The Eighties and beyond : a commitment to excellence, a report of a statewide needs assessment for public higher education

The Eighties and Beyond A Commitment to Excellence
Board of Regents University System of Georgia

The Eighties and Beyond A Commitment to Excellence
A Report of A Statewide Needs Assessment for Public Higher Education
Conducted by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Board of Regents University System of Georgia
244 Washington St. S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30334
February 1983

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS

O. TORBITT IVEY, JR., Augusta Chairman
LLOYD L. SUMMER, JR., Rome Vice Chairman
JULIUS F. BISHOP, Athens SCOTT CANDLER, JR., Decatur RUFUS B. COODY, Vienna WILLIAM T. DIVINE, JR., Albany MARIE W. DODD, Atlanta

ERWIN A. FRIEDMAN, Savannah THOMAS H. FRIER, SR., Douglas JESSE HILL, JR., Atlanta ELRIDGE W. McMILLAN, Atlanta LAMAR R. PLUNKETT, Bowdon JOHN H. ROBINSON, III, Americus JOHN E. SKANDALAKIS, Atlanta SIDNEY O. SMITH, JR., Gainesville

CHANCELLOR
VERNON CRAWFORD

INSTITUTIONS AND PRESIDENTS

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Atlanta Joseph M. Pettit
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Atlanta Noah Langdale, Jr.
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA
Augusta William H. Moretz
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Athens Fred C. Davison
ALBANY STATE COLLEGE
Albany Billy C. Black
ARMSTRONG STATE COLLEGE
Savannah Robert A. Burnett (Acting)
AUGUSTA COLLEGE
Augusta George A. Christenberry
COLUMBUS COLLEGE
Columbus Francis J. Brooke
FORT VALLEY STATE COLLEGE
Fort Valley Walter W. Sullivan, Jr. (Acting)
GEORGIA COLLEGE
Milledgeville Edwin G. Speir, Jr.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN COLLEGE
Statesboro Dale W. Lick

GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE
Americus William H. Capitan
KENNESAW COLLEGE
Marietta Betty L. Siegel
NORTH GEORGIA COLLEGE
Dahlonega John H. Owen
SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE
Savannah Wendell G. Rayburn
SOUTHERN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
Marietta Stephen R. Cheshier
VALDOSTA STATE COLLEGE
Valdosta Hugh C. Bailey
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE
Carrollton Maurice K. Townsend
ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
Tifton Stanley R. Anderson
ALBANY JUNIOR COLLEGE
Albany B.R. Tilley
ATLANTA JUNIOR COLLEGE
Atlanta Edwin A. Thompson
BAINBRIDGE JUNIOR COLLEGE
Bainbridge Edward D. Mobley

BRUNSWICK JUNIOR COLLEGE
Brunswick John W. Teel
CLAYTON JUNIOR COLLEGE
Morrow Harry S. Downs
DALTON JUNIOR COLLEGE
Dalton Derrell C. Roberts
EMANUEL COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE
Swainsboro Willie D. Gunn
FLOYD JUNIOR COLLEGE
Rome David B. McCorkle
GAINESVILLE JUNIOR COLLEGE
Gainesville Hugh M. Mills, Jr.
GORDON JUNIOR COLLEGE
Barnesville Jerry M. Williamson
MACON JUNIOR COLLEGE
Macon William W. Wright, Jr.
MIDDLE GEORGIA COLLEGE
Cochran Louis C. Alderman, Jr.
SOUTH GEORGIA COLLEGE
Douglas W. Christian Sizemore (Acting)
WAYCROSS JUNIOR COLLEGE
Waycross James M. Dye

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It is now an accepted fact that, whatever the desired discipline, a uperior public higher education can be obtained by Georgians within our tate. Thi trui m largely taken for granted, is a significant educational accompli hment, not fully achieved until the la t decade. Current accessibility to quality learning opportunitie is a tribute to the foresight, dedication, and cooperation of succesive Governors, Legislator, Chancellors and Regents who along with our institutions have attained a new plateau of academic excellence.
The University System of Georgia, composed of 33 eparate units is in my opinion, our State's fine t resource. [n addition to it obvious role of educating men and women, it al 0 con titutes a tangible, physical pre ence, reaching out to offer help in solving many of the problem of our citizens and enhancing, at the arne time, the character of their lives.
Progres in education is a fragile commodity, however. Gains occur most often by accretion, not in quantum leap, and hard-earned status can be eroded swiftly. The Board of Regent, therefore, determined that our University System hould be the subject ofa searching rea essment 0 that the uncharted complexities of the future can be met with a plan for succes fully addre ing the many challenges that lie ahead.
That was the gene i of thi ixteen-month study. We believe the findings in the accompanying report constitute just uch a plan and urge its adoption accordingly.
O. Torbitt Ivey, Jr. Chairman Board of Regents University System of Georgia

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STATEWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION

COORDINATING COMMITTEE

Regent O. Torbitt Ivey, Jr., Chairman Regent Marie Dodd Regent Erwin A. Friedman Regent Elridge W. McMillan Regent Lamar R. Plunkett H. Dean Propst, Vice Chancellor W. Ray Cleere, Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs Shealy McCoy, Vice Chancellor for
Business and Finance

Harry O'Rear, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
President Fred C. Davison, University of Georgia
President Billy C. Black, Albany State College
President John W. Teel, Brunswick Junior College

ASSESSMENT STAFF

Director Haskin R. Pounds, Vice Chancellor for Research and Planning
Agriculture *Louis J. Boyd, University of Georgia William Wheeler, Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College
Business IIndustry ITechnology *Rudy Yobs, Georgia Institute of
Technology W. Wray Buchanan, University of Georgia David Clifton, Georgia Institute of Technology
Health Professions *Jean Morse, Medical College of Georgia Maurice Levy, Medical College of Georgia Barbara Stephens, Medical College of
Georgia Richard Hudson, Board of Regents' Nursing Project

Public and Social Services *Edith Kelley Manns, Georgia State
University Robert L. Marshall, Inter-Campus Unit of Albany State CollegelAlbany Junior College Charles C. Clegg, University of Georgia Harold Holtz, University of Georgia
Teacher Education *Joe A. Richardson, Georgia State
University William D. Feltner, University of Georgia
Editorial Support Anthony DeCurtis, Georgia Institute of Technology
Regents' Staff Denton Coker Cynthia Smith Beth Schwarzmueller Wanda Cheek Dan Shealy

*Served as director of program area and as member of editing committee for final report.

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CONTENTS OF THE REPORT

Comments by the Chairman of the Board of Regents

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Acknowledgments

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Introduction

1

The Historical Context

2

The Board of Regents

2

The University System

3

The Assessment Project

5

The Assessment Plan

5

The Assessment Procedures

5

Demography and Economics

6

National

6

State

6

Principles and Issues

11

Quality

11

Accessibility and Centralization

12

Delivery Mechanisms

13

Leadership

17

Productivity

18

Communication

19

Financial Support

19

Programmatic Conclusions and Recommendations

21

The Liberal and Fine Arts

21

Agriculture

22

Business/Industry/Technology

25

Health and Health Professions

27

Public and Social Services

32

Teacher Education

35

Research

38

Public Service and Continuing Education

41

Additional Conclusions and Recommendations

43

A Summary Statement

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many institutions, agencies, groups, and individuals assisted in this project. While it is impossible to list all parties involved, the Board of Regents expresses deep appreciation to each. The Board is especially indebted to the Area Planning and Development Commissions, the State Department of Education, the Georgia Department of Labor, the State Data Center, the Engineering Experiment Station at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Office of Vice President for Services at the University of Georgia, the Cartography Laboratory at Georgia State University, and the Southern Regional Education Board for their assistance in data collection activities.
Special recognition and appreciation are expressed to the president and staff of each System institution for preparing a local needs assessment and coordinating the site visits and community leaders meetings. Appreciation is also expressed to the more than 400 prominent local citizens who attended these meetings.
This study would not have been completed without the dedicated service of the assessment staff. These individuals devoted more than a year to planning and conducting the study, serving as members of site visit teams, and preparing the resource document and this report.
Finally, appreciation is expressed to the technical and secretarial personnel who spent many hours preparing the hundreds of pages of supporting materials.
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INTRODUCTION
The Board of Regents ofthe University System of Georgia initiated in August, 1981, a comprehensive statewide needs assessment designed to provide a foundation for charting the course for public higher education in the state for the remainder of the eighties and beyond. The report that follows is the result of more than a year of intensive study that ultimately involved hundreds of individuals from various System constituencies. This report provides a brief statement of the historical context within which the Board of Regents and the University System operate; an outline of the assessment plan and the procedures utilized in its completion; an analysis of national and state demographic and economic trends having implications for higher education; a statement of key principles and issues, 'along with related recommendations; conclusions and recommendations in eight broad program areas; and general concluding comments.
The Assessment Report is supported by two additional documents: the Academic Program Inventory of the University System of Georgia, which identifies the degree programs offered by the institutions of the University System; the Assessment Resource Book, a comprehensive collection of data generated during the assessment project which contains the sources for the text of this Report. A significant companion document is the final report of the Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance (Formula for Excellence: Financing Georgia's University System in the '80s). On file in the offices of the Board of Regents are the 33 institutional needs assessments and summaries of the institutional site visits.
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THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

THE BOARD OF REGENTS
Governor L.G. Hardman appointed in 1929 a committee to study institutions of public higher education in Georgia. This committee, chaired by Ivan Allen, Sr., was composed largely of members of the General Assembly. Its work led to the Reorganization Act of 1931 which resulted in the appointment by Governor Richard B. Russell of a central governing board to implement sweeping reforms recommended by the committee. The new board adopted the following statement of policy at its second meeting in January, 1932:
It is the conviction of the Board of Regents that the people of Georgia intended to ordain by the Act creating the Board that the twenty-six institutions comprising the University System should no longer function as separate, independent, and unrelated entities competing with each other for patronage and financial support.
The manifest purpose of the Act creating the Board of Regents is to unify and coordinate the work of these institutions so that the educational program of each shall be integrated with that of every other institution and with the system as a whole. The result aimed at is a correlated, harmonious, and symmetrical structure free from wasteful duplications, but providing the maximum of educational opportunity to the students ofthe State. In short, the emphasis has been shifted from the interests of particular institutions to the interests of the State.
While the traditions, the welfare and the prestige ofthe several branches ofthe system will be an object of care on the part of the Board, all oftheir problems are to be finally resolved by the answer to the question: What will best serve the educational interests of the State as a whole?
With this as the paramount consideration, the constant aim of this body will be to establish and maintain a system of higher education that will command the sympathy and support of our educational leaders, and at the same time successfully meet our needs by offering the young men and women of Georgia the maximum of education.
To accomplish this result, the Regents will, after careful study, take such steps that to them seem best to coordinate and unify these institutions so that they will be related in purpose and regulated in scope. The only competition in which these schools will hereafter engage will be for preeminence in service and scholarship.
The principles enunciated in this policy statement have undergirded the development of a unified system of higher education that is recognized nationally as perhaps the most effective system of higher education in the country. As the University System of Georgia began its second half century of service, the citizens of the state reaffirmed their confidence in the governing structure by approving a new Constitution in November, 1982, which continues to vest the "government, control, and management of the University System of Georgia and all of the institutions in said system ... in the Board of Regents...."
The Board of Regents is comprised of 15 members, all of whom are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Georgia Senate. Five are chosen from the state-atlarge, with one chosen from each of the ten Congressional districts. All members serve

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seven~year terms of office. The Board elects its own officers each year. The chief

administrative officer ofthe System is the Chancellor who reports to, and is responsible

only to, the Board of Regehts.

The Board of Regents continues to accept as its major responsibility the key

principle enunciated in the 1932 policy statement-the determination of what will best

serve the educational interests of the state as a whole. In making that determination, the

Board, under its constitutional authority to govern, control, and manage the University

System, recognizes its responsibility to make wise use of public funds in the provision of

wide access to public higher education. As part of its acceptance of the public trust, the

Board accepts its obligation to protect with zeal and to enhance with vigor the quality of

public higher education in Georgia.

THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The beginnings of the University System can be traced to 1784 when the General Assembly of Georgia set aside in trust 40,000 acres of land for the endowment of "a college or seminary of learning." A year later a charter was granted for the establishment of Franklin College, later to become the University of Georgia-the first statechartered institution of higher education in the country. From 1785 to 1932, several branches ofthe University were established, as well as district agricultural and mechanical schools (one for each Congressional district) which were branches of the University's College of Agriculture. In 1929, when Governor Hardman appointed a committee to study higher education in the state, the organizational and educational facilities of the colleges were in a chaotic condition-underfinanced, underestimated, and weakly coordinated.
The Reorganization Act of 1931 transferred to the new Board of Regents responsibility for 26 institutions. The Regents moved quickly to bring order to the System. The number of existing institutions was reduced to 15, with three new institutions created for a net reduction to 18. The foundation was thereby laid for the development of the University System as it exists today.
The dramatic growth and development of the System is best illustrated by comparative data for the years 1%0 and 1981. In 1960, there were 30,686 students enrolled in 19 institutions (3 universities, 9 senior colleges, and 7 junior colleges). As shown in Figure 1, these numbers increased by 1981 to 132,174 students enrolled in 33 institutions (4 universities, 14 senior colleges, and 15 junior colleges). During the same period, the number of degrees awarded per year increased from 5,626 to 22,487. The development of the System's public service component is illustrated by the increase from 212 programs with 18,097 participants in 1960 to 9,197 programs with 5,116,268 participants in 1981. Equally dramatic is the development of research activities indicated by the increase in the research budget from $8.6 million in 1960 to $103 million in 1981, with most of the increase coming from non-state sources.
During the 1960-1981 period, a conscious effort was undertaken by the Board to increase the level of access of Georgians to public higher education. Many new programs, particularly at the graduate level, were added at existing institutions. Several junior colleges were elevated to senior college status. New junior colleges were created. The result is a system of public higher education that is not only programatically comprehensive but also readily accessible to the state's population. The University System has played and continues to playa key role in the economic, political, social, and educational development ofthe state. The state's future development is inextricably tied to that of the System.

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THOUSANDS 140 120 100 80 60 40

FIGURE 1
FALL QUARTER ENROLLMENT UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA, 1960-1981

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 YEAR
Source: Quarterly Enrollment Reports, University System of Georgia

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THE ASSESSMENT PROJECT

THE ASSESSMENT PLAN
The organization of the University System provides the means for a comprehensive response to a wide spectrum of continuing and changing educational needs. Out of the chaos that existed in 1929 in public higher education has emerged a System that has served the state well for fifty years. In looking forward to the next fifty years, the Board of Regents determined that a systematic assessment of statewide needs in public higher education would be of value in providing the framework for setting the goals for and direction of the future activities of the University System. Therefore, the Board, in August, 1981, directed that the Chancellor and his staff conduct a comprehensive statewide needs assessment over a period of one year. The purpose of the assessment was threefold:
1. To analyze the current instructional, research, and service programs provided by University System institutions and identify additional services that should be provided in response to clearly demonstrable needs.
2. To determine whether the existing delivery mechanism (that is, the present complex ofjunior colleges, senior colleges, and university-level institutions) is sufficient for meeting the identified needs.
3. To project changes in the University System necessary to meet Georgia's public higher education needs in the 1980s and beyond.
The completed study is expected to provide a solid basis for short-term planning and a direction for long-term development of the University System as it looks toward the twenty-first century.

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
The statewide assessment was organized with focus on seven broad program areas: Agriculture, Business/Industry/Technology, Health and Health Professions, Teacher Education, Public and Social Services, Research, and Public Service and Continuing Education. The study was conducted through four major stages:
1. Collection, analysis, and interpretation of statewide data and the development of projections by a Needs Assessment Staff;
2. Completion of an institutional needs assessment by each of the 33 units of the University System with emphasis on identifying needs and projections within the institution's immediate service area;
3. Staff site visits to each of the institutions for discussions with the President and his/her staff and with community leaders concerning local needs and projections;
4. Preparation of a final report for consideration by the Board of Regents. The work of the assessment staff and the preparation of the assessment report were directed by a Coordinating Committee under the leadership of the Chairman of the Board of Regents and with membership consisting of Regents, staff, and institutional representatives. It is noteworthy that over 400 community leaders gave generously of their time to support the assessment effort.

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DEMOGRAPHY AND ECONOMICS

NATIONAL
Certain projections (reported in U.S. News and World Report, November 22,1982) have been made by the Bureau of the Census which, if accurate, will have enormous impact on higher education in the United States. Most dramatic is a projected increase in the median age of the population from 30.3 years in 1981 to 36.3 years in 2000, with a significant slowing of population growth (a growth rate ofless than one percent per year for the remainder of this century). Birth rates will average only 1.9 children per woman through the year 2000. There will be a decline of 3.2 million in the teen-age population between 1981 and 1995, with an increase of 7.7 million in the population 65 years of age and older. In the middle-age category, the population will increase by 21 million between now and 1995 and by another 11 million by 2000. Blacks are expected to account for 13.4 percent of the population by 2000 (up from 11.8 percent in 1980). Nationally, the college-age population will continue to decline, with some periodic fluctuations. As the number of teenagers and young adults declines, some analysts expect a drop in the rate of unemployment. In fact with fewer individuals moving into the workforce, there is a possibility that shortages of available labor will develop. The changing nature of the population will require a shift of emphasis in manufacturing to meet the demands of an "older" society. Also required will be dramatic changes in the service industries.
Taken together, the trends indicate that, as the new century approaches, unemployment will no longer be a persistent problem, productivity of U.S. industries will increase, enrollments in secondary schools and colleges will decline, and strains on programs and facilities for the elderly will develop. Particularly with reference to higher education, there will be a need to concentrate more attention on older, part-time enrollees to ameliorate the decline in enrollments resulting from a decreasing pool of traditional college-age enrollees.
STATE
Population and economics are inseparable in planning for future developments in higher education. Following is a summary of demographic and economic trends for the State of Georgia and an analysis of the implications of these trends with regard to public higher education.
Demography: Georgia
There has been a steady rate of growth in Georgia's population since 1900, with most of that growth, prior to 1960, attributed to natural increases. In the two decades since 1%0, however, population growth has increasingly been influenced by inmigration. Georgia, with a 1980 population of 5,463,105 persons (an increase of 38.1 percent since 1960), is now the eleventh most populous state in the nation. Although official state projections had not been released as this report was written, the State Data Center of the Office of Planning and Budget projects that the population of Georgia will grow to approximately 6.45 million by 1990, as indicated in Figure 2.
An analysis of the 1980 population yields the following statistics. Of the total, 48 percent were male and 52 percent female; 72.3 percent were white and 26.8 percent black. There had been marginal increases in the Asian and Hispanic population in the state since 1970.
Of significance are the changes in population age cohorts evident from 1960 to 1980. The youngest age cohort (under 5-14) has steadily declined since 1%0. The high school

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FIGURE 2
GEORGIA POPULATION 1930-1990

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1930

1940

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1960
YEAR

1970

1980

1990

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States, .1981 (1930-1980); Office of Planning and Budget (1990)

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anclcollege age cohorts (15-19 and 20-24) have gradually increased and are expected to

peakduring the mig-80s before declining. The productive age cohorts (25-44 and 45-64)

accounted, in 1980, for 47 percent of the state's population. During the 1970-1980 period,

the 25-44 age cohort increased by 41 percent, thereby outnumbering the 5-19 age cohort.

The 45-64 age group increased in total numbers but maintained essentially the same

proportion (18 percent) of the total population.

Following a national trend, the elderly population 65 years of age and older

substantially increased during the ten-year period-primarily the result of improve-

ments in medical science, declining mortality rates, and in-migration. This "aging ofthe

population" is expected to continue.

Implications for Education
The size of the population to be educated has, of course, the greatest impact on the educational system. Unprecedented population growth in the sixties and early seventies placed a great strain on educational systems at all levels. As the individuals born during the "baby boom" have moved through the various levels of education, the period of educational expansion to accommodate them has come to a close, requiring sometimes painful policy adjustments such as school closings and staff reductions at the elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels. With the present and projected declines in the younger age cohorts and the aging of the population, public higher education in Georgia must increasingly give attention to the needs of educating the "non-traditional student." While the traditional college age cohort is decreasing, University System planning for the future should take into consideration two additional factors directly related to potential college populations: (1) minor "baby boomlets" in 1%9-1971 and in 1979-1981 which may influence college enrollments in 1987-1989 and in 1997-1999, respectively, and (2) a currently low college/university participation rate within the state (Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 percent of states in the number of high school students who attend a college or university).

Economy: Georgia
Agriculture has played and will continue to play an important role in Georgia's economic development. Employment in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, however, declined from 1970 to 1980, and this trend is likely to continue, because of increasing mechanization in agriculture leading to increased productivity. Increasingly the economic development of the state is becoming oriented toward the attraction of new businesses and industries and the expansion of existing businesses and industries. Much of the manufacturing in Georgia from 1900-1950 was based in labor-intensive, first-stage processing of raw materials. The low-wage environment attracted new industries, and because wage levels were the concern of most of these companies, a low-wage economy tended to be perpetuated. This factor began to change as the growth of business and industry began to accelerate, particularly from the I%Os onward. Indicative of this growth are the comparative data by employment sector shown in Figure 3.
Continued growth in the manufacturing sector is expected. Georgia's business climate compares favorably when the North's high energy costs, wage levels, and labor structure are considered, thus encouraging the relocation of industry to this Sun Belt state. State officials are intensifying efforts to recruit new industry, with emphasis being placed on high technology industry. Actual and anticipated federal budget cuts and higher fuel costs could severely depress the transportation industry, reducing the rate of growth in this sector from the rapid level of expansion experienced in the past decade. Even so, Georgia is expected to show a slightly higher rate of growth than the nation as a whole. Growth in the services sector will also continue at a higher rate in Georgia than in

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~ 1971 1981

FIGURE 3 GEORGIA EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR
AGRI MINING caNST MANUF TRANSP TRADE FINAN SERV Source: Georgia Statistical Abstract, 1972 and 1982

Gav

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the nation. Particularly important will be growth in tourism, illustrated by Atlanta's

aggressive efforts.A:p expand its convention trade. Commensurate with national trends,

there may occur a deceleration of trade growth through the remainder of the 80s.

Georgia is expected to remain somewhat behind the nation in the rate of growth of the

finance sector. Growth in this sector will be closely tied to developments with regard to

the level of interest rates.

The importance of attracting and creating new industries cannot be overestimated.

It is instructive to note, however, that, during the five years from 1977 to 1981, of the

100,715 new manufacturing jobs established in the state, 45,691 (or 45.4 percent) were

established by expansion of existing industries. Therefore, economic growth and the

development of new job opportunities for Georgians are not only dependent upon

attraction and creation of new industries but also the ability of existing industries to

expand.

Implications for Education

While industry employs people from a wide range of educational backgrounds, some general projections can be made concerning the change in employment opportunities for college graduates. Due to technological advances, required skills are rapidly changing. As a result particularly of the computer revolution, demand for college graduates with quantitative skills has increased. Even those sectors of the economy for which the demand for graduates is expected to be stable or to show moderate increases will reflect this change.
Georgia offers many economic advantages including favorable wage and labor conditions, abundant natural and agricultural resources, a pleasant and economical climate, and relatively low taxes and living costs. In addition to these advantages, a secondary factor that assumes great weight in economic development is the availability of education and an educated populace. While there is great interest in creating or bringing high technology industries to Georgia, significant high technology industry will develop in Georgia only when a properly trained labor force and appropriate research facilities are present. If the economic advantages are maintained and the education of Georgia's citizenry is improved, the state's economy should continue to outperform the national and regional economies.

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PRINCIPLES AND ISSUES

Emerging during the assessment study were discussions of certain general principles and issues important as the basis for the articulation of University System goals and the development of projections for the remainder of the eighties and beyond. These principles and issues are delineated below, along with recommendations relating to each.

QUALITY
The most important task facing the University System in the eighties and beyond is the improvement ofthe quality of public higher education. The success of the System in the sixties and seventies was often measured by one factor-growth. To meet dramatic increases in enrollment, programs, facilities, and institutions were added with alacrity. The success of the System in the years ahead will be measured not in terms of growth but in terms of the level of quality by which Georgia's citizens are provided with the knowledge and expertise necessary to address critical social, economic, and technical problems. Each decision made by the Board of Regents must be governed by the principle of quality improvement. The University System must develop the means of evaluating the performance of its institutions against those standards that have been identified as the best nationally.
Standardized test scores indicate that the academic achievement of Georgia's students continues to rank well below the national average at all levels. Additional data suggest that the percentage of high school graduates who attend college and the overall participation rate of 18-24 year-olds in Georgia are among the lowest in the nation. The Board of Regents and the State Board of Education should initiate a coordinated effort designed to determine the reasons for this poor achievement and low participation rate and to develop strategies for addressing the serious problems that exist.
While adequacy of funding will play an important role in the attainment of an increased level of quality, funding alone is not the only component of a needed program of quality improvement.
The Coordinating Committee for the Statewide Needs Assessment recommends that:
the Governor, the Legislature, and the Board of Regents establish quality improvement as the top priority for public higher education in the state for the eighties and beyond and that this priority be made known to the citizens of the state; that, in so doing, the quality improvement funding recommendations ofthe Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance be adopted and implemented.
the Board of Regents and the State Board of Education expand the present base of cooperation into a wide-ranging creative partnership to examine issues ofmutual concern and to develop strategies aimed at the development ofexcellence in all areas ofthe educational endeavor; that local school systems and units ofthe University System develop a systematic mode of communication, allowing frequent exchange of ideas and information and designed to enhance the interdependence of the levels of education they represent.
University System institutions further develop creative partnerships

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" with local community, business, and industrial leaders to ensure their

. acquaint'!llce with the problems and potential of each institution and

the System~ their knowledgeable advocacy of public higher education,

and their participation in the formulation of institutional and System

goals; that these groups be encouraged to assist the institutions in

obtaining private funding support which often spells the difference

between adequacy and excellence.

the Board of Regents develop and implement a system of program evaluation for institutional and System-wide utilization, with the establishment of specific qualitative criteria which lend themselves to measurement; that this system of program evaluation be designed to involve both internal and external evaluation to ensure results that are both disinterested and objective.

the Board adopt as a long-range goal the elimination of the need for Developmental Studies as that program is currently constituted; that this goal be adopted with the understanding that the results of past deprivation of educational opportunity will long remain and that the need for compensatory education must be met so long as necessary in order not to block access to higher education for those who are capable ofeliminating academic deficiencies for which they may not be totally responsible; that close cooperation with the State Board of Education be made the cornerstone for achievement ofthis goal, recognizing that academic problems are best addressed as they develop, not after-thefact.

the Board encourage the reinstitution of specific academic requirements for admission to System institutions to include emphasis on laboratory sciences, foreign languages, mathematics, and writing skills; that the public be made more clearly aware of achievement expectations at the entrance level.

the Board develop and fund a program of System-wide faculty development designed to ensure that faculty members have adequate opportunity to keep up-to-date in their disciplines and to enhance their teaching skills.

Additional recommendations having impact on quality improvement appear in the Programmatic Conclusions and Recommendations section.

ACCESSIBILITY AND CENTRALIZATION
Widespread geographic accessibility is essential for programs that are basic in nature or that attract large numbers of students who are not mobile. Centralization is necessary for programs which are highly sophisticated, require major allocations of funding, depend upon a "critical mass" of faculty and student scholars, and must become or remain centers of excellence. Great care must be taken to ensure that a change of institutional status to provide greater accessibility is not based simply on the increased size of the institution or the fact that it has "done a good job" at its current level. The decision to change institutional status must instead take into account not only a clearly demonstrated need for more sophisticated programming but also the ability of the state to fund the change of status without diminution ofthe quality of the System as a

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whole: If a need arises within a given geographic area that cannot be met by the

institution in closesJ,:proximity or because the need falls outside the institution's mission

or funding capacity, exploration of the possibility of utilizing cooperative efforts should

be the first step toward meeting that need.

The Board of Regents has, during its fifty-year history, accepted the premise that

the citizens of the State of Georgia have the right to reasonable geographical access to

public higher education. To that end, the University System has been structured to

provide access to the first two years of a collegiate-level education for approximately

98% of the population. While that achievement is significant, there remain certain areas

of the state that may be, to a limited extent, underserved in specific program areas at the

present time. For example, certain limited baccalaureate and graduate level needs may

not be met in three areas of the state-the southeastern sector (Brunswick south to the

Florida border and west to Valdosta), Macon (one of the largest metropolitan areas of

the state served only in a limited manner by the University System at the baccalaureate

and graduate levels), and the 1-75 corridor north of Atlanta to the Tennessee line.

The Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the Board of Regents continually study areas of the state that may be underserved by public higher education in terms of specific baccalaureate-level programs and selected graduate-level programs; that this study take into account the existence of non-public institutions of higher education, if applicable.
the Board continue and intensify its efforts to provide access at all levels of public higher education for the state's minority population.
the Board, seeking the assistance of such state agencies as might be appropriate, initiate and complete a study to verify the accuracy of statistics relating to the number ofhigh school graduates who attend a college or university (those statistics rank Georgia in the bottom ten percent of states) and to identify those factors which discourage a higher participation rate.

Additional recommendations relating to accessibility appear below in the section on Delivery Mechanisms.

DELIVERY MECHANISMS
The University System is composed of three types of institutions, with each type assigned a distinctive mission or role contributing to the overall goal ofproviding for the citizens of Georgia a diversity of educational opportunity at a high level of quality in the most efficient and economical manner possible. The three types of institutions are described (adaptation of Halstead, Statewide Planning in Higher Education, 1974, p. 205) below:

Universities
The System's universities are characterized by comprehensive program offerings at the baccalaureate level, a wide range of graduate and professional programs, extensive theoretical and applied research activities, and wide-ranging technical assistance and public service programs. The Board of Regents has chosen to concentrate both

14

graduate instruction and research at the four university-Ieyel. institutions within the

System. In so doing, the Regents understand that a corps of research scholars, exten-

sivelibraries, computer support, and special facilities are necessary if these activities

are to be nationally competitive. Graduate instruction and research of high quality

require large expenditures offunds. Further, they cannot be conducted in isolation. The

interrelationship and interdependence of fields of knowledge make exceedingly difficult

the provision of high-level work in one subject without the provision of similar work in

related or cognate subjects. Because of their depth of resources and expertise, Georgia's

universities have an obligation to provide a wide range of technical assistance and public

service to the State, often through coordinated efforts with senior and junior colleges.

SENIOR COLLEGES

The System's fourteen senior colleges have been assigned a special role for provision of quality education in a less complex environment. These colleges are characterized by a limited number of associate degree program offerings, relatively comprehensive offerings at the baccalaureate level and graduate programs below the doctoral level in areas where the college has demonstrated unusual competence and for which the local demand is high. The senior colleges have a limited research mission, with most research discipline-oriented for the enhancement of instructional effectiveness. More complex research activities are governed by the existence of available resources and the specific competencies offaculty in given areas. The senior college is assigned an important role in the provision of public service and continuing education programs designed to meet the needs of the citizens within its service area.

JUNIOR COLLEGES
The System's fifteen junior colleges are characterized by transfer programs (articulated with baccalaureate-level programs at the senior colleges and universities), career (either technical or occupational) programs which prepare students for immediate entry to specific occupations, and public service/continuing education activities. The development of the junior college complex within the state has had enormous impact in the area of increased citizen access to higher education.

The Coordinating Committee addressed a number of issues relating to the adequacy of the current structure of the University System to meet the need for public higher education in the state. The Board of Regents has made a concerted effort to provide as broad geographical access as possible to the citizens of the state. Its 33 institutions are widely dispersed, as shown by the map on the following page. Several questions remain. Should the University System attempt to offer all levels of public higher education within commuting distance of the state's citizens? Should full programmatic dispersal accompany institutional dispersal? The Committee concludes that it is neither educationally sound nor economically feasible to attempt to offer all programs at all levels throughout the state. Because of projected enrollment stability or decline and the potential for continuing short-range (in terms of years) economic difficulty, it will be unwise to undertake the kind of expansion that would be involved in the crt:ation of new junior colleges or the change in status of existing junior colleges and

15

.Dalton Junior College
(D"/t,,,,)

THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA

North Georgia College



([)"hlmul!!I)

.rIOyd Junior College (Rom.)

.Gainesville Jun,ior College
(Hlmolll!.-)

Kennesaw College



(KmnNlu)

Southern Technical Institute



(.\fal'f(1fa)

University of Georgia



(Alhm.)

.Georgia Institute of Technology

.



(Alkm/d)

Atlanta JUnior College.... Georgia State University

(A/inn/a)

..

(A"~m/d)

.West Georgia College "'Clayton Junior College

((armll"",)

(.\tlm-,!u)

Universities--Graduate Senior Colleges Junior Colleges
o 10 20 30 40 50
Miles

Jil,.Gordon Junio,r College
(Bdm'~f/lk)

.Georgia College
(\""ltdgndk)

. .Macon Junior College (\fum")

Fort Valley State College



(Fort VaIJI:J)

.Middle Georgia College (V"hn",)

.Georgia Southwestern College
(Am,-"."u.<)

Emanuel County "'Junior College
('""in""m)

Savannah State College

(Sal'",mahj Armstrong State College.

rJ

(Sal'unnuh)

Albany Junior College.

(Alb,m.!)

Albany State College



(Alb"'ll) ,.Abraham Baldwin ,.South Georgia College

Agricultural College

(DfJugla.,)

(fIlum)

. .Bainbridge Junior College (Bamhm'.f(l)

.Valdosta State College
(Vald(;.l/a)

Georgia State University, Department of Geography. Cartography Laboratory. 1981

16

senior colleges to senior college or university levels, respectively. The people of the

state\Vill not be w~ll served in public higher education if, in an attempt to enhance the

part, an unnecessary fragmentation of resources is allowed to diminish the quality ofthe

whole. The better utilization of resources dictates innovative, imaginative responses to

identified needs within the state, responses that avoid expensive duplication of educa-

tional structures and services. Mindful of the dual obligation of the Board of Regents to

meet clearly demonstrated needs and to make the most efficient use of available

resources possible, the Committee believes that the existing structure of the University

System is adequate to meet the needs of the state through the expansion of joint and

cooperative efforts of existing institutions. The cooperative doctoral program concept

as well as the System consortial arrangement at Warner-Robins Air Force Base provide

excellent models. There is a need for further study of System institutions located in

Albany and in Savannah to determine if reorganized structures would provide those

areas with public higher education at an increased level of quality in a more efficient,

economical manner.

The Committee, therefore, recommends that:

the present structure of the University System not be altered by the development of additional university-level and baccalaureate-level institutions or the creation of new junior colleges; that the existing institutions in the System be carefully monitored to determine if declining enrollments and other factors may result in the need to consider the closing of some institutions or their consolidation with other units of the System.
the Board of Regents expand the existing cooperative residential doctoral concept to additional academic program levels to bring to bear the total resources ofthe University System on immediate, local needs; that full use be made of satellite centers under the aegis of universitylevel institutions in cooperation with senior colleges or senior colleges in cooperation with junior colleges to respond to the needs of underserved areas ofthe state; that this concept be utilized as the vehicle for meeting specific demands for undergraduate engineering, engineering technology, and health professions education throughout the state.
the University System take full advantage of the rapid advances in telecommunications capacity to deliver needed educational services to all parts of the state.
the Board of Regents establish satellite research centers, where practical, at specific locations within the state in order to utilize System expertise in the solution of specific, local problems; that th~se satellite centers be under the direction ofappropriate research universities but utilizing existing resources both human and physical at appropriate senior colleges; that these centers deal with problems such as the high incidence of stroke in the southeastern part of the state, the development of underutilized agricultural resources, and economic development.
the Board continue the studies underway with regard to the status of the institutions of higher education that it now operates in Savannah and Albany to determine if the current structure of institutions best responds to the educational needs ofthe areas served and to the needs ofthe state as a whole; that consideration be given to the establishment of single institutions in each of the two areas or to the restructuring of

17

the present institutions to eliminate all unnecessaEY program duplica-

tion.

the Board continually review the structure and delivery mechanisms of the System to identify those changing circumstances that might suggest the need for new institutions or new levels of institution to serve the state.

LEADERSHIP
A major strength of the University System is its policymaking Board with governing authority for all public junior colleges (with the exception of DeKalb Community College), senior colleges, and universities. Working through a single executive officer (the Chancellor), the Board of Regents is in a position to exercise the discipline required to utilize available resources in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The governing structure allows the type of central coordination that will best serve the interests ofthe state. That coordination can be improved by the development of specific statements of missions for each of the System institutions which both define and clarify the relationship of the individual institution to its service area and its relationship with the University System as a whole. The Board of Regents must ensure that institutional missions are appropriately balanced between independence and interdependence and that they are clearly understood by those whose responsibility is the fulfillment of the missions.
The Coordinating Committee has examined the nature of the leadership that the Board has and continues to provide. From that examination, the Committee recommends that:
the Board set priorities for program and institutional development within the System and that these priorities be made known to its various constituencies; that each System institution set its priorities within the parameters of System priorities and its approved mission.
the Board of Regents, which has heretofore approved institutional missions in broad outline, take a more direct hand in the assignment of certain programmatic and other responsibilities to the various institutions; that each institution be required to prepare a mission statement which specifically delineates its area of responsibilities, goals, and methodology for achieving these goals; that the Board review and approve these statements, making the alterations it finds necessary to ensure that institutional missions provide integral support for the goals ofthe University System as a whole; that the Board foster a clear understanding among its institutions and its external constituencies of the integrative nature of the University System that has served the state so well in public higher education.
the Board continue to delegate to each unit of the University System such autonomy of operation that will best allow it to maintain the highest standards ofacademic excellence in the accomplishment of its mission; that the Board encourage diversity of institutional development, recognizing that policy flexibility in many areas is required for such development.
the Board readdress the problem of institutional service areas, refining the guidelines in such a way that its various institutions will not

18

. engage in unhealthy competition within overlapping areas ofthe state;

. that the l!9ard examine with particular care the Atlanta metropolitan

. area in this regard,since a multiplicity of institutions is available to

serve the diverse needs of this center of dense population.

the Board exert its influence to ensure that the offering of Associate Degree programs at selected vocational-technical schools in the state is congruent with the provisions of the 1982 Constitution.

the Board of Regents reaffirm its commitment to the elimination of racial segregation and sexual discrimination from public higher education in the state.

PRODUCTIVITY
Efficient and effective stewardship of public funds is one of the primary obligations of any state agency. The University System, particularly as available resources both nationally and at the state level become more limited, must ensure a maximum return from the funds invested in public higher education. The System should define for its institutions its expectations in terms of productivity and develop those criteria by which productivity will be measured. The present policies related to productivity/management reviews should be strengthened, with each institution specifically encouraged to review on a continuing basis the viability of its program offerings. Productivity should be closely tied to the goal of achieving high standards of quality. There must be systematic evaluation of the progress made in achieving that goal.
In its effort to achieve maximum educational return from resources expended, the Board of Regents affirms the necessity that the University System operate in a highly efficient manner.
The Coordinating Committee specifically recommends that:
the Board of Regents strengthen the existing policy requiring periodic productivity-management reviews at University System institutions; that specific criteria be developed against which program and institutional productivity will be measured; that detailed criteria and procedures be established for the phasing out and discontinuance of programs which are no longer productive or which have outlived their usefulness.
the Board consider the designation ofspecific institutions as centers to meet clearly demonstrable needs for programs which yield low enrollments at high cost ofinstruction; that the offering ofsuch programs be limited to these centers.
the Board continue to give attention to possible institutional and program duplication within the University System to determine if opportunities for consolidation exist that might result in greater productivity for the System.
,
the Board measure productivity not only in terms ofnumbers but also in terms ofacademic excellence, using as broad a range ofinternal and external evaluation measures as possible-including but not limited to reports of general and specialized accrediting agencies and followup studies of graduates.

19

COMMUNICATION

One of the by-products of the statewide needs assessment study has been the establishment of a vital communication link among the Board of Regents, its staff, institutional personnel, and state and community leaders. Some systematic means should be developed to nurture this communication to allow institutions to respond more quickly to local needs and to make business and community leaders more knowledgeable and better informed advocates of the University System. Many who participated in the assessment activity stressed a strongly perceived need for improved communication between the Board of Regents and the General Assembly of Georgia. Certainly, while the Board provides the method for achieving quality higher education in the state, the legislature provides the means. A working partnership is indispensable. The University System has been the beneficiary of broad public support and has enjoyed, particularly in the last three decades, generous funding by the state's Governors and General Assemblies. There has, however, developed over the immediate past some lack of public understanding of the System and its critical importance to the state. The fate of public higher education in Georgia will be determined by the degree of completeness of that understanding and by the maintenance of a high degree of support by the Governor and the General Assembly.
The Coordinating Committee recommends that:
the Board of Regents, working with and through the various institutions of the System, develop and direct a comprehensive program to inform the citizens ofthe state concerning the opportunities offered by and achievements of public higher education; that this program also be designed to make the public aware ofthe goals to which the University System aspires.
the Board take appropriate steps to improve the working partnership it shares with the General Assembly of Georgia.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Quality does not come without cost. Inflation over the past few years has threatened to decimate the progress which the University System has attained. Funds must be provided in the years ahead to maintain faculty salaries at a nationally (at a minimum-regionally) competitive level, to bring scientific and other equipment to state-of-the-art, to keep abreast of increases in operating costs (particularly utilities), to maintain library collections at satisfactory levels both of number and quality, to construct new facilities where needed, and to rehabilitate buildings with dangerously long deferred maintenance. The Board of Regents, its staff, and institutions must make special efforts to inform the legislature about Sys..tem needs and to make clear to the public the importance of investment in higher educati0n and its future impact on their economic and social well-being.
The recently completed report of the Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance is one of the most significant documents in the history of the University System. The implementation of the recommendations of this distinguished committee (whose membership included representatives of the executive and legislative branches of state government, University System representatives, and representatives from the public sector) will be key to the realization of Georgia's goals for public higher educa-

20

tian.-No funding formula, even the admirable one adopted byJhis Committee, will ever

meetall needs,particularly those that are critical in nature.

The Coordinating-Committee recommends that:

the recommendations of the Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance be fully implemented.
the Board of Regents seek additional funding for special projects that do not fall within the formula but which respond to critical needs within the state such as the upgrading of instructional equipment or the establishment of special research and service programs.
the Board develop an operating policy governing internal reallocation of resources, recognizing the probable necessity for reordering priorities within existing resources in order to meet changing educational needs; that this policy take into account changing enrollment patterns both at the institutional level and in the System as a whole which will require the careful, phased, and parallel shifting of resources among programs and institutions.

21

PROGRAMMATIC CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of the assessment study, certain conclusions have been reached and specific recommendations developed for seven broad program areas: Agriculture; Business/Industry/Technology; Health and Health Professions; Public and Social Services; Teacher Education; Research; and Public Service and Continuing Education. Additionally, the Assessment Coordinating Committee has discussed the Liberal and Fine Arts areas, developing some conclusions and recommendations.

THE LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS
While the Liberal and Fine Arts were not included in the statewide assessment itself, the Assessment Coordinating Committee acknowledges the core role of these disciplines in producing an educated citizenry.
As the United States becomes an increasingly technical society, one of the functions of education will be to ensure that its citizens are not technological illiterates. As the technological revolution proceeds, however, education must also function as a guardian against the development of a technocracy. Education in this country has assumed, almost from the beginning, a pragmatic role. But firmly grounded in that pragmatism has been the assumed obligation to provide students with those experiences which lead to the development of values, ethics, and an appreciation of the arts. Regardless of the demands placed upon higher education to assist in the "retooling" of the population to master technological change in business and industry, the things of the spirit must remain the core to be first addressed. If higher education is to be utilitarian, its greatest utility is its potential for providing an understanding of the cultural heritage, of the individual's innate dignity and worth, of the past triumphs and tragedies of the human race, and of the infinite capacity of the human spirit. The liberal and fine arts are the vehicles for development of these understandings.
The University System of Georgia attempts to maintain a programming balance that gives proper attention to the needs of students to build a base from which not only to make a living but also to live well. The Board of Regents, through the development of a Core Curriculum required for all baccalaureate degrees, has established basic guidelines for general education within the University System. A broad range of major programs in the liberal and fine arts are offered throughout the System, with advanced work available at selected institutions. Each ofthe colleges and universities serves as an important cultural center for the community in which it is located, a factor given emphasis by community leaders during the institutional site visits. Through System institutions, Georgia's people have access to music, art, drama, lectures-a full range of cultural activities-to which many otherwise would have no access. While these institutions certainly have enormous economic impact on their communities, the greater and longer-lasting impact may be the enrichment ofthe cultural climate in which the people live.
While all areas of the liberal and fine arts are important, there is one area that has declined in recent years to a critical stage-the study offoreign language. The best way to understand a different culture and an alien people is to know the language. Conversely, the knowledge of a different culture and another people promotes understanding of one's own culture and people. As the links between cultures and peoples converge because of advances in modes of transportation and communication, knowledge of foreign languages becomes indispensable to the economic and political welfare of a country. The internationalization of trade in Georgia will demand such knowledge. It is

22

then.critical that the University System give special attention to the status of instruction

in foreign languages within its various institutions.

Efforts musf5e madeJor the remainder of the eighties and beyond to maintain and

to strengthen those traditional academic programs which deal with the roots of the

human experience and with the creative expressions of that experience. It is through

these programs that University System institutions bring the greatest enrichment to the

communities they serve and to the State of Georgia.

The Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the Liberal and Fine Arts remain the core of instruction at each ofthe units of the University System of Georgia; that the Core Curriculum concept be reaffirmed not only as a practical basis for transfer of credits among System units but also as insurance that all students receiving baccalaureate degrees will have a foundation in general education.
appropriate University System institutions develop centers for the preservation of the state's cultural heritage.
the System further develop programs that will enhance the contributions of institutions as the cultural centers of the areas they serve; that the enormous cultural resources ofindividual units ofthe System be shared to a greater extent with the people of the state through activities such as touring art exhibits, dramatic productions, concerts, and lectures. The structure of the System provides an ideal network for the scheduling of such tours.
the Board ofRegents develop a Center for the Arts to become the focus for creative excellence within the state; that this Center be established in the southern region ofthe state in order to enrich an area which does not have direct access to cultural opportunities to the extent of those available in the more populous and urban northern region.
the Board of Regents establish Centers of Excellence in specific program areas within the Liberal and Fine Arts to be located throughout the state at colleges and universities best prepared for development in given areas; that the establishment of these Centers not necessarily preclude development of basic baccalaureate programming at all senior and university-level institutions but rather serve as the mechanism for the best utilization of resources to ensure that a sufficient number ofprograms ofextraordinary quality are available in the state in the Liberal and Fine Arts.
the University System give particular attention to the redevelopment of interest in the Foreign Languages not only as having value in support ofan internationalized economy but also in the creation of an understanding of other cultures.

AGRICULTURE
The image of agriculture as a way of life for those incapable of doing anything else has changed as agriculture has become a highly specialized and scientifically-oriented industry requiring highly trained people. Scientific and technological advances have steadily reduced the proportion of the population involved in farming to the point that

23

{)nlythn~epercentof the total population of the United States produces the total food

supply n~quired. Higl!er education has played and will continue to play an enormously

important role in increasing agricultural productivity as well as in training the 18 million

people who are employed in agriculturally-related industries.

The assets of agriculture and its related activities are almost equal to the capital

assets of all manufacturing corporations in the country. As the most basic industry,

agriculture's associated segments of production, processing, and marketing provide

more jobs than any other single industry. The United States exports more farm products

than any other nation in the world. In 1980, the $40 billion offarm exports alone created

1.3 million jobs for Americans. Consistent with the national scene, agriculture is the

largest industry in Georgia. It includes 60,000 farms and thousands of agri-business

establishments. Gross farm cash receipts are approximately $3 billion each year and the

retail value exceeds $14 billion.

Over the past decades, Georgia's advances in agriculture have been highly signifi-

cant. Those advances could not have been achieved in the absence of the University

System's instruction, research, and service programs-particularly at the land grant

institutions (University of Georgia, Fort Valley State College). The Agricultural Exper-

iment Stations, strategically located across the state, have been the vehicle for fruitful

agricultural research. The Stations are complemented by the full coverage of the state

by the Cooperative Extension Service, which provides an excellent mechanism for

rapid delivery of scientific information in agriculture and related areas through its close

linkage of county agents and state specialists. The instruction, research, and service

programs in agriculture have made great strides toward the attainment of national

stature in recent years; it will not be in the best interests of Georgia to have that

momentum halted. There are yet problems to be resolved and opportunities to be seized

for the benefit of the people of the state.

Important to the excellence of instructional programs in agriculture is the existence

of outstanding teaching and research facilities such as laboratories, greenhouses, herds,

and farms best located centrally within the state. Undergraduate teaching programs in

the food and agricultural sciences benefit greatly from being located where complemen-

tary research is being done, since there is a definite synergistic interaction between

research and teaching in these areas. It is absolutely essential that graduate programs be

conducted in conjunction with quality research programs. The quality of graduates at

both levels will be influenced by the quality of faculty and facilities available; thus, the

level of financial support is critical.

Those who will lead Georgia's agriculture into the twenty-first century will come

from the institutions of higher education, and the science and education that will drive

agriculture will emit from the research and educational programs of the institutions of

higher education. Therefore, if Georgia is to remain as one of the leading agricultural

states in the Southeast and continue to contribute significantly to the national output in

agriculture, the state must focus attention on higher education in agriculture for its

citizens.

The most significant findings of the assessment study in the area of agriculture are

as follows: (1) during the late 1980s, the total average annual demand in Georgia for

college-educated graduates in agriculture and natural resources is expected to exceed

the available supply ofthe University System by 140 percent. Even when graduates with

degrees related to agriculture and natural resources are included, the demand exceeds

the supply by 79 percent; (2) the average annual demand for graduates in home

economics is expected to exceed the available supply by 205 percent. By including the

number of graduates with home economics-related degrees, the demand still exceeds

the supply by 43 percent; (3) continued keen competition for admission to the Univer-

sity of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine is anticipated and the demand for

graduates is expected to remain high through the late 1980s; (4) the greatest demand for

24

,graduates in agriculture, natural resources, and home economics is in the occupational

clu~ters of misc~llaneousagricultural specialists; design, manufacturing and processing speCialists and'~engiheers; and administrators, managers, and financial advisors;

(5) there will be an especially short supply of graduates with advanced training-

master's and doctoral degrees-for the required research and educational efforts in

agriculture, natural resources, home economics, and veterinary medicine. The most

significant shortages are foreseen in the areas of scientific and professional specialists,

administrators, managers, financial advisors, and microbiology and toxicology special-

ists; (6) the present supply/demand ratio for students with associate degrees in agricul-

ture and natural resources is in approximate balance. There is an unmet statewide need

for associate degree graduates in home economics. The demand is primarily for

graduates with experience in marketing, merchandising, sales, fast-food and conve-

nience-food industries, clothing and home furnishings manufacturing industries, child

care, and public health.

Based on the findings of the assessment study, the Assessment Coordinating

Committee recommends that:

existing teaching programs at all levels (associate, undergraduate, and graduate) in the food and agricultural sciences be strengthened with strong emphasis on continued improvement in quality; that statewide needs for graduates be met through expansion of the existing quality programs rather than authorization of new programs.
localized needs for Associate Degree graduates in Agriculture be met through cooperative programs whereby qualified faculty in existing programs at institutions now offering the degrees are utilized with maximum effectiveness; that expressed local needs for programs in Agribusiness and Horticulture be met by specialized short courses conducted through the Cooperative Extension Service.
existing Associate Degree programs in Home Economics be carefully evaluated, with cost-benefit analyses, to determine if some programs should be discontinued and others expanded to meet the needs for more graduates.
no Associate Degree programs in Agriculture, Forestry, Home Economics, or Veterinary Medicine be offered in the vocational-technical schools in Georgia.
the present professional programs in Veterinary Medicine be maintained and strengthened; that the graduate programs in Veterinary Medicine be strengthened and expanded, especially in the areas of Microbiology and Toxicology.
the Veterinary Medical Technician programs at Fort Valley State College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College be continued at their present enrollment levels.
additional funding be provided for graduate fellowships in Agriculture, Forestry, Home Economics, and Veterinary Medicine in order to attract high quality students into specialized graduate programs to alleviate the acute shortage of graduates with advanced degrees.
the number ofstudents admitted each year to the College ofVeterinary Medicine remain at its present level of 86, including 60 from Georgia and 26 through contractual agreements with South Carolina and West

25

.. n Virginia; that continued financial support be pr~vided to enable

strong empb~is on quality.

continued finandal support be provided to maintain and improve the quality of research programs conducted by the Agricultural and Veterinary Medical Experiment Stations.

adequate financial support be provided to enable the Cooperative Extension Service to maintain and improve the quality of service rendered throughout the state.

BUSINESS/INDUSTRY/TECHNOLOGY
Since World War II, Georgia's economy has moved from an agricultural to a manufacturing base, with manufacturing becoming the largest employer in 1952. Traditionally, Georgia's manufacturing was based in labor-intensive, first-stage processing of raw materials (e.g., textiles, food, and lumber processing) with a low-wage environment. During the 1970s, the state's greatest growth was in the service sector, although manufacturing and trade remained the largest employers. Georgia's priority in the eighties is the attraction and development of high technology industries. It appears that the demand for college graduates will continue to accelerate in the business, industry, and technology sectors as a result ofthe computer revolution. In general, opportunities in the mining, construction, and manufacturing sectors will remain about the same or increase slightly, with employment in the trade, finance, and service sectors increasing much less rapidly than in the last decade. It is reasonable to expect that per capita income in Georgia, both in total and in constant dollars, will continue to show a faster rate of growth than in the nation as a whole, with such growth necessary if the state is to reach the national average.
The most significant findings of the assessment study in the business, industry, and technology areas are as follows: (1) institutions of higher education, particularly those with strong programs in engineering, science, and technology, are becoming significant generators of economic development. The importance of the University System to the state's economy will transcend the production of graduates for Georgia's employment needs, becoming an integral part of total development; (2) the growing needs for degree and non-degree education will cut across established institutional and programmatic lines, requiring central planning and coordination by the University System as well as greater institutional flexibility; (3) major research programs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia, as well as smaller but important programs at Georgia State University, have significant impact on the economic development of the entire state. These programs have achieved a large measure of national recognition; the state should recognize the need to maintain and to enhance these programs; (4) too great a dependence on funding by federal and private organizations creates a lack of stability in the support of vital and on-going programs of research; (5) business and industry will look to the University System for closer interaction and support in the years ahead to maintain and to improve their competitive position. The System has a strong program in place for industrial extension and service work, particularly for smaller businesses. This network can be expanded to meet additional needs; (6) as the state places increasing emphasis on high technology industry, associate and baccalaureate-level engineering technology degree programs will be extremely important to economic development, since these programs will produce the necessary middle-level technical and managerial personnel; (7) the University System, because of its existing high technology capabilities, should assume greater responsibility for two-year technology degree pro-

26

. grams. The long range interests of the state will be best served if all collegiate-level work

is offered by .System institutions, either exclusively or in appropriate cooperative

arrangements with area-vocationaJ.technical schools.

Based on the findings of the assessment study, the Assessment Coordinating

Committee recommends that:

the University System develop a multiyear, comprehensive engineering, science, and technology program which will address the areas of instruction, applied research, and extension; that objectives and funding targets be adopted and communicated to the Governor and legislature; that program responsibilities and, where applicable, geographic roles ofindividual institutions be delineated; that, where such responsiblities are assigned, they be balanced with the provision of adequate resources.
the University System, without lowering quality standards, actively seek means of extending engineering, computer science, and technological education, both degree and non-degree, to meet the expanding needs of business and industry, the military, and non-traditional user groups; that the concept of high-technology outreach centers for instruction and service in the central and southern parts ofthe state be explored.
the System develop an improved central capability for the coordination of education, research, and services for business and industry. In the past, it has been possible to allow individual units in the University System a great deal of autonomy, with only general guidance. Conditions in the future, however, will require central planning and coordination in order to assure both efficiency and adequacy.
the System seek to strengthen those research elements in its several institutions which have achieved national recognition and which can make substantial contributions to the economic growth of business and industry in Georgia-including engineering, physical sciences, computer sciences, the life sciences, business administration, and engineering technology. Resources expected to be available to the University System can best be used to keep these areas competitive with those of other states.
the System seek to strengthen its ties with the business community; that additional state funding be sought for expanded programs of applied research and extension for business and industry, with the development of such programs involving the business and industrial sectors and emphasizing improved productivity and growth potential of Georgia firms.
two and four-year engineering technology degree programs in the System be strengthened and expanded, with funding provided for updating laboratory equipment to state-of-the art; that consideration be given to the extension ofappropriate programs offered by Southern Technical Institute to areas of the state now underserved in the technology area.

27

HEALTH AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS

The University System-has responded vigorously to Georgia's need for health professions education programming. Since the mid-l%Os, the Schools of Dentistry and Allied Health Sciences have been established at the Medical College of Georgia. Almost all of the existing Associate Degree Nursing programs in addition to a variety of allied health programs at institutions other than the Medical College of Georgia and Georgia State University have been approved and developed since that time. There is at least one health professions program in each Area Planning and Development Commission (APDC) in the state, with the largest number of programs located, as might be expected, at the Medical College of Georgia. A relatively wide range of programs has also been established in the Atlanta and Savannah-Brunswick areas.
Some counties in Georgia have few or no members of a given health profession. Georgia, with its 159 counties (second in number only to Texas), ranks twenty-first in the United States in terms of square miles. There are some counties in Georgia which have very small populations and trade centers and cannot reasonably be considered for development as health care supply areas since they cannot economically support health professions services. Although the state does have some problems of geographic maldistribution of certain health professionals, it is unrealistic to expect even distribution across its 159 counties. A limitation on the conduct of this study was the paucity of reliable data relating to some of the health professions areas. Based on the data available, however, it appears that the University System has responded appropriately to the needs in most program areas.
Allied Health Professions
The most significant findings of the health professions assessment study in the Allied Health area are as follows: (1) no immediate programming changes are needed for Dental Laboratory Technology, Occupational Therapy, Emergency Medical Technician, and Medical Illustration; (2) while immediate changes are unnecessary for Dental Hygiene, the situation should be monitored. The requirement for Dental Hygienists depends upon the supply of Dentists and the demand for dental services. Since many Hygienists work part-time and since there is a significant degree of attrition in the profession, the requirement will remain substantial; (3) while Physician Assistant graduates have played a significant role in meeting the demand for health care in rural and urban maldistribution areas and in expanding the capacity of physicians and are increasingly being employed in hospital settings, pressures may develop to reduce supply. The Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee has called for a ceiling on the production of Physician Assistants and the Medical Association of Georgia remains non-supportive of the profession; (4) educational levels and occupations covered by programs in Medical Technology are highly diversified. These programs have proliferated in the state, with not only System institutions involved but also postsecondary vocational-technical schools, hospitals, and private colleges. Program needs and development should be carefully monitored. Not all System programs are accredited by the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA), with the possibility that some students may have difficulty gaining access to a clinical training experience; (5) programs in Radiologic Technology are similarly diversified with regard to levels and occupations and have proliferated in the state. These programs must be particularly responsive to new technologies; (6) particularly affected by changes in computer technology are programs in Medical Records. The current number of programs is sufficient; (7) while the number of graduates produced by current programs in Physical Therapy and Respiratory Therapy is adequate, employment rates

28

_';lr~_ projected to increase significantly. The future needs in these areas should be

carefully monitored; (8) Licensed Practical Nursing continues to be a "high-demand"

occ'upation in Georgia, despite a recent projection of oversupply nationally. The Uni-

versity System's involvement in this level of training is minimal. There is a need to

facilitate the articulation of qualified LPN's into associate degree Nursing programs.

Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends

that:

the University System maintain its present Dental Laboratory Technology, Occupational Therapy, Emergency Medical Technician, Medical Illustration and Physician Assistant programs.
that the University System maintain its present programs in Dental Hygiene in all those areas in which applicant pools remain ofsufficient size and quality; that future supply-requirement ratios be carefully monitored.
the System consider consolidating Medical Technology programs in geographic areas in which more than one baccalaureate program exist (Augusta, Savannah); that the effects of proliferation of vocationaltechnical programs, private school programs, and hospital programs in this specialty area be carefully monitored; that the University System reconsider authorization of programs that cannot attain and maintain CAHEA accreditation.
the System maintain its present programs in Radiologic Technology, with continued monitoring of the possible need for change in programming based on new technology; that the effects of the proliferation of vocational-technical programs, private school programs, and hospital programs in this speciality area be carefully monitored.
the System maintain its present programs in Medical Records, with continued monitoring of the possible need for change in programming based on new technology.
the System maintain its present programs in Physical Therapy and in Respiratory Therapy, with continued monitoring of supply-requirement ratios to determine the need for possible program size increase.
the System continue to support the Georgia Department ofEducation Office of Vocational Education in Licensed Practical Nursing programming; that the System support improved articulation for qualified licensed practical nurses to Associate degree Nursing programs.

Pharmacy
The following findings relate to Pharmacy: (I) while national studies indicate an oversupply ofpharmacists in the United States by 1990, this oversupply may not develop because of reductions in baccalaureate enrollment levels and the increasing entry of women in the profession (possibly resulting in .lower productivity in terms of hours worked per week or number of years worked); (2) the supply of pharmacists in Georgia should be roughly equal to 1990 requirements; (3) with the expansion of the pharmacist's role and increasing clinical emphasis in pharmacy practice, there is some movement within the profession to make the clinical doctorate (the Pharm. D. degree) the basic credential for entry into the profession; (4) programs at Mercer University and the University of Georgia are adequate to meet Georgia's needs.

29

cBased on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends

that:

-

present educational programming for pharmacy be maintained, with continued monitoring of the supply-requirement ratio; that the University System be aware that there may be an increased emphasis on doctoral-level preparation in pharmacy in the future, which could result in the need for increased funding and added clinical facilities for the established program.

Medically Related Areas
In various medically related areas, the assessment study determined the following: (1) there is no need for the development of an osteopathic medicine program in Georgia; (2) the present shortage of Doctors of Podiatric Medicine will continue into the 1990s. Foot care needs affect overall health status and may be especially prevalent among low income persons, minorities, women, the elderly, and residents of the South; (3) although chiropractic is not universally accepted as a valid health profession, the number of chiropractors is increasing in Georgia. There is no need for University System involvement in chiropractic education; (4) there will not be sufficient need for additional optometrists in Georgia by 1990 to warrant the System's establishment of an optometric program.
Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the University System continue its support of educational assistance programs through the Southern Regional Education Board for Georgia students engaging in the study of osteopathic medicine and optometry.
a feasibility study be conducted by the System for the possible establishment of an educational program in podiatric medicine to be located in Georgia, or elsewhere in the southeastern part ofthe U.S. (in a cooperative arrangement with other states); that until such a program is available, the University System seek educational assistance agreements to facilitate the enrollment of some Georgia students in existing schools of podiatry.
the System not consider the development ofa chiropractic educational program.

Nursing
The most significant findings of the Assessment Study in Nursing are as follows: (1) Georgia presently has a nursing shortage and shortages for the near term are a certainty; (2) changes in staffing patterns in some hospitals appear to be attractive incentives, but some, such as the shortened workweek, may increase headcount requirements; (3) attrition from the nursing profession is substantial, whereas productivity (number of hours worked per week or number of years worked) is lower than that for many other health professionals; (4) student attrition is higher in the South than in other parts of the United States; (5) the combined consequences are that educational programs must "overadmit" students and "overproduce" graduates to achieve a significant net gain in supply; (6) associate degree nurses are more likely to work near their place of schooling and residence and to remain employed in nursing and, therefore, will contrib-

30

"J.lte.significantly to elimination ofthe nursing shortage if produced in sufficient numbers;

(7) pressures have developed for establishing the baccalaureate degree as the entry-level

professional cre(Iential; (8) baccalaureate-degree completion programs should be more

widely available in the central, western, and northwestern portions of the state; (9)

articulation between associate degree and baccalaureate degree programs should be

facilitated; (0) master's-level programming should be more widely available, and access

to a doctoral program may become a necessity.

Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends

that:

the University System maintain its present programming at the associate degree Nursing level in all those areas in which applicant pools remain sufficient, qualified faculty can be retained, and clinical facilities are sufficiently available; that expansion in program size be considered where feasible.
the System assure that baccalaureate educational opportunities in Nursing, especially for degree-completion, are more widely dispersed, particularly being made available in the area of Columbus and/or Carrollton, Macon, and the North 1-75 corridor (e.g., KennesawRome-Dalton). Some of these regional needs may be met through outreach activities from present baccalaureate programs rather than through new programs.
Master's level Nursing education be made more widely available; that the establishment of a doctoral program in Nursing be considered in order to meet the educational needs ofNursing faculty in Georgia. The establishment of this program, however, should be second in priority to assuring an adequate supply of RN's within the state.
the System support improved accessibility to educational opportunities for part-time students and employed nurses; that opportunities for educational mobility for nurses be enhanced through improved articulation for associate degree and diploma graduates to baccalaureate programs.

Dentistry
The following findings are related to the area of Dentistry: (1) the Schools of Dentistry in Georgia (at the Medical College of Georgia and at Emory University) offer programs adequate to meet the state's requirements for dentists; (2) several national studies predict an oversupply of dentists by 1990, although recent cuts in class size at a number of dental schools may affect these projections; (3) by some indices, Georgia is presently considered to have an undersupply of dentists, although there has been a significant increase in supply in recent years; (4) there is a significant gap between dental needs and utilization rates due partially to lack of economic access but more importantly to a lack of public awareness of the importance of dental care.
Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the University System maintain its present program in dentistry at the 1982 level of 50 entering students per year.
public education and outreach activities related to oral health receive increased support from the System.

31

Medicine

~

~

Several major studies have projected an oversupply of physicians in the United

States by 1990. State medical authorities generally agree with this projection. There is,

however, a perceived need in Georgia for training more physicians in the hope that they

will locate in rural areas and in small towns. Thus, a new private medical school

promising to accomplish this purpose was opened in 1982 with partial state support.

Another private medical school, also partially state-supported, is adding third and

fourth years to its curriculum and may be planning to expand class size. Almost $8

million for support of medical education in three private schools (Mercer, Morehouse,

and Emory) and capitation support for one out-of-state medical school (Meharry) was

appropriated by the Legislature for FY 1983.

While projections suggest that Georgia's 1990 supply of physicians will be ample,

there is less certainty regarding the adequacy of (1) the number and percentage of

primary care specialties (particularly, family practice physicians), and (2) the geograph-

ic distribution of physicians. Medical students are not trained in a particular specialty in

the M.D. program-that is, these students do not graduate as "family practitioners" or

"pediatricians," but as general medical doctors ready for further training to become

specialists. Programs that train these recent graduates to become specialists are called

"residency programs" and are offered in hospitals (usually, those affiliated with medical

schools). Research indicates that the location of the residency program has the greatest

impact on the ultimate practice location. Some analyses suggest that physicians who

complete family practice residency programs may be more likely to locate their practice

in underserved areas than physicians in other specialties. Therefore, the number of

family practice residency positions in Georgia should be expanded. Although there is a

significant probability that some physicians will switch specialties during their working

lives, increasing the availability of family practice residencies may still be the most

effective way to increase the number of such specialists practicing in Georgia and to

improve their geographic distribution. While the production of M.D. graduates in the

state is adequate, there is a need for increased residency opportunities.

Certain activities should be supported by the University System to assist in

compensating for the maldistribution of health care services and to help meet Georgia's

significant health needs. Support is needed for faculty physicians serving in consultation

and continuing education activities. Special efforts should be directed toward increasing

public awareness of the importance of health care and prevention practices, to exploring

new methods of delivery of health care, and to other forms of outreach.

Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends

that:

the University System maintain its present programming in medicine; that the System be aware that the total number of medical school graduates from Medical College of Georgia, Emory, Morehouse, and Mercer may lead to an oversupply of physicians in Georgia.
that the Medical College of Georgia increase residency opportunities, particularly in the area of family practice.
that the System seek a reexamination of the appropriateness of state funding for Georgia students in educational programs in medicine located outside the System.
the System support outreach activities such as education of the lay public and school students, demonstration projects related to health care delivery, consultations, and continuing education activities in

32

order to increase public awareness of health care and disease preven-

tion PI!!ctices.

General
In the conduct of the statewide assessment, it became readily apparent that hard data needed for projections relating specifically to the Allied Health Professions were generally not available in Georgia. The making of such projections is further complicated by the large number of occupational categories, the variety of training levels, and the types of training available (hospital-based, vocational technical, college, "on-thejob" in some occupations). Accurate data relative to the assessment of trends in numbers of applicants and entering class sizes for the various programs are also difficult to obtain.
Therefore, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the University System work with the post-secondary vocational-technical system to develop a cooperative mechanism for the assessment of manpower needs and the delivery of educational programs in those health professions areas in which graduates presently compete for the same positions.
the System maintain statistics on applicants for and first-year enrollees in individual educational programs in the health professions.
the System work with the Georgia Center for Health Statistics to develop a mechanism for the collection, compilation, analysis and distribution of manpower data related to all health professions for which educational programs exist within the System.

The Committee notes with great concern the serious problem of the escalating costs of health care. Such costs have increased an average of 12 percent to 13 percent per year during the last four years and have more than doubled since 1970. The University System, through its health programming, can contribute to the solution of this problem by appropriate curricular emphasis on prevention techniques and cost containment measures and by the development of public service and continuing education programs designed to promote general awareness of disease prevention practices. The Medical College of Georgia should develop a research thrust in cost containment, along with related demonstration projects.
The Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

University System programming in the health professions include curricular emphasis on prevention of disease and an examination of methods of health care cost containment; that public service, continuing education, and rese~ch programs be developed to contribute to the solution of the problem of escalating health care costs.

PUBLIC AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Public and social services are areas of community need that are subject to change because of the democratic process. The provision of public and social services often reflects the philosophies of the country's leaders and subsequent policies, which in turn determine funding patterns. Despite the current revolution in technology, social needs of society are important and should be addressed continually.

33

Although there may be a relationship between a student's career goal and program

of study in college, t~re is no easily recognizable educational path leading to specific

careers in the Public and Social Services. It does seem clear that one can relate the

academic disciplines to a continuum of programming which starts perhaps with a liberal

arts or theoretical base and progresses to the clinical/applied/professional programs.

The liberal arts degree in the broad range of social science programs provides an

excellent background for students pursuing an advanced degree. Another avenue to the

same career could also be through an applied professional training program.

Following are the general findings of the assessment study in the area of Public and

Social Services: (1) many positions requiring a degree in the public and social services

areas are nonspecific as to what degree is required, with individuals employed with a

wide variety of degrees; (2) during recent years, there has been a general decline in the

number of degrees awarded by the University System in this area. As the population of

the state has increased, as social problems have become epidemic, as federal funds have

decreased and state funds have been reallocated, there appears to be less interest on the

part of students in pursuing public and social services degree programs; (3) recent

directions set by the federal administration and the general economic condition have

impacted heavily upon the employment picture in the public and social services areas.

Because of federal cutbacks, state funding reallocations, and the shifting of funding in

several program areas to the state level, the number of state entry-level openings

requiring a four-year degree has been greatly reduced. Likewise, because of federal

cutbacks, the number of openings in federal agencies operating in Georgia has been

greatly reduced from earlier years; (4) city and county governments have a large

applicant pool for most position openings, with most applicants having a degree and

several years' experience. Consequently, the employer normally does not select an

individual just out of college; (5) state government still actively recruits for position

openings, tending to recruit on campuses with active placement offices, but local

government agencies do little recruiting; (6) nonprofit social service agencies are facing

reduced or constant budgets without adequate allowance for inflation; (7) military

officials seem committed to encouraging personnel to earn degrees at the associate,

baccalaureate or graduate level, with opportunities for promotion best for those person-

nel who have earned master's degrees. They do seem, as could be expected, to want to

make it as easy as possible for the military in terms of admission requirements, transfer

and acceptance of credits, required courses, credit for life experiences, and scheduling.

Specific findings related to programming are as follows: (1) while there is some

difficulty in gaining access to reliable data, there appears to be an oversupply currently

of graduates in the area of Parks and Recreation Management; (2) even though employ-

ment possibilities available in Social Work tend to fluctuate, the long-term potential is

positive, with professional credentials prerequisite for many job openings; as the

demand has increased since 1974, the number of University System graduates in the

area has decreased; (3) Department of Labor statistics indicate a growingjob market in

the Law Enforcement and Corrections area; (4) there has been over the past half decade

a sharp decline in the number of graduates in the broad Social Science area; the various

disciplines, however, remain important components of a liberal arts education; (5) a

sharp decline of enrollments in Public Service Technologies (associate degrees and

certificates) since 1978 is a cause for concern, since the decline may indicate the lack of

viability of at least some of these programs as preparation for employment; (6) there are

growing demands for making available educational opportunities at military in-

stallations in the state, with the commanding officers of the various bases expressing

their preference for the use of local educational resources. Military education needs

appear to fall into two categories-courses and programs of study for personal devel-

opment and purposes of promotion and programs designed to develop specific skills,

such as those required in high technology. Issues relating to the maintenance of the

34

"quality of education available on military bases remain unresolved; (7) there appears to

bean adequate.pistribution of Public Administration programs throughout the state,

particularly since the rate of government growth is expected to be slight for the short

term (in number of years); (8) the University System has an important role to play in the

offering of continuing education for employees of non-profit social service agencies and

of local and state governments.

Based on these findings, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends

that:

new programs in Parks and Recreation Management not be authorized by the University System until demand exceeds the current oversupply of graduates.
the System monitor the state's needs for professional Social Workers at the baccalaureate and master's levels to determine possible future needs for additional programming in this area.
current programs in Law Enforcement and Corrections be maintained, with concerted efforts made to attract qualified students into the field.
the current levels of programming in the Social Sciences be maintained, with careful monitoring of master's and doctoral programs to ensure the availability of a sufficient number of cost-effective, high quality graduate programs.
the System continue to explore opportunities to provide undergraduate and graduate education on or in close proximity to military installations in Georgia; that immediate and specific attention be given to both special skills (e.g., high technology) and personal development programming for the military; that high standards of quality be maintained in all System offerings on military bases.
the System utilize cooperative or consortial arrangements to meet any needs that might develop in the area of Public Administration.
the System explore in greater depth the continuing education needs of those employed by non-profit social service agencies and local and state governments in order to upgrade the educational services available to the populations served.

Certain general issues emerged during the assessment study in the Public and Social Service area, although these issues have impact in other areas as well. There is a perceived need to bring academic programs to the students rather than requiring students to travel to the programs. This problem of accessibility becomes more critical as the population ages, as students "drop in" and "drop out" of educational programs, and as full-time workers and part-time students account for an increasing share of total collegiate enrollments. As referenced in other sections of this report, however, the complexity of the problem requires solutions that are balanced between cost-effectiveness and quality.
Another issue involves a basic question of the value and meaning of the academic degree as it relates to Public and Social Service occupations. There does not appear to be a clear distinction in the minds of employers between training and education as prerequisites for given positions. The University System must make a genuine effort to involve those responsible for administering the wide range of public and social service agencies in the decision-making process both to foster their understanding and to

35

cultivate their support ofthe need for professionally educated pe~sonnel to deal with the

multitude of human_needs that demand the state's attention.

Therefore, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the University System make a concerted effort to include potential employers of University System graduates in the Public and Social Service areas on program advisory committees in an effort to develop greater understanding of the importance of professionally educated personnel in the solution of the problems with which they must deal.

TEACHER EDUCATION
Our society has accepted the principle that the education of its citizens is a fundamental obligation. Current concerns about the purposes, goals, procedures, pedagogy, and quality of education are by no means recent in origin. Many of the questions have been asked before. Discussions underway at the national, regional, and state levels, however, reaffirm the importance which is assigned to public education in the societal fabric of the United States. These discussions clearly articulate the expectation of excellence in the classroom.
Fourteen of the 33 institutions governed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia provide the preparation for most of the teachers in Georgia's schools. The State Board of Education certifies Teacher Education graduates to teach in the schools. Thus, the quality of new teachers in the state is a cooperative responsibility of the Board of Regents and the Board of Education. Most of the state has adequate access to undergraduate teacher education programs. Most graduate needs are being met by local, public institutions or cooperative programs involving senior colleges and universities. There are isolated areas of Georgia which could benefit from more cooperative efforts at the graduate level.
The general findings of the assessment study include the following: (I) in the past decade in Georgia, the number of high school graduates, the number of students attending college, and the number of Teacher Education programs offered by colleges and universities increased significantly; (2) since 1970, there has been a decrease in the number of enrollments in Teacher Education programs in Georgia; (3) the number of graduates from undergraduate and advanced Teacher Education programs decreased . sharply from 1975-81; (4) NTE (National Teacher Examinations) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores of University System Teacher Education graduates decreased from 1975-80. The scores increased in 1981; (5) four percent of Georgia Teacher Education graduates (1981) accepted out-of-state employment; (6) the number of teachers employed by the state in 1981-82 who completed out-of-state Teacher Education programs is 18 percent of the active teaching force; (7) in November, 1981, ten percent of the June, 1981 Teacher Education graduates were employed outside the field of Education; (8) between the 1980-81 and 1981-82 school years, 6,456 teachers left the Georgia public school system; (9) the number of teachers employed in the public schools decreased from the 1979-80 to the 1980-81 school years; (10) the number of regular teaching certificates issued by the Georgia State Department of Education increased from 1978-81; (II) there were 2,577 active Probationary Accelerated Certificates issued in 1981 and Provisional Certificates increased from 2,813 (1981) to 4,000 (1982); (12) the number of public school students enrolled in grades K-12 has been declining since 1970.
Certain conclusions, which have significant impact on Teacher Education in Georgia, may be drawn from the results of the assessment study. Interest in Teacher Education as a career is diminishing, as demonstrated by the fact that fewer students are

36

"J entering Teacher Education programs-top students and women less frequently and

m~n rarely. Of particular concern is the decreasing interest of students in preparing for

the teaching ofmathematics and science in the public schools. As the enrollments in

undergraduate programs decrease, the pool for graduate Teacher Education students

will decrease correspondingly.

In the area of curriculum and instruction, the quality and the appropriateness of

Teacher Education curricula remain questionable. There has been a tendency to prolif-

erate programs, with a multiplicity of programs being offered within the same service

area. A large number of courses are being offered through outreach or off-campus

programs. The demand for staff development programs in the public schools has an

impact, not always positive, on formal Teacher Education programs. The need for

effective retraining of educational leaders is apparent.

Concerns are growing relative to the relationship of certification requirements to

improved teaching and also the relationship between levels of certification and pay.

There is some criticism of the State Department of Education because of certification

"red tape" and the number of provisional certificates approved. In partial response, the

number of certification categories is being reduced.

There is a good deal of employment in-migration in Teacher Education in Georgia.

While there is tremendous competition for teaching positions in the Atlanta metropoli-

tan area and in urban centers in Southeastern and Southwestern Georgia, there are

"spot" shortages of teachers in small towns and rural areas. Many capable teachers

leave teaching for better working conditions and higher pay. Migration to private

schools is increasing. Turnover is heavy among less experienced teachers and special

education personnel. Teacher "burn-out" and general school environments remain

matters of concern. Leadership, particularly at the principal level, has become a serious

concern. A shortage of mathematics, science, special education, and vocational educa-

tion teachers is particularly evident-especially in rural areas. There are predictions of

a more general teacher shortage in the late eighties and early nineties. That shortage

may be alleviated by in-migration from other states, by former teachers' reentering the

field, and by a balance of demand (after 1984) for elementary teachers with decreased

demand for secondary teachers.

Based on the findings and conclusions of the assessment study in the area of

Teacher Education, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the System complete a broadly-based study of each of its Teacher Education programs to include an analysis of admission criteria, retention rates, quality of students and faculty, exit requirements, and employment rates for graduates; that programs not meeting the established qualitative criteria be required to implement a plan for quality improvement.
the University System establish new programs in Teacher Education only if interinstitutional cooperative efforts based on the cooperative doctoral program model, particularly at the Master's and Education Specialist levels, prove impractical; that new programs be approved only after judicious review which confirms clearly demonstrated need and an acceptable level of quality of existing programs and graduates at the proposing institution. It is not feasible to provide a full range of undergraduate and graduate majors within each Teacher Education program in the System.
particular attention be given to the lack ofadequate program offerings in the Northwest corner of the state, with cooperative arrangements designed to meet the needs.

37

". seholarship and low interest loan programs be dev~loped to attract

sbolasticaUYcsuperior students who will agree to work in geographic

locations of high- need and in disciplines such as mathematics and

science where shortages are acute.

admission policies be designed to attract students ofthe highest possible ability; that exit requirements ensure that graduates have acquired mastery of content as well as the ability to control and manage a classroom.

the curricula for all Teacher Education programs be firmly grounded in the traditional arts and sciences; that graduates of baccalaureate arts and sciences programs be allowed to enroll in Master of Education programs without completing undergraduate Teacher Education requirements.

the professional component of Teacher Education curricula be strengthened by greater emphasis on clinical and field experiences under close supervision, better utilization of the extensive body of knowledge in the area of pedagogical practice, and intensive training in the areas of information acquisition, storage, and utilization.

the System design a more flexible mechanism to allow institutions to respond to the in-service education needs of public school teachers and administrators without linking the funding of activities exclusively to credit-hour production. Some needs can better be met through short courses, individual projects, and other non-credit professional development activities based upon specific individual and school needs.

the Board of Regents more closely coordinate Teacher Education programs offered off-campus to eliminate detrimental competition among System institutions and between System and private institutions; that every effort be made to ensure the maintenance of high quality in off-campus programs.

Public elementary and secondary education may need to be restructured. There should be differentiated personnel categories that will allow for professional advancement and appropriate financial compensation commensurate with demand, performance, and educational training. Additional funding, time, energy, and cooperation will be required to make this a reality. Pilot efforts should be developed and implemented through cooperative arrangements involving interested local school districts, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Regents. Colleges and universities should begin to restructure their programs accordingly to provide the pedagogical, clinical, and knowledge-based programs required to meet these different personnel levels or categories. Certification should be streamlined and redefined to accommodate both training programs and professional teaching categories.
If such a coordinated effort could be initiated, the teaching profession may again attract many of the brighter college students. Effective classroom teachers will be more likely to remain in the classroom because of professional satisfaction and rewards for quality performance. The focus of teacher training programs may be sharpened and the confusion of certification programs reduced. Steps can be taken in this direction only if there is a coordinated effort among the significant agencies, such as the Board of Regents, State Board of Education, and all professional associations working on behalf of the profession.

38

The Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the Board ofRegents, the State Board ofEducation, the School Boards Association, and professional associations, as appropriate, cooperatively work toward solution of the complex problems facing public education such as: the critical areas of teacher shortage; the training, employment, and advancement ofminorities; the creation ofa positive environment for teaching; refinement of the certification process to ensure that it fulfills its intended purpose; the establishment of differential salary categories based on demand, performance, and educational training.

RESEARCH
In response to Governor Carl Sander's Commission to Improve Education, a commitment to higher education was made in the I%Os because state leaders knew Georgia would never achieve its full potential without first-quality research institutions. This commitment must be reaffirmed and made stronger in the 1980s, because what has been gained in a short time can be lost in a short time. Quality is fragile. It must be nurtured and sustained or the state is the loser. Universities are where the vast majority of all research that has helped the U.S. beat diseases, win wars, grow better food and create everything else that makes America great, takes place. The major research universities are the determining sources of excellence in American science and scholarship.
The last two decades of this century will present unprecedented challenges to Georgia, the nation and the world. The greatest challenge is the exploding world population which will require food, fiber and fuel from a world economy currently based on a dwindling supply of fossil fuels. Georgia's population is projected to increase by approximately 25 percent and the world population is expected to increase by approximately 30 percent by the year 2000. Through meaningful research and proper management of Georgia's resources, these additional people can be regarded as customers rather than a threat. Georgia can contribute significantly to the vast amounts of the food, fiber and energy that will be needed in the near future.
Georgia's climate, location, abundant water supply and natural resources provide exceptional assets. It has international links in transportation, trade and banking as well as deep-water ports from which products can be merchandized directly into the world economy. No other state has all of these assets and capabilities. Knowledge developed through research at the major institutions of the University System of Georgia makes it possible to realize the vast potential of this state.
Presently it is well accepted that the future will be dominated by advanced technology. For example, the revolution of microelectronics has changed the way we live and has driven our economy forward. Areas like California's Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128 seized upon the economic growth potential of the microelectronics industry and became centers of venture capital because of the research leadership of Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Likewise, major industries have been attracted to North Carolina because of the research leadership nestled in the Research Triangle which includes Duke University, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University.
The same thing can happen in Georgia. But, if high technology is to grow significantly in this state, it must derive its scientific and technological base from the existence of sophisticated research and training programs. Basic research is the feedstock of the

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high -technology industry. Proximity to outstanding research uniyersities is an essential

stimulant to high tec.hpology industry.

A recent study from the Organizationfor Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD), which includes among its members the very richest industrial nations, pre-

dicted that a new generation of industries will gradually take the place of those

responsible for the postwar expansion. According to the report, four technological

adventures are underway: (1) in electronics (teleprocessing and automation); (2) in

biology, with a whole array of effects on activities related to health, agriculture and

industry; (3) in energy production with alternative major sources of primary energy; and

(4) in the use of oceans and space. Competition among the developed countries for

control ofthese industries will be intense. Georgia can be a leader in these developments

through University System research in areas such as: advanced manufacturing technol-

ogy; production of biomass and its conversion into food, fiber, fuel, and other essential

products; genetic engineering; alternative energy sources; conservation of agricultural

energy; conservation and effective utilization of surface and ground water; and the

utilization of ocean resources.

The incidence of stroke in Southeastern Georgia, including the Savannah area, is 50

percent higher than the national average. Thus, every effort must be made through

research to protect Georgia citizens from this malady. Studies have shown relationships

between stroke and risk factors, but the exact causes of stroke are not clear. Hyperten-

sion (high blood pressure) which affects well over one-half million Georgians is believed

to be the most important risk factor. However, research is still needed to pinpoint causes

of stroke, particularly to delineate the impact not only of the major risk factor of

hypertension, but also those of genetic background, geographic environment, diet,

lifestyle and other culture-specific variables. Research is also needed to determine

optimal treatment interventions and ways of changing health behavior among the large

number of Georgians known to be at risk.

Research is needed to develop additional prevention and treatment measures for

the occupational hazards threatening those who live in an agricultural environment.

Agricultural workers and their families may be exposed to a variety of chemicals,

insecticides, herbicides, fuels, lubricants, veterinary pharmaceuticals, feed additives,

fertilizers, and hazardous gases. The risk of skin cancer can be significant after years of

exposure to the sun. Farm animals may carry diseases which are communicable to man;

farm machinery accidents often result in disabling injuries or death for a substantial

number of residents. The area of agricultural medicine and safety is presently being

studied with regard to identifying specific needs in Georgia and the resources which will

be required if the University System is to meet these needs.

Although significant advances have been made in the study of nutrition, the

relationship between nutrition and diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, athero-

sclerosis, cancer or stroke is unclear. In addition to the significant need for nutritional

research that would potentially benefit all people, there are problems specific to Georgia

that must be studied. Nutritional factors may well be implicated in specific health

problems among the citizens of the state, such as stroke, hypertension and the signific-

ant incidence of cancer of the esophagus found in south Georgia. In addition, basic

biomedical research is needed on the process of aging, along with research on the

interrelationships between disease and aging, including the nutritional needs ofthe aged

person.

Additional research is needed for further development in the areas of business,

industry, government, social agencies, and teacher education. The following examples

are instructive. As the United States continues to attempt to cope with the problem of

crime, some ofthe solutions to that problem may result from research on the nature and

causes of crime and the rehabilitation of criminals, the identification and monitoring of

40

"d restitution and community service projects used as conditions of probation, the prob-

lem of recidivj~m,the characteristics of the criminal, and the effectiveness of all phases

oflaw enforcement and corrections activities. In the governmental area, research will

be necessary to allow the public sector to make the best use of developing information

technology and to adapt effectively to the changing configuration of national, state, and

local roles ifthe concept of the New Federalism is fully implemented. As the pursuit of

quality in the public schools continues, most helpful will be research in areas such as:

the uses and abuses of standardized tests in all forms, educational programming that will

best prepare students to adapt to an increasingly technical society, and organizational

patterns in the elementary and secondary schools. As increasing numbers of mature

students enter colleges and universities, investigation of adult instructional and devel-

opmental theory will be important.

The importance of scholarly research in the various academic areas such as

literature, history, music, art, and philosophy cannot be discounted, for such research

contributes to the intellectual and spiritual as opposed to the physical well-being of

individuals. With the technological revolution must come a strengthened commitment

to an examination of values and the development of ideals. The ability to appreciate the

beautiful has an intrinsic value of its own. The nation must never lose sight of what is

most basic to human nature. It can never afford to feed the body while starving the soul.

Thus, the more traditional research in colleges and universities may well serve as a

bulwark against the development of a technocracy and the individual's subservience to

it.

No attempt has been made in the discussion above to catalog the vast array of

research activity conducted by the units of the University System or to provide a

comprehensive list of unmet research needs. The System is well equipped, if provided

the resources, to pursue the kinds of research indicated by the illustrative examples

given that will be critical to the solution of the state's human and economic problems

during the remainder of the eighties and beyond. While research is being conducted at

many of the System's 33 institutions, the major research activity is located at the

university level and is significantly supported by external funds. In the 1982 fiscal year,

the four universities received a total of $126,555,431 in research-related and contract

awards. Research conducted at both the fully developed research universities-the

Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia-and the developing

research universities-the Georgia State University and the Medical College of Geor-

gia-is attaining increasing national prominence with escalating importance to the

welfare of the State of Georgia.

Based on the data generated during the assessment activity and certain conclusions

reached after analysis of that data, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recom-

mends that:

the Board of Regents continue its overall commitment to research as an essential part of the educational mission of the University System of Georgia.
the Board encourage the development of extensive cooperative research relationships among the four university-level institutions.
the recommendations of the Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance related to research funding be implemented, partcularly the recommendations to allow System institutions to retain 85 percent of their indirect cost recoveries from sponsored research and other sponsored programs and to exempt the University System from the current budget lapse requirement.

41

e" the University System continue to seek the level of state funding and

extramural support that will maintain and strengthen the existing

research elements- in its several institutions, especially those which

have achieved national recognition.

continued financial support be provided to maintain the quality of research programs conducted by the Agricultural and Veterinary Medical and the Engineering Experiment Stations.

strong support be sought for biomedical and public health research pertinent to the needs of Georgia.

research in the public and social services area be designed to deal with a wide array of critical problems.

continued research effort be expended in areas designed to improve the understanding ofthe educative process and the performance ofthe public schools.

a major consideration in the setting of research priorities at university-level institutions continue to be the potential for improvement of the physical, social, and economic well-being of the citizens of Georgia; that the research universities continue to design research programs that respond to identified statewide needs and more localized but equally significant needs within the state; that the more localized research needs be met, where practical, by cooperative efforts involving sponsoring research universities and appropriate System colleges in the area in which the needs are centered.

PUBLIC SERVICE AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
Each ofthe 33 units of the University System includes as part of its overall mission a commitment to public service and continuing education. This component of higher education is a relatively recent development and involves the area in which there is the greatest interface between institutions and the communities they serve. Public constituents have requested and will continue to request those programs which allow them to participate in ongoing, professional development activities relating to their employment. Technological advances mandate timely upgrading 'of required skills and knowledge. Individuals not oriented to degree acquisition or to upgrading of skills have needs to satisfy their aspirations for personal growth and development. System institutions are uniquely qualified to offer the desired or needed services to those who have practical or personal goals in continuing their organized learning experiences.
Already broad, the scope of public service and continuing education activities will likely expand in the years ahead. The services offered by higher education include instructional services (sometimes credit courses, but generally non-credit) offered primarily for adults and designed either for the purpose ofupgrading of skills or personal development, applied research (fact finding and analysis related to a specific problem and designed to produce pragmatic solutions), consultation (the utlization ofthe special expertise available to apply to the solution of problems), and technical assistance (the completion of a specific task for a community, governmental agency, private organization, business, or industry). The public service/continuing education function will assume critical importance as the economy builds to the climax of the technological revolution. It can not only provide the means for "re-tooling" skills but also soften the blow of the displacements and disorientation created by that "revolution."

42

" The nature and scope of these activities depend up()n the resources of individual

institutions. '[ge flexibility of such programming allows institutions to respond quickly

to new needs for information and new areas of study. Increasingly, public service/con-

tinuing education programming will be located "in the field" -in communities, on

farms, in forests, in business offices, in industrial plants, on the streams and rivers, and

in virtually any place in Georgia where need exists. Further, the delivery of the services

will be highly influenced by the state's telecommunications system. Perhaps in no other

area of higher education will technological advances have more influence than in the

delivery of public service/continuing education services.

If the demands for these services are to be met, the state must recognize public

service/continuing education activities as a legitimate function of higher education.

Institutions must ensure that such programming is both of high quality and cost effec-

tive. Of crucial importance is the development of creative partnerships involving

governmental and private agencies, businesses, industries, and institutions of higher

education to determine the nature and extent of programming needs.

While the state's universities perform an important statewide role in public service

and the provision of continuing education opportunities (illustrated by the complex

activities of the Continuing Education Center at the University of Georgia), local

institutions must remain the centers for service and education in their communities.

Each institution in the System has many academic and extra-academic resources upon

which to draw; there are, of course, differences only in degree. Indicative of the broad

thrust of the University System is the fact that the people of Georgia had available

during the 1982 fiscal year over 10,000 programs in the public service/continuing educa-

tion area.

In the years ahead, the role of public service and continuing education will assume

even greater importance as the primary vehicle for delivery of life-long learning experi-

ences, for the maintenance of a good quality of life for the state's citizens, and for the

enrichment of their occupational, professional, and personal experiences.

Based on the results of the assessment study, the Assessment Coordinating Com-

mittee recommends that:

the recommendations of the Study Committee on Public Higher Education Finance relating to the funding ofpublic service and continuing education activities be implemented.
institutions of the University System continue to provide the general public in their service areas with cultural opportunities such as art exhibits, dramatic productions, lectures, and other programming which enrich the intellect and expand the spirit.
the System expand its programs of applied research and extension to improve the productivity and growth potential of Georgia firms; that senior and junior colleges in the System which have the necessary physical and human resources establish formal mechanisms for the delivery of information and technical assistance to business and industry; that these organizations work closely with existing Centers and Institutes with parallel missions at the System's university-level institutions; that the Small Business Development Center and Industrial Extension Division models be utilized for the coordination ofthe individual institutional efforts recommended above.
the System continue to support the offering of continuing education programs for health professionals by those institutions equipped to provide them; that these programs be designed to meet the expressed

,~

43

"J heeds of practitioners and to transmit the latest information available

relative to pt'eventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques; that

System institutions develop a wide range of service activities in the

health area designed to educate the general public in preventive

health measures.

System institutions continue to offer support services designed to provide technical assistance and personnel retraining for governmental agencies at all levels and non-profit social agencies.

the units ofthe System with teacher preparation programs continue to work closely with local school systems to develop in-service (or staff development) programs for teachers in the public schools; that formal lines of communication be established between the local school systems and System institutions to provide a free flow of information both internally and externally and to develop an integrated program of quality improvement at all levels of public education.

System institutions work cooperatively with appropriate state and local governments and with private businesses and industries to develop those service activities which will assist in the training of individuals to meet the demands of a technological age.

ADDITIONAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The statewide assessment activity has resulted in the compilation of a great deal of valuable information not before available in one source. In the conduct of the project, however, the difficulty of obtaining data for some areas became clear and, in many cases, the accuracy and reliability of the data obtained were questionable.
The Assessment Coordinating Committee, therefore, recommends that:
the Board of Regents initiate an effort to develop an information system for the collection and analysis ofdata important as the basis for decision-making in higher education; that this effort be made cooperatively with federal and other state agencies-especially the State Departments of Education, Labor, and Human Resources.
Each unit of the University System prepared a Needs Assessment for its service area. These assessments are valuable documents because of their contribution to the statewide assessment. They have even greater value as a guide for short-term development and long-range planning for the institutions themselves.
Therefore, the Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:
each unit of the University System utilize fully the results of the institutional needs assessment to respond, within the parameters of the goals and directions set by the Board of Regents, to local and specific needs identified; that each institution establish a formal program ofneeds assessment to be conducted on a periodic basis to ensure that it continues to serve the legitimate and often changing needs ofits constituencies.
Likewise, the value of the statewide assessment indicates the need for the expansion of the current activity into a formalized and periodic practice. Both the University System

44

-, and its various units realize that today's findings and conclusions may not meet tomor-

row's challen~~s. Needs assessment must be continuous.

The Assessment Coordinating Committee recommends that:

the Board of Regents refine and continue the statewide needs assessment process in order to ensure that the University System ofGeorgia remains fully aware at any given time ofthe services that public higher education should be providing the citizens ofthe state and that System responses to demonstrable needs are characterized by a high level of quality in its programs of instruction, research, and public service.

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THE EIGHTIES AND BEYOND

--- A_SUMMARY STATEMENT

The statewide assessment activity has been completed with the understanding that the University System of Georgia is an effective mechanism for a cohesive and coordinated response to the public higher education needs of the state, and that this mechanism can be utilized to deliver services efficiently and without waste of public funds. While the aspirations of individual institutions are to be heard with understanding and with care, the ultimate consideration must be the overall nature of specific educational needs and how best to respond to those needs-whether the response should be System oriented or should be the responsibility of individual institutions.
As the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia looks toward the twenty-first century and to its second half-century of service, it remains committed to the basic operating principle articulated by the first Board in 1932-the responsibility to determine what will best serve the educational interests of the state as a whole. Both in numbers served and in the quality of the service provided, the University System has made enormous advances, particularly since the 1960s. The challenges that lie ahead are formidable but not impossible to meet successfully. The general welfare ofthe people of the State of Georgia can be guaranteed only to the degree that quality education is provided at all levels for their benefit and enlightenment. As the technological revolution matures, the expectations of public higher education will heighten. To meet those expectations will require a broad base ofunderstanding and-above all-a commitment to excellence.
The Board of Regents and the institutions it governs cannot alone meet the challenges to public higher education during the remainder of the eighties and beyond. Meeting those challenges successfully will require widespread public support and the fullest possible understanding of and generous funding support by the state's Governors and General Assemblies. The common good dictates that all who are responsible for public higher education work in concert to ensure that the State of Georgia and its people will be at the forefront of progress among the fifty states as the new century dawns.

Cost: $3.8oo.oo/Quantity: 2,500 UPD 845111-83