The system supplement: a report of the Georgia Board of Regents, Vol. 43, no. 3 (May 2006)

The
System Supplement
A report of the Georgia Board of Regents 8 Vol. 43, No. 3 8 May 2006
"Creating a Mo re Educated Georgia"

Two Interim Appointments for Academic Affairs Division

Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. announced in May two interim appointments in the Academics and Fiscal Affairs division of the University System Office (USO) to fill vacancies created by the imminent departures of two administrators.
University of West Georgia President Beheruz Sethna has been named as the interim senior vice chancellor of academic affairs as Daniel S. Papp begins his transition from senior vice chancellor to president of Kennesaw State University, a post he will assume on July 1.

This will be the second time in six years that Sethna has filled in as head of the regents' academic affairs division he served in a similar capacity for nine months before Papp began his appointment in July 2000.
Sethna will take up his interim duties on June 1. Dr. Timothy Hynes, vice president of academic affairs at West Georgia, will serve as acting president until Sethna concludes his service to the System Office.
In his new role, Sethna will be responsible for meeting the acade-

m i c needs of m o r e t h a n 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 s t u d e n t s a n d a p p r o x im a t e l y 1 0 , 0 0 0 USG facu l t y members.

Sethna (left) and Maier

Sethna has served as president of the University of West Georgia

See "Appointments," Page 4 ...

Regents Add Five College Programs to Meet State/Regional Needs

Georgians soon will have access to a number of new college programs in the fields of agriculture, aviation and education. The Board of Regents approved several new degree programs in May that meet increasing needs in four parts of the state.
Five bachelor's-degree programs were approved by the regents' Committee on Academic Affairs at three University System of Georgia two-year colleges: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Middle Georgia College in Cochran, and Gordon College in Barnesville. These three institutions also will undergo mission changes while integrating their new limited array of baccalaureate degree programs, however they also will retain their two-year college access missions. In addition, a new doctoral degree program at Kennesaw State University in Cobb County will mark that institution's first doctorate in its 43year history.
All of the new academic offerings have been developed to meet local, regional, and state demand for graduates in the respective

disciplines, and should have a positive impact on the state's economic development efforts.
In some instances such as in agriculture the new degrees respond to higher industry standards, while the new education programs address the state's welldocumented teacher shortage. The two new aviation degrees are the University System's response to Gov. Sonny Perdue's Commission for a New Georgia having identified aerospace as a strategic growth industry.
"I am pleased that our institutions are responding to unique and documented state needs," said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. "The analyses and assessments that were conducted validated these campuses' requests to expand their degree offerings. However, the three twoyear colleges whose new programs were approved still will have robust and active access missions."
The following degree programs received approval by the Board of Regents in May:
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC)

received approval for a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree with a major in turf grass and golf course management and a Bachelor of Applied Science with a major in diversified agriculture. The turf grass B.A.S. degree builds upon existing programs offered by ABAC at the associate-degree level and is in response to changing industry standards that increasingly require entry-level professionals in this area to earn a four-year degree. The new B.A.S. in diversified agriculture is intended to serve graduates who hold the Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture, who now will be able to take the additional courses required for the bachelor's degree without a substantial loss of earned academic credit.
Gordon College received approval for its Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in early-childhood education. According to a 2004 report by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission,
See "New Programs," Page 2 ...

New Prorgrams

Continued from P. 1 ...

early-childhood education is

one of the top three shortage

areas in the field of education,

based upon the number of

provisional teaching certifi-

cates issued by the Commis-

sion. This new degree program

will help meet the needs of

four fast-growing suburban

counties in south metro

Atlanta Henry, Fayette,

Clayton and Spalding counties served by Gordon College.

Guests of Honor

Middle Georgia College (MGC) received approval for its Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Flight Management. They will be the only two such programs offered by a public institution in Georgia. The degrees have been developed by MGC in partnership with the Georgia Aviation & Tech-

The Board of Regents welcomed two special guests at its May meeting Dr. Belle Wheelan (right), the new president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges, and Dr. Sandra Gustavson, (pictured above with Board Chair Timothy Shelnut and Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr.), who is concluding seven years as the regents' sole representative on the board of trustees of the
Teachers Retirement System of Georgia. Wheelan the former secretary of education for the state of Virginia took office last July. Gustavson is associate dean for faculty and administration and the Bradford McFadden Professor of Financial Management in the the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. Q

nical College, a unit of the

Department of Technical and

ment (professional pilots), air

ence in Flight Technology at a

Adult Education. Students

traffic management, logistics,

technical college to pursue a

enrolling in the aviation-man-

or airport management. The

bachelor's degree in flight

agement bachelor's degree

B.A.S. flight-management

management, enabling them

program will be able to spe-

degree will provide a transfer

to move into a career as pro-

cialize in one of four areas:

path for students completing

fessional pilots.

professional flight manage-

an Associate of Applied Sci-

Kennesaw State University

(KSU) will offer its first doc-

A Fond Farewell
Randall Thursby, vice chancellor for information and instructional technology and chief information officer (CIO) for the University System of Georgia (USG), was saluted by his USG colleagues on his retirement in May.

toral degree a Doctor of Education in Leadership for Learning. Students will be able to pursue one of five areas of concentration under this degree program: adolescent education and mathematics, elementary and early-child-

Thursby served the USG for 35 years and was instrumental in the establishment of PeachNet, the System's first strategic technology plan and a Systemwide technology master plan. He also oversaw the technical implementation of major applications systems such as Banner and PeopleSoft, both used extensively by University System campuses.
The Cochran resident earned degrees from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Augusta College (now Augusta State University) . He started working at Augusta College in 1971 while a student there and served as the college's director of computer services beginning in 1976. From 1986 to 1988, he worked at the University of Georgia, where he helped to create the organization that became the Office of Information Technology, the precursor to the Board of Regents' Office of Information and Instructional Technology. Thursby's career with the regents officially began in 1988 and progressed from director of administration and planning, to assistant vice chancellor for information technology, to associate vice chancellor and associate CIO, to the position he held when he retired.
Read more about Thursby's 35 years of service and what his colleagues are saying about him at http://www.usg.edu/oiit/thursby. Q

hood education, instructional technology, inclusive education, or educational leadership and policy. Teachers who want to remain in the classroom but also assume a school leadership role are the target audience for the first four concentrations. The fifth program, educational leadership, is designed for those who want to become school administrators. KSU has waiting lists of students for the areas covered under the new doctorate.
The approval of the doctoral program at Kennesaw State is consistent with similar approvals given by the Board of Regents for limited doctoral programs at Georgia Southern University, the University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University. Q

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USG in the News
The United States Senate recently confirmed the nomination of Gale A. Buchanan, former dean anddirector of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), as under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Buchanan was dean and director of the CAES from 1995 until his retirement in 2005. He was a member of the Auburn University faculty for 21 years before m oving to UGA as associate director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations and resident director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in 1986.
Dr. Bruce MacFadyen Jr., chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Surgery, recently was recognized by the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons(SAGES) with the 2006 Distinguished Service Award. MacFadyen, who holds the Moretz/ Mansberger Distinguished Chair of Surgery, received the award for his contributions to surgical endoscopy and advancing the society's mission. He has been a member of SAGES for more than 20 years, serving on the board of directors since 1991, and as president from 1994 to 1995. He serves on the society's Board of Governors, Publications Committee, Flexible Endoscopy Committee and Fellowship Council of Finance Committee.
Dave Leenhouts, director of Student Life at Coastal Georgia Community College, was one of 10 people selected from a nationwide pool of 127 student advocates to be semi-finalists for the Outstanding First-Year Student A d vocateAward issued by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.The Center is based at the University of South Carolina, and the awards program is cosponsored by Houghton Mifflin Publishing. Q
The
System Supplement
Arlethia Perry-Johnson
ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR
John Millsaps
ASSISTANT VICE CHANCELLOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Diane Payne
PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR
To Provide Feedback
write to: diane.payne@usg.edu

ON CAMPUS

South Georgia College, ABAC Have New Presidents

Two of the University System's twoyear colleges recently received presidential appointments. Dr. Torri Lilly, provost and vice president of the Citrus County Campus of Central Florida Community College (CFCC), in Lecanto, Fla., was named as president of South Georgia College. Meanwhile, the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) community is preparing to welcome Dr. David C. Bridges, assistant dean of the Tifton Campus of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA), as its new president.
Lilly will assume her post at South Georgia College (SGC) on June 12, and Bridges will take charge at ABAC on July 1.
Dr. Torri Lilly
As provost and vice president of CFCC's Citrus County Campus since 2004, Lilly has had full administrative, programmatic and budgetary responsibilities. After seeking community input, she significantly expanded the campus' credit and noncredit course offerings and developed a unique partnership with a local juvenile justice facility that now serves as a statewide model. While at CFCC, Lilly also developed and produced two weekly television programs about the Citrus County Campus, its programs and activities.
From 2000 to 2004, Lilly served as dean of workforce development on the Kent Campus of Florida Community College (FCC), in Jacksonville, Fla. the nation's 10th largest community college. From 1991 to 2000, Lilly served as assistant provost and dean of West Virginia State Community and Technical College, in Institute, W. Va.

Lilly holds undergraduate degrees from the College of West Virginia, in Beckley, and Concord College, in Athens, W. Va. She earned a Master of Arts in education administration from Marshall University, in Charleston, W. Va., and a Master of Arts in language and linguistics from Marshall University, in Huntington, W. Va. She earned her Ed.D. in higher-education administra- Lilly tion and English from West Virginia University.
Dr. David C. Bridges
As assistant dean, Bridges has had administrative responsibility for the Tifton Campus of UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) since July 2001. During the last five years, Bridges and other CAES administrators have developed undergraduate and graduate instruction programs at the Tifton Campus, now home to research, teaching and extension programs. I
Bridges' research and teaching career at UGA dates Bridges back to 1987, when he was hired as an assistant professor by the university's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He became an associate professor in 1992 and a full professor in 1997. Bridges' research is in the area of weed and vegetation management, and has resulted in more than 200 publications, including five books, seven book chapters and 70 refereed journal articles.
Bridges earned a Ph.D. in agronomy (weed science) from Texas A & M University in 1987. He also holds a
See "New Presidents," Page 4

Willis J. Potts Jr. (right) attended his first commencement as a regent on May 6, delivering greetings from the Board of Regents to graduates of Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU). Potts, appointed to the board by Gov. Sonny Perdue in March, is shown here with SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher and commencement speaker Bill Bolling (center). The latter is founder and executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Q

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Interim Appointments
Continued from P. 1 ...
a campus of more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 400 faculty since August 1994. During this time, the institution launched Georgia's first Advanced Academy for gifted high-school students, and obtained the University's largest endowed gift ($1.5 million) from The Roy Richards Foundation to name the College of Business the institution's first such named endowment.
More about Randall Thursby's
retirement on P. 2.
Sethna also obtained approval from the Board of Regents for the awarding of the university's first honorary doctorates, a stand-alone doctoral program, and the state's first Honors College. During his tenure, constructed or approved capital projects have exceeded $100 million, and the university's endowment has grown by more than 700 percent.
While serving as president, Sethna also has maintained his faculty status as professor of business administration, teaching undergraduate, lowerdivision students at the university and serving as research advisor to student teams. Students selected him as the Honors Professor of the Year in 1999, and several students have garnered national recognition for their research based on his course.
"Dr. Sethna is an outstanding and nationally recognized academic leader who pursues academic excellence on a daily basis," said Chancellor Davis.

"We are fortunate to enjoy his committed service to the University System, and I am pleased he has once again accepted the call to service in this critical administrative role."
Meanwhile, with Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology and Chief Information Officer Randall Thursby stepping down at the end of May after 35 years of service to the University System, the chancellor has appointed Dr. Thomas Maier to fill that position on an interim basis. Maier currently is the assistant vice chancellor for policy and planning in the Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) and has been a member of the System Office's OIIT team since 1998.
Davis said he expects Maier's experience and knowledge of both information technology and the University System to "provide stability and continuity in a key area while we look to fill the gap left by Randall's retirement. I am delighted that Tom has agreed to s e r v e . "
Maier was appointed assistant vice chancellor for policy and planning two years ago, after serving three years as executive director for planning and policy development and three years as executive director for Enterprise Technology Infrastructure Services.
Before his arrival at the University System Office in 1998, Maier served as director of Information Technology Services and academic computing at Agnes Scott College for eight years and spent 24 years teaching chemistry at Agnes Scott, Georgia Tech and Atlanta Metropolitan College. Q

New Presidents
Continued from P. 3 ...
master's (1983) and a bachelor's degree (1980) in agronomy from Auburn

University, in Auburn, Ala. He also earned an associate's degree in agricultural science from ABAC in 1978. Q

B O A R D OF REGENTS
J. Timothy Shelnut Augusta CHAIR
Patrick S. Pittard Lakemont VICE CHAIR
Hugh A. Carter, Jr. Atlanta
William H. Cleveland, M.D. Atlanta
Michael J. Coles Kennesaw
Robert F. Hatcher Macon
Julie Ewing Hunt Tifton
Felton Jenkins Madison
W. Mansfield Jennings, Jr. Hawkinsville
James R. Jolly Dalton
Donald M. Leebern, Jr. Columbus
Elridge W. McMillan Atlanta
Doreen Stiles Poitevint Bainbridge
Willis J. Potts Jr. Rome
Wanda Yancey Rodwell Stone Mountain
Benjamin Tarbutton III Sandersville
Richard L. Tucker Lawrenceville
Allan Vigil Fayetteville
O F F I C E R S
Erroll B. Davis Jr. CHANCELLOR
Gail S. Weber SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
William R. Bowes TREASURER

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