courses.
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Name Change for Dalton College
Dalton College is now Dalton State College, following approval for the name change by the Board of Regents at the November meeting, which coincidentally was held on the Dalton campus.
The Board's action completes a process begun in September when the Board approved three new baccalaureate programs (two Bachelor of Science degrees in Industrial Operations Management and Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Tech Management) for Dalton College, along with a revised mission and institutional reorganization plan.
The Board's actions respond to regional academic needs in northwest Georgia and the specific workforce development needs of the carpet industry, the region's major employer.
"Dalton has been quite innovative and flexible in responding to the state's identified workforce needs with appropriate academic and instructional programs," said Dr. James Muyskens, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs with the Board of Regents. "This name change reflects the college's new limited baccalaureate offerings and provides the academic structure necessary for the college to implement its new mission."
Dalton's change to a "state college" establishes a new category of institutions within the University System of Georgia. The category of "state colleges" will be used to describe two-year, associate-degree granting institutions that have been authorized by the Board to offer a limited number of four-year baccalaureate degree programs.
The University System's other institutional categories are: research, universities, regional universities, state universities, and twoyear colleges.
Dalton State College joins Macon State College in the University System's new institutional category. Macon College became Macon State College in the fall of 1997, when it was authorized by the Board of Regents to offer three baccalaureate degree programs to meet identified workforce needs in central Georgia.
These two colleges will be the only University System institutions to occupy this new category. Their mission changes are the result of recommendations approved by the board during its comprehensive Mission Review process, which began in late 1994.
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Research Symposium Poster Competition Entries Due Jan. 14
While the 1999 University System Research Symposium, "Science and Technology for a Sustainable Society" is still a few months away, the deadline for the symposium's poster competition and oral presentations is not.
University System students, faculty and staff must submit abstracts for the poster competition by January 14, 1999, to be eligible. The poster presentations can be on any aspect of the symposium theme of science and technology for a sustainable society. Prizes will be awarded.
January 14 also is the deadline for faculty to submit abstracts for the oral presentations section.
The symposium will be held March 22-23, 1999, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in Augusta.
Abstracts for both the poster competition and oral presentations should be sent to Ross Maclean, M.D., either via e-mail: GAUSS@mail.mcg.edu or surface mail to: HB 2010 General Internal Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, 30912.
For additional information, contact MacLean at the above e-mail address.
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North Georgia Cadets Rank First
North Georgia College & State University's ROTC cadets placed first in the point scale (820.87 out of a possible 1,000) at Advanced Camp in Fort Lewis, Washington. The 35-day training/evaluation event included more than 3,500 cadets from 270 schools, including VMI, Texas A&M. the Citadel, Norwich and Virginia Tech. Cadets competed in the following events: Army Physical Fitness Test, Leadership Evaluations, Land Navigation and Rifle Marksmanship. NGSCU cadets were also honored to receive the highest score when they were evaluated by their peers at the end of the camp, scoring 139 out of a possible 160.
Tech Focuses On Microchips
Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center was selected as one of two national sites to lead a $19.5 million effort to improve micro-chip performance. The grant is being funded by the U.S. semiconductor industry and spearheaded by the Intel Corporation. Georgia Tech will focus on the interconnect technology linking the billions of transistors in microchips, while the other institution selected (the University of California at Berkeley) will focus on design and testing.
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Georgia Southern Student Earns Scholarship
Patrick O' Connell, a Georgia Southern University student from Lilburn, has been chosen as one of the top five transportation and logistics students in the country. He will receive a scholarship from Menlo Logistics, a leading full-service contract logistics company. Recipients were judged upon academics, work experience, leadership skills and community involvement.
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Gainesville College is TERRIFIC
The Gainesville College Division of Natural Sciences & Technology received a TERRIFIC Award from the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) for its Geographic Information System (GIS) Program. TERRIFIC awards recognize outstanding programs which exemplify combined community effort in meeting educational challenges in Georgia. Gainesville's program was developed with a grant from the National Science Foundation, and involves a number of state and local agencies. In the program, students work with community members to develop solutions to geographic problems by utilizing GIS.
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Southern Poly Student Broadens Horizons
Southern Polytechnic State University sophomore Jonathan Denalsky of Dallas, Georgia, made SPSU history this fall when he became the university's first student to participate in the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals in Germany. He was one of only 60 students chosen nationwide to participate in the program, which consists of two months of language school, four months of class at a German university and six months working for a German company. This marks Denalsky's second time to study abroad as a Southern Poly student, following his participation in a 1997 five-week exchange program.
Georgia Perimeter's Belcher Represents System in Europe
Georgia Perimeter College President Jacquelyn M. Belcher led a National School to Work delegation on visits to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in November, following her October participation in the World Conference on Higher Education, held in Paris, France. President Belcher was invited to participate by the American Association of Community Colleges, who recognized her leadership role in the School to Work program. The delegation observed industrial participation in School to Work programs in the three countries visited.
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Dr. Hugh C. Bailey, president of Valdosta State University, was presented in September with the 1998 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Alapaha Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America at a September dinner. On hand was Chancellor Stephen R. Portch, who spoke at the dinner. Bailey, Valdosta State's president for 20 years, was recognized for his dedication to community Service.

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UGA Scores Third Rhodes Scholar in Four Years

Beth Shapiro, a University of Georgia student from Lindale, Georgia, has been names a Rhodes Scholar, one of 32 selected from the United States for 1999. She is UGA's 18th Rhodes Scholar and the third selected in the past four years. Scott Hershovitz of Duluth was named in the 1998 group Robert Sutherland from Dunwoody was selected for the 1996 group. Shapiro is the only student from Georgia this year. She graduates from UGA in the spring of 1999 with a join bachelor of science and master of science degree in ecology. She attended Rome High School and earned a prestigious Foundation Fellow scholarship to UGA. Rhodes scholarships provide two or three years' study at the University of Oxford in England.

Beth Shapiro

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Dunning Elected Chair of Georgia Academy

Dr. Arthur N. Dunning, senior vice chancellor for Human and External Resources at the Board of Regents, has been elected as chairman of the board of directors of the Georgia Academy, a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness of organizations serving children, youth and their families.

"With its focus on practices and programs that have produced measurable results," the Georgia Academy is

playing a critical role in our state in ensuring that professionals who work with children and families have

the training and skills they need to make a difference in the lives of their clients," said Dunning. "I am

honored to have been chosen to help lead this organization into the new millennium."
Dr. Arthur N.

Dunning

The Academy's most recent initiative is the creation of the "What Works Network," an online database of

practices and programs that have been demonstrated to produce measurable results in improving the quality of life of children

and families. The network, developed through a funding partnership that involves the Georgia Academy and agencies in

California, Colorado and Missouri, will debut in January at www.whatworks.net.

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Kennesaw State University Artwork at Regents' Offices
Since August, Kennesaw State University students and faculty have had artwork displayed in the Board of Regents offices, KSU art student Burt Hels shows off his painting during an Oct. reception for the students and faculty members in the BOR offices.

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BOARD OF REGENTS Edgar L. Jenkins Jasper CHAIR
Kenneth W. Cannestra Atlanta VICE-CHAIR
Thomas F. Allgood, Sr. Augusta
David H. "Hal" Averitt Statesboro
Juanita Powell Baranco Lithonia
S. William Clark Jr. Waycross
J. Tom Coleman, Jr. Savannah

John Hunt Tifton
Warren Y. Jobe Dunwoody
Charles H. Jones Macon
Donald M. Leebern, Jr. Columbus
Elridge W. McMillan Atlanta
Edgar L. Rhodes Bremen
Glenn S. White Lawrenceville

Hilton Hatchett Howell, Jr. Atlanta

OFFICERS Stephen R. Portch CHANCELLOR
Gail S. Weber SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
Lindsay A. Desrochers TREASURER

The System Supplement
Arlethia Perry-Johnson John Milsaps Cindy Engler EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR WRITER
OFFICE OF MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS 270 Washington Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30334
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Last Updated: January 27, 2000 | Leave a Comment 2000 University System of Georgia Board of Regents