The system supplement: a report of the Georgia Board of Regents, Vol. 47, no. 3 (Mar. 2010)

The
System Supplement

A report of the Georgia Board of Regents Vol. 47, No. 3 March 2010 "Creating a More Educated Georgia"

Regents Approve New Principles To Guide Campus-Level Innovation

Amidst continuing cuts to the University System of Georgia (USG) state appropriations and exploding enrollment, the System's governing Board of Regents approved a set of seven "Principles to Guide Innovation" in March. USG officials said the purpose of the principles is to provide a framework in which faculty and staff at the USG's 35 institutions can develop processes and programs that will help to meet demand during a time of reduced resources.
The principles, the result of a system-wide consultation, have two central themes: the need to protect and enhance the academic mission and the quality of that mission in teaching, research and service, and to continue to provide broad access to all Georgians academically qualified to pursue higher education.
These principles are part of the board's and Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr.'s strategy to encourage innovation at the campus level.
"We expect that any proposed innovations will be of high quality,

student focused and aligned with the System's Strategic Plan," said Davis. "The thrust is to inculcate a culture of innovation, and to push innovation downward in the organization to the campus level for maximum effect. In the current economic climate, innovation has to become an ingrained part of our culture."
The seven principles state that USG institutions should:
u Give priority to innovations that enhance and hone their present mission.
u Consider innovations that increase student learning, research and faculty productivity. For example, activities such as novel and innovative uses of technology, the assessment of curriculum and the evaluation of accelerated degree programs would be potential areas for innovation.
u Investigate innovations that strengthen existing student life, academic and academic support structures.

u Consider innovations that reprogram existing infrastructure use, including maximizing the use of facilities throughout the entire calendar year, the entire academic week and the entire academic day while fully utilizing academic related technology. This would also include expanded internships and study abroad opportunities.
u Give priority within the limits of their mission to academic programs that meet demonstrated state and/or regional need.
u Utilize the collective power of the University System and other educational institutions and organizations in Georgia. This would include collaboration with other System institutions, collaboration with entities outside of the USG, the development of pilot programs that could be implemented throughout the System, and new initiatives built upon transferable "best practices" from within the System or beyond.
u Be prepared to take measured risks in the process of innovation. Q

Task Force to USG Presidents: Make Student Success No. 1 Goal for All

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created them." This quote from German physicist Albert Einstein set the tone for an interim report from the Graduation Rate Task Force delivered by Regent Willis J. Potts Jr. at the Board of Regents' March meeting.
Potts, who is vice chair of the board this year and chairman of the task force, said he, regents Felton Jenkins and Larry R. Ellis, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Susan Herbst and leaders from several institutions and the University System Office are in the process of meeting with the presidents and provosts of each institution in the University System of Georgia (USG) to hear their plans for improving graduation and retention rates.
So far, the task force has met with officials from 11 USG institutions, and Potts presented his observations to date in the

form of a list of "the top 10 things our committee has learned in listening to campus graduation-rate struggles."
He prefaced his remarks by saying, "We have many successes in the system, but I am going to focus on the challenges today. Bear with me, and do know that this remains a constructive process. There are many wonderful efforts underway across the state, and we do see the great work among all the challenges."
u Campuses are not always defining their [graduation- and retentionrate-related] problems with accuracy. "I am not seeing enough empirical evidence that pinpoints why a retention or graduation rate is low," Potts remarked.
u Campuses are not matching solutions to problems as a result. Lacking the data necessary to drive the

process, campus officials are not coming up with targeted solutions, he noted.

u Too many lists, not

enough elabora-

tion. "We are

Potts

being presented

with laundry lists

of tactics for improving retention and

graduation rates borrowed from the

higher-education literature, but very

little elaboration about why they're bet-

ter than any other technique or the best

fit for a particular campus," Potts said.

u Assessment data are lacking. "We're told that this or that program works, but see little in the way of assessment data to prove it," Potts noted.

See "Student Success," Page 4 ...

Plans for Collaborative Research Park at Fort McPherson Moving Ahead

The Board of Regents received an update at its March meeting on plans for the redevelopment of Fort McPherson following the impending closure of the South Atlanta U.S. Army base in September 2011 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).
Plans to create a complex that includes a residential community, office space and an expansive research park in which the University System of Georgia would be a collaborative partner are moving forward, according to Jack C. Sprott, executive director of the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority (MILRA). This is the legal entity created by the Georgia General Assembly to plan and execute the redevelopment.
Sprott told board members that the MILRA is having a master plan developed for what is envisioned as

a 165-acre research park "neutral ground for both public and private research universities to collaborate in developing new products."

"The six institutions

in the Georgia Research

Alliance (GRA) employ a

total of 61 GRA Eminent Scholars world-renowned scientists who generate over $2 billion in research

An architectural rendering of the research park planned for the land now occupied by Fort McPherson in South Atlanta.

funding," said Mike

Cassidy, the independent, non-profit organization's president and CEO. "The alliance creates opportunities that have the potential to drive a substantial return on the state's investment, and having space for collaboration between institutions has been the missing piece in our work we envision this research park as a

The GRA's university partners include: Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia, Emory University and Clark Atlanta University. Sprott and Cassidy anticipate that each of these institutions, along with the Centers

hub that will bring the GRA institu-

tions together."

See "Research Park," Page 4 ...

Georgia a Finalist for Race to the Top School Funds

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced in early March that Georgia is one of 16 finalists for a piece of the Obama administration's new Race to the Top education fund, which is worth up to $4 billion to states that embrace education reform.
"Georgia's designation as a finalist in the Race to the Top competition is further proof that we are moving in the right direction to advance student achievement in our state," said Gov. Sonny Perdue. "Our work to transform education in Georgia is being recognized nationally, but it is only a beginning. We must continue to align our funding and policies with our desired outcome of improved student achievement."
The Race to the Top fund is a $4 billion grant opportunity provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support new approaches to improve schools. The fund is available in the form of competitive grants to encourage and reward states that are creating conditions for education innovation and reform. Winners will be announced during the first week in April.
Georgia's application was prepared through a strong partnership between the Governor's Office, the Georgia Department of Education, the Governor's Office of Student

Achievement, and education stakeholders, including the University System of Georgia.
At the March meeting of the Board of Regents a few days after the announcement, Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. praised the contributions of Dr. Lynne Weisenbach, vice chancellor for Educator Preparation and Innovation, Dr. Melinda Spencer, chief of staff for the System's Office of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Patricia Paterson, director of College Access Policy and Programs, to the 200-page application state officials submitted in January.
"Being among the finalists is a tremendous accomplishment for Georgia and for all of education in this state," Davis said.
Georgia which is eligible for an estimated $400 million grant from the fund concentrated on four key areas in its bid: standards and assessment; data systems to support instruction; "great" teachers and leaders; and turning around the lowest-achieving schools.
Officials described the state's efforts over the past decade to overhaul Georgia's school curriculum, unify learning initiatives and test boundaries with a nationally rated charter school law.
The application says state officials want to create a new of-

fice the State Office of School Turnaround to concentrate on low-performing schools. They would improve local and statewide student data systems to track students' academic progress in real time.
Twenty-three local school districts have signed on to partner with the state in implementing Georgia's Race to the Top plan. These districts, which represent 41 percent of all public-school students in Georgia, include Atlanta, Ben Hill, Bibb, Burke, Carrollton, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Dougherty, Gainesville, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Jones, Meriwether, Muscogee, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Valdosta and White.
The state will work closely with these systems to implement the ideas contained in the application. Fifty percent of the funds awarded to Georgia will be distributed to the local partners to enact the Race to the Top reforms. The state will study the effectiveness of these practices to identify and scale up those that prove to be effective.
Georgia was one of 40 states and the District of Columbia that applied for the grants. The other finalists are Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. Q

-- 2 --

USG Digest
n Georgia Tech's College of Management is ranked one of the nation's Top 50 undergraduate programs in business and 19th among public universities, according to the latest rankings of Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The rankings are based on surveys of recruiters and student satisfaction as well as job placement statistics and measures of academic quality.
"We consistently hear from recruiters that they are impressed with how exceptionally well our graduates perform within their organizations, so it is nice to see this recognized in the ranking," says Nancy Gimbel, director of the College of Management's Undergraduate Program.
Students surveyed awarded the college an "A+" grade in Job Placement and a "A" for Teaching Quality.
"In recent years, we have greatly enhanced advising services and dramatically expanded career services and freshman recruiting. We're consistently seeking ways to improve our program, streamline operations, and provide an exceptional undergraduate experience for our students."
n More than $17 million worth of NASA Space Shuttle parts are scheduled for donation to Columbus State University's Coca-Cola Space Science Center.
Anticipating a day when the shuttles are no longer flying, NASA created a program through which universities, schools and science museums would be allowed to apply to receive and house spacecraft components, flight hardware, and other authentic artifacts from the Space Shuttle program.
CSU's space center applied for the program and learned last week that when NASA no longer needs them, Columbus is slated to receive a treasure trove of shuttle artifacts.
"The addition of these historic and valuable artifacts to the inventory of CSU's CocaCola Space Science Center constitutes a new era for this facility, a tremendous increase in teaching tools for its educational programming, and an amazing new opportunity to inspire and train the next generation of space scientists and engineers," said Shawn T. Cruzen, executive director of Coca-Cola Space Science Center and chair of the university's Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
"This collection coming to Columbus also represents a remarkable opportunity for the city and the region to increase tourism and benefit the local economy."
The artifacts would be not be available until at least January 2011, which gives Cruzen and his staff needed time to figure out how to properly store and display all the pieces coming. Q

ON CAMPUS

Azziz Named President of MCG, Georgia's Health Sciences University

The Board of Regents has named Dr. Ricardo Azziz, a physician/scientist/executive with more than 20 years of leadership in biomedical research, medical education and health care, as the eighth president of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), Georgia's health sciences university.
Azziz holds the endowed Helping Hand of Los Angeles Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has served as professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Center for AndrogenRelated Research and Discovery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) in Los Angeles since 2002.
At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he has served as professor and vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine since 2002, deputy director of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and assistant dean for clinical and translational sciences since 2008.
Before coming to Los Angeles, Azziz taught at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1987 to 2002, where he served in a variety of faculty positions in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medicine.
As a clinician, Azziz maintains a nationally recognized practice in the care of women suffering from reproductive endocrinologic disorders, in particular, androgen excess. He is a fellow of both

the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has been recognized annually by America's Top Doctors since 2001.
Azziz' research into androgen-excess disorders in women has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the past 20 years. The author of six textbooks, more than 150 book chapters and reviews, over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 250-plus abstracts, he received the President's Achievement Award for Clinical Investigation from the Society for Gynecologic Investigation in 2000, among other awards and honors.
A native of Uruguay, Azziz earned a bachelor of science degree in biology/ pre-med, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. His medical degree is from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. Following an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., Azziz completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. He also holds master's degrees in public health and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Q

GSU Students Studying Whale Sharks Up Close

Georgia State University (GSU) is more than 200 miles from

"This is great for students because it gives them experience in hands-on

the ocean, but a partnership with

research, and a chance to see what

the Georgia Aquarium gives interns

kinds of things they might like to do

an up-close chance to study whale

after graduating, or what kinds of things

sharks, the world's largest fish. The

they want to get involved in while at

graduate and undergraduate students

Georgia State," said Michael Black, a

observe the whale sharks' behavior and post-doctoral researcher in the Neurosci-

record data for aquarium biologists to

ence Institute at GSU. "There's a lot of

learn more about the species.

research in biology and psychology for

"Our team of biologists is

behavior." Q

not able to observe animals 24/7, and we have so many

Senior biology major Abby Rigdon

other tasks to do, such as diving

and giving animal care that are

unrelated to observation," said

Chris Coco, a zoological curator

at the aquarium. "With the GSU

staff, we've created a partner-

ship to bring eyes and statistical

expertise to generate and inter-

pret data, which will help us to

make some educated decisions.

Everybody benefits."

-- 3 --

Student Success
Continued from Page 1...
u Graduating students should be a campus' top priority. "Surprisingly, some institutions do not yet consider retention and graduation a clear priority, even though the regents do," he said. "Graduating our students is the number-one job for us all."
u USG campuses are not involving faculty deeply enough in retention and graduation issues. "Faculty need to own these issues," Potts said.
u Retention and graduation rates are not about money. "I want to see our institutions boost retention and graduation rates no matter how much or how little they have," Potts said. "Take resources away from other areas in order to boost student success this is our very best investment."
u Leadership is key. "We want to see presidents out in front of retention and graduation issues, understanding their campus problems and designing the solutions," he said.

u Don't just blame students. "Some students are not as prepared for college as they should be," Potts conceded. "While this plays into the graduationrate conundrum, my feeling is that no matter how our students come to us, we need to do whatever we can to ensure their success."
u The entire campus must own student success as a goal. "A plan for boosting graduation and retention is not a bunch of best practices," Potts said. "It is a thoughtful, comprehensive document that analyzes the problem and provides a roadmap. The entire campus has to feel confident about the plan, advocate for it, and work on it."
In closing, Potts implored USG presidents and provosts to "pull out all the stops. Make your campus culture one of student success, and I promise that you will be rewarded for it by me, by this board, by your parents, by your stakeholders. And the greatest rewards will be walking across your stage at commencement. We need your leadership, your ideas, and most of all, your passion on behalf of the precious 300,000-plus young people under our care." Q

Research Park
Continued from Page 2...
for Disease Control and other colleges, will occupy labs and/or specialized centers and even classrooms at the new research park. There are also plans to provide science-and-math-focused educational opportunities for students from high school through those engaged in post-doctoral work.
Cassidy described to the regents plans for the creation of a Crossroads Institute for Global Health to support the many global health companies based in Georgia with labs for vaccine and drug development, space for clinical trials, labs to support start-up ventures and conference facilities.

"Fueling the launch of companies that create high-value jobs for Georgians is a big part of the GRA's mission, and this is an opportunity to bring small industries to this area to incubate with the help of all the collaborating institutions that are going to be involved in this research park," Cassidy said. "Job creation is definitely going to result."
Sprott said the MILRA is hoping to renovate some of the existing buildings at Fort McPherson, particularly the massive Forces Command (FORSCOM) Headquarters Building. In the meantime, a series of zoning meetings related to the redevelopment plans has been held throughout March, and a master plan for the research park is being created. Q

BOARD OF REGENTS
Robert F. Hatcher Macon CHAIR
Willis J. Potts Jr. Rome
VICE CHAIR Kenneth R. Bernard Jr.
Douglasville James A. Bishop
Sea Island Frederick E. Cooper
Atlanta Larry R. Ellis
Atlanta Felton Jenkins
Madison W. Mansfield Jennings Jr.
Hawkinsville James R. Jolly
Dalton Donald M. Leebern Jr.
Columbus William `Dink" NeSmith Jr.
Athens Doreen Stiles Poitevint
Bainbridge Wanda Yancey Rodwell
Stone Mountain Kessel D. Stelling Jr.
Marietta Benjamin Tarbutton III
Sandersville Richard L. Tucker
Duluth Allan Vigil McDonough Larry Walker
Perry
OFFICERS
Erroll B. Davis Jr. CHANCELLOR
Burns Newsome BOARD SECRETARY Usha Ramachandran
TREASURER
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