Page Content Local Links Main Links
Take a campus tour. Dr. Dorothy Leland
Biography
Dr. Dorothy Leland became the 10th president of Georgia College & State University on January 1, 2004 following her appointment by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. At Georgia College, she oversees a residential liberal arts campus and two commuter centers with a combined enrollment of more than 5,600 students and almost 800 faculty and staff.
During her tenure at Georgia College, Dr. Leland has focused on initiatives designed to enrich the undergraduate learning experience and to enhance the university's reputation for educational excellence.
As a result, Georgia College has broadened its student recruitment base, seen steady improvement in student qualifications, retention and graduation rates, and has emerged as one of the top comprehensive universities in the South in a number of prominent national rankings.
Dr. Leland has made "learning beyond the classroom" a hallmark of the university's undergraduate experience, which is reflected by significant increases in student participation in study abroad programs, undergraduate research, and service learning. She also has focused attention on building stronger links between academic and student affairs through a robust residential college initiative.
In her role as President, Dr. Leland also has brought the university significant national and international attention for the innovative use of technology to enhance learning. She supported the implementation of Georgia's first 7-12 Early College program, which benefits children in the local community. She also has focused on building the infrastructure needed to improve alumni outreach and donor support. Her strategic positioning process has identified academic program "pillars of distinction" for future focus and investment as the institution prepares for its first major fund-raising campaign.
Other accomplishments during President Leland's tenure include significant capital improvements. She was the 2006 recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, recognizing her comprehensive approach to the adaptive re-use and rehabilitation of historic buildings on campus. More recently, she led efforts to purchase the historic Campus Theatre in downtown Milledgeville. Under her plan, the long abandoned art-deco building will be restored as a retail bookstore and performance space for use by both the university and community. And, in 2007, the University System of Georgia recognized Georgia College with its "Excellence in Public-Private Ventures Award" for its West Campus student housing improvements and its success in making these facilities a destination of choice for students.
Dr. Leland also spearheaded the creation of the new Center for Graduate and Professional Learning in downtown Macon, Georgia. Opened in April 2007, the Center offers graduate degrees responsive to area workforce needs, as well as continuing education opportunities for working professionals. The project was recognized for its positive impact on the city, receiving the 2007 "Partner in Progress" award from NewTown Macon, an economic redevelopment agency.
Prior to leading Georgia College, Leland served as vice president of the Boca Raton Campus of Florida Atlantic University. The campus serves 17,000 students and is home to seven academic colleges, as well as the university's Division I intercollegiate athletic program. She also served as associate provost, as executive director of university strategic planning, and as director of the Women's Studies Center at Florida Atlantic.
During her tenure at Florida Atlantic, she received the President's Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to the university. In 2002-2003, she was a protégé of the Millennium Leadership Initiative, a year-long program for future presidents and chancellors that is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges & Universities.
Dr. Leland is a graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a B.A. in English in 1971, a M.A. in American Studies in 1973, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1979.
After completing her studies at Purdue, she held faculty positions at California State University-Northridge, California State University-Chico, and at the University of California-Santa Cruz. She returned to Purdue University in 1993 as co-director of its Doctoral Program in Philosophy and Literature, and as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy. At Purdue, she also served as the first full-time director of the Women's Resource Center. In addition, she co-directed a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on the "Linguistic Turn in Continental Philosophy" and led significant initiatives in the human relations area.
Dr. Leland's work at Purdue won her awards for excellence in teaching, and she was tenured and promoted to the rank of associate professor of philosophy.
Currently, Dr. Leland serves as chair of the American Association of State Colleges & Universities' policies and purposes committee, which serves as the organization's "think tank." She is also an officer of the Southern University Conference, an organization of college and university presidents from prominent Southern institutions who gather annually to deliberate on significant academic and intellectual issues. And, she is the current president of the Division II Peach Belt Athletic Conference.
Dr. Leland has an extensive record of volunteer service. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in India during the late 1970s. She currently serves on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, as well as on a number of educational and philanthropic boards. These include the Andalusia-Flannery O'Connor Foundation, the Oconee River Greenway Foundation, the Middle Georgia United Way, the Page Foundation, and the Georgia Council on Economic Education. In 2006, Georgia Trend magazine included her on its prestigious list of 50 "notable Georgians."
In addition to her service to educational and philanthropic organizations, Dr. Leland volunteers as a mentor to future presidents and chancellors through programs sponsored by the American Council on Education, and by the American Association of State Colleges & Universities. She is also a mentor to students at Georgia College through its Georgia Education Mentorship Programs, which pairs Georgia College students with state leaders in a unique mentoring program. Her commitment to mentoring others also was evident at Florida Atlantic University where she served as the volunteer director of an innovative higher education leadership program in collaboration with several other South Florida institutions.
Dr. Leland's experience in the Peace Corps formed the foundation of her support for increased study abroad opportunities for Georgia College students, and prepared her to lead a University System of Georgia initiative called "Strong Foundations for a Global Future." The program will restructure and internationalize the core curriculum framework that governs most of the first two years of undergraduate education in the University System's 35 member institutions.
Dr. Leland holds the rank of professor of philosophy and is the author of numerous academic publications and conference presentations. She is the mother of one son, Eric, and the grandmother of Jonah Renee.
Links
Main Links
Text Version | myCATS | A to Z Index | Site Map | Campus Directory | Contact Us | Giving to GCSU
Milledgeville, GA 31061 | (478) 445-5004 | 800-342-0471 | webmaster@gcsu.edu
