Regents converge at NGCSU
From Dahlonega Nugget
Published on: Oct. 21, 2009
By Wayne Knuckles
It was a long time coming, but everyone agreed it was well worth the wait.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia met for two days on the campus of North Georgia College & State University last week.
The board, which oversees 35 colleges and universities across the state - including North Georgia - had a chance to see first hand the facilities and programs available to the more than 5,000 students who pursue their studies through the Dahlonega institution.
The Board of Regents meets monthly, but it had been at least 20 years since they held a regular meeting at North Georgia. And a scheduled meeting last year was cancelled due to budget constraints.
"This is the star," said Robert Hatcher, chairman of the Board of Regents, when asked his impressions of the local college.
Hatcher praised the leadership at North Georgia for their vision and for constantly improving the quality of education they offer students each year. He said he and his fellow Regents were also impressed by the welcoming spirit of the entire community.
"The hospitality is overwhelming," Hatcher said. "The people of Dahlonega have just been so helpful. They've been super."
For North Georgia President Dr. David Potter, having the Regents on campus presented a unique chance to showcase the college.
"It's a great opportunity for us to to demonstrate what we're about at North Georgia, to have the Regents see the beautiful setting we have here and to personalize what we're trying to do," Potter said. "It's an unparalleled opportunity to brag about our vision."
Between numerous business sessions last Tuesday and Wednesday, the Regents had a chance to soak up some local flavor and participate in a formal review of the Boar's Head Brigade at the college.
In his welcoming remarks at Tuesday's opening session, Potter told the Regents North Georgia is dedicated to providing leadership across all areas of its learning programs.
"Our pursuit of all these leadership themes is guided and inspired by the university's core values, as identified in the institution's mission statement," Potter said. "The North Georgia values that guide us are courage, integrity, loyalty, respect, service, truth and wisdom. Leadership in living our values means asking ourselves and our colleagues to aspire to the highest standards of personal and professional behavior."
As one of only six senior military colleges in the nation, North Georgia last year had 16 cadets in the top 20 percent of the nation merit list last year, Potter told the Regents.
"This year, North Georgia outperformed all other senior military colleges on the National Order of Merit List," he added.
The Board of Regents also conducted several items of business during their visit, including giving approval to a new core curriculum policy for its member institutions, which will take effect in 2010 for four-year schools and 2012 for two-year schools.
Under the new rules, each school will have more flexibility in deciding how to divide up the 42 hours that make up the core curriculum.
"Instead of specifying the number of hours in each core, this specifies a minimum number," said George Rainbolt of Georgia State University, a member of the Core Curriculum Evaluation Committee.
The exceptions to the new flexibility will be in the areas of natural sciences, math and technology, where a minimum of 10 hours will still be required.
"The purpose of a liberal arts education today is to provide people with the education they need to have options," Rainbolt said.
The new rules will also make it easier to transfer credits.
The Board of Regents is composed of 18 members, five of whom are appointed from the state at-large, and one each from each of the state's 13 congressional districts. The governor appoints new members to the board, who each serve for seven years.
The board oversees 35 colleges and universities, including four research universities, two regional universities, 13 state universities, eight state collegs and eight two-year colleges.
These institutions enroll more than 283,000 students and employ over 40,000 faculty and staff to provide teaching and related services to students and the communities they serve.
From www.thedahloneganugget.com/articles/2009/10/21/news/01%20regents.txt
