Vol. 35, No. 2, March 1999
SPECIAL ISSUE: FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGYThe Board of Regents moved a step closer at the March board meeting toward accelerating technology's integration throughout the University System of Georgia, with the first reading of proposed principles that will impact educational delivery and access.
According to Dr. James L. Muyskens, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University System of Georgia, who presented the principles to the regents at their monthly board meeting, "The educational demands of the 21st century are driving the need to develop and adopt such principles." Larger segments of society are requiring continuous learning, which "will both force and require a transformation of higher education," noted Muyskens. "Our challenge is to make that transition as smooth and effective as possible."
Muyskens said the 21st century may best be described as "the Age of Learning," because "more people everywhere are involved in acquiring new knowledge and skills continuously throughout their lives."
The key factor in making the transition from a more traditional method of educational delivery to a technology-focused approach will be the successful integration of technology into every aspect of the higher education environment, including teaching and learning, student services, public service, research and management. For the University System, the development and adoption of principles to guide this transition is the first step in that process.
The principles are organized under four headings, which include:
Dr. Kris Biesinger, assistant vice chancellor for distance education and academic innovation, who joined Dr. Muyskens in presenting the principles to the board, cited the changing health care environment to illustrate the changes one might see in higher education. "Today, you can drive by a hospital and it will look the same as it did several years ago," she said. "But inside, it is much more technologically advanced. That is how we will start looking at the University System of Georgia's college campuses in the 21st century."
Since September, the Board of Regents has engaged in an extensive study of technology's impact on higher education, first reviewing the current landscape and the entrepreneurship that has taken place on the System's campuses.
The principles presented today will culminate in policy adoption, which will provide guidance on many unresolved issues � such as cost, quality and content duplication � that have developed with technology's exponential growth and utilization in higher education.
The first reading allowed the Board to react to the proposed principles. A final version will be brought to the Board in April for their approval, following which action items will be developed and presented for adoption in June 1999. ¶
[ Contents ]The following capital projects from the Board of Regents' major and minor capital priority list were funded by the General Assembly in the FY99 Amended Budget. Projects 7 and 8 on the major capital list already are in planning and design. The budget is awaiting Governor Roy Barnes' signature.
Major Capital Projects[ Contents ]
"This is an excellent opportunity for students to post their resumes at a central location."
-- Barry Fullerton
A new University System of Georgia economic development initiative which offers a one-stop, cost-effective way for companies to recruit qualified employees is now online. The initiative, called GeorgiaHire, allows students and alumni of Georgia's public colleges and universities to add their resumes to a statewide database for review by employers and search for jobs posted by companies. The initiative was presented to the Board of Regents at the February meeting.
"This is an excellent opportunity for students to post their resumes at a central location," said Dr. Barry Fullerton, vice chancellor for student services. "It gives them a chance to put themselves into the job market whether they are still in school, or graduates of one of our institutions."
GeorgiaHireSystem funding for start-up of this project -- $100,000 -- came from the Board of Regents' special funding initiative, Connecting Students and Services. Of this total, $70,000 covered hardware purchases and was provided to participating instituions as challenge grants to be matched by the recipient. The remaining $30,000 of the start-up funding was used to cover the cost for license fees, customization and the development of a public service announcement.
The program is a facet of Georgia's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), which helps the University System of Georgia play a strategic role in elevating Georgia's economy. ICAPP Access, of which GeorgiaHire is a product, is one of four major operating components which provide user-friendly access for businesses to the resources of the University System.
"GeorgiaHire is another way to leverage the System's contribution to the state's economic development," said Annie Hunt Burriss, assistant vice chancellor for development and economic services. "We have conducted surveys of businesses to see what they desire from our students, and now we are presenting them with a pool of potential employees from which to choose."
Companies can conduct searches of the resume database by inputting key words, which target individuals matching a company's particular workforce needs. There is no charge for students to post their resumes, and a small fee for companies to post job openings and company profiles. Companies can broaden the impact of their participation by linking their home page to GeorgiaHire's web site.
GeorgiaHire is powered by JOBTRAK, one of the largest Internet employment sites. Prospective employers or employees can locate GeorgiaHire's website at: http://www.GeorgiaHire.com ¶
[ Contents ] On CampusOnce the word gets out about the "wow" rooms on each of Georgia Perimeter College's four campuses, foreign languages classes may be the first to close at registration. The new foreign language labs are technologically equipped to make learning interactive, state-of-the-art and exciting. The labs, modeled after the Classroom of the 21st Century at Southern Adventist College in Collegedale, Tenn., are among the most advanced in the University System.
Language LabUsing a $400,000 grant from the Board of Regents, each lab has been equipped with an AMX control panel, which offers at a specially designed podium a single point-of-fingertip control for a direct satellite feed, ceiling-mounted projector, instructor's computer, VCR, DVD player, and ELMO visual presenter (an updated overhead projector). The most versatile item in the room is the SMART Board, a whiteboard/computer screen/television screen/record saver that is approximately 3.5' x4'.
The "smart" classrooms can have applications in an array of subjects, even though they are specifically designed for foreign language classes. Students have access to satellite programming from 33 nations. The Dunwoody lab will be used to teach Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Swahili, which are offered through the college's Critical Languages Program.
Necdet Tasova, director of educational technologies said, "These labs are our pride and joy...they'll make students want to take a foreign language and make learning fun." ¶
[ Contents ]US Senator Paul Coverdell (R.-GA) recently taught an administrative ethics class to 10 sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson, stationed in the Persian Gulf. The class was conducted via the live and two-way GSAMS (Georgia Academic and Medical System) teleconferencing system. The sailors are taking courses through the master's of public administration program at Georgia College & State University.
The event, organized by Dr. Hank Edmondson, associate professor of political science and public administration, took place in the GSAMS teleconferencing room in the Sloppy Floyd Twin Towers Building in Atlanta. "Hank Edmondson did a terrific job organizing this event.....The senator gave such an interesting talk to our students and the technology worked well despite everything that is going on in that area of the world," said Georgia College President Rosemary DePaolo. She welcomed the crew prior to the senator's lecture and later talked with the senator on issues important to GC&SU, such as funding for a new library and enhancing the distance learning program on the USS Carl Vinson. ¶
[ Contents ]The University of Georgia's Terry College of Business has been ranked first in research productivity, according to a recently published analysis of the nation's two leading Management Information System research journals. And not far behind UGA, in fourth place, was Georgia State University.
According to the publications analysis of both MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research conducted between 1993 and 1997 by two Purdue University professors, the Terry College of Business has the most productive researchers in one of the hottest careers in business: management information systems. In the analysis, Terry College faculty were credited with authoring/co-authoring 12 of 210 published papers.
Thirty universities were ranked in the analysis. Trailing UGA was University of California-Irvine, MIT, Georgia State University and the University of British Columbia.
"This ranking of research productivity validates that we have some of the best minds in the field of management information systems on our faculty," said P. George Benson, dean of the Terry College of Business. "Having both UGA and Georgia State University in the top five underscores the kind of MIS expertise that is available to high-tech managers in metro Atlanta. There is no doubt that research productivity in an emerging field like management information systems is a competitive advantage for the state of Georgia." ¶
[ Contents ]In May of 1998, the Board of Regents approved an innovative ladder program for Clayton College & State University. Clayton went into high gear and in the fall of 1998 the institution enrolled 243 students in a number of fields in demand by employers including: database administration, general information technology, information technology management and network planning design management .
For the winter 1999 semester, an additional 212 students were enrolled in the info. tech. degree courses, for a total of 445 students in one academic year. Many of these students chose the certificate program, that will quickly prepare them for the workforce while still allowing them to work towards their baccalaureate degree. ¶
[ Contents ]The State University of West Georgia will be the next University System institution to require all students to have access to a personal computer (PC) for class-related and research projects. Georgia Tech, Floyd College and Clayton College & State University already require students to have a PC.
The move by West Georgia is based on one of three recommendations made by the institution's Technology Planning Committee, formed by Dr. Tim Hynes in Academic Affairs.
Dr. Will Lloyd, the Computing and Technology Committee chair, said: "The plan is motivated by West Georgia's emphasis on learning and teaching � students will benefit from access to courseware, on-line databases, library materials, and discussion groups, campus networks and the Internet (and) teachers will be able to offer their classes a richer and more personalized environment.''
In addition to student access to computers, the university will focus resources on network maintenance, development and support, and will replace the ad hoc committee with a permanent group representing student, faculty and administrative interests and concerns relating to technology's future at West Georgia.
"The university must embrace the technology age ... this plan reflects a balanced strategy to achieve that connection. It also reflects extensive student, faculty and staff discussion about meeting that goal in ways most consistent with our mission. It reflects a shared vision of technology as a way to meet the learning needs of students and faculty, and is not an end in itself," stated Hyne. ¶
[ Contents ]The Gainesville College paralegal program has become one of only three such programs in the state of Georgia and the first in the University System to receive American Bar Association (ABA) approval. The class of 2000 will be the first to graduate with the approval.
"This is quite a feather in our cap," said Joan Marler, the paralegal program director. "Our graduates are now guaranteed transfer to other ABA-approved institutions without loss of credit. Many law firms prefer to hire paralegals who have graduated from an ABA-approved institution," she said. ¶
[ Contents ]Savannah State University has been granted Level III membership by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to continue offering graduate programs and to expand its graduate programs with full accreditation.
"This is a big first step toward our goal of attaining professional accreditation for both the Master's of Public Administration and the Master's of Social Work programs," said Dr. Carlton E. Brown, president of Savannah State. "With the recent appointment of Dr. George Williams as the new graduate studies dean, this reclassification paves the path for us to further expand graduate program offerings here at Savannah State."
The next step in the professional accreditation process is a site visit by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in April. The MPA program will pursue accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). NASPAA requires that an MPA program be in existence for four years to be considered for accreditation. Savannah State's MPA program is currently in its third year and is preparing to begin self-study.
Savannah State is a key player in the Board of Regents 1996 special funding initiative, "The Next Step: Taking Graduate Education to the Next Level," which has received almost $12 million in funding from the General Assembly to strengthen selected graduate programs at the Medical College of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, UGA, Fort Valley State University, Albany State University, along with Savannah State. ¶
[ Contents ]Shawn Mullins, a 1990 graduate of North Georgia College & State University, was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his number one hit, "Lullaby." The song is currently on Billboard Magazine's Adult Top 40 chart, after Atlanta radio station WNNXZ-FM99X spotted it as a potential hit. ¶
[ Contents ]Chancellor Stephen Portch has appointed Dr. Barry Fullerton, vice chancellor for student services, to head up a task force to investigate the responsiveness to needs for child-care facilities for University System students, faculty and staff. Based upon the groups initial meeting, held on March 12, the next steps are to conduct an inventory of current services, and identify best practices for campus child-care services. The Task Force is expected to complete its work no later than June 1, 1999, and submit its recommendations to the Chancellor by July 1, 1999. ¶
[ Contents ]The Georgia Chapter of the American Concrete Institute awarded the First Place Award in the Special category to Albany State University, for the institution's University Bridge and Pedestrian Mall Project. The project was planned by the University, Rosser/Russell (program manager) and Alcon Associates, Inc.,(construction manager) as part of the recovery project to rebuild Albany State after the 1994 Flint River flood. A first place award in the university facilities category was given to the Children's Medical Center at the Medical College of Georgia. ¶
[ Contents ]Georgia is among the top 10 states for increases in appropriations for college operations and student aid over the past five years. A survey by the Center for Higher Education at Illinois State University reports that state budgets for higher education are considered to be the "healthiest" they have been since 1990. The trend seems especially true in the Southeast. ¶
[ Contents ]At the midpoint of its year-long review of technology in higher education, the Board of Regents turned during its February meeting from a look at the types of technology available and how it is being used in the classroom to the financial side of the issue.
And it is how technology will change the way costs are determined that will have the biggest impact on higher education. This is so because finance is one of the main levers states have to impact education policy. This was the perspective of Dewayne Matthews, senior program director with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, based in Boulder, Colo., who presented to the Board.
Matthews' examined the costs and benefits of distance education and how new instructional technology is creating innovative models of financing for higher education.
The presentation was prefaced by remarks from Senior Vice Chancellor James Muyskens, who noted that the issue of technology and higher education "is really a revolution before us. The new technology is truly changing teaching and learning in ways television alone has not. Our task is to determine if we are on the right path," Muyskens said. Muyskens emphasized that it was important to keep sight of the fact that the University System is in the business of education. "If the people who had owned the railroads 80 years ago had known that their core business was transportation, today they would own the airlines," he said.
"If the people who had owned the railroads 80 years ago had known that their core business was transportation, today they would own the airlines."
-- James Muyskens, Senior Vice Chancellor
Thus the regents must evaluate how the technology and its funding work to maintain the University System's ability to fulfill its core mission of teaching, research and service.
"All higher education institutions are seeing the ability of other providers to come in and serve students in what were once considered core markets," Matthews said. So while the mission will remain the same, how it will be accomplished will change, Matthews pointed out. Some of the new realities in higher education Matthews noted are:
These new realities will have significant impact on how higher education functions, but the greatest impact of technology will be on finances, Matthews said -- how it changes cost structures.
Under traditional methods of determining educational costs, the more students that are added to a program, the greater the costs. There are very low costs for program development. But, Matthews explained, under the new, technology-driven model, costs for program development are fairly high initially, and costs then stabilize as students enter the program. He gave an example of a core science course for Phoenix University that entailed an upfront, $6 million investment just for development, with costs to be recouped once the program was rolled out.
Matthews has identified five key implications of these new realities on higher-education finance.
As Chancellor Portch noted, many distance education problems result from undercapitalization. "They don't make the necessary upfront investment � successful implementation will depend upon a public/private funding partnership," Portch said.
The University System already has established a national leadership role in this area, Muyskens noted, with initiatives such as Connecting Students and Services (see the GeorgiaHIRE project article on this page), PeachNet and the GALILEO statewide electronic library.
States must be able to make strategic investments in their higher education systems. "It is not enough to figure out what needs to happen and then just divide up the dollars and parcel it out to institutions and expect to make it happen," Matthews said. Rather, the new realities mean that the investment has to be made at the state or System level in order to achieve the desired impact .
Faculty roles also will become a key question in state policy, Matthews said. ¶
[ Contents ]Dr. Bruce F. Grube, president of St. Cloud State University, in St. Cloud, Minn., was named president of Georgia Southern University on March 10, 1999, by the Board of Regents on the recommendation of University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch.
Dr. Bruce GrubeGrube will join Georgia Southern in July, as the eleventh president of the University System's fifth-largest institution (13,900 students). He has served as president of St. Cloud State University since 1995, a highly accredited, comprehensive institution, with approximately 14,000 students and 1,300 faculty. It is the second largest university in Minnesota and the largest in the Minnesota State Colleges and University System.
Highlights of Grube's administration include increasing the academic quality, securing funding for a $34 million library, and moving the university toward its first capital campaign, which began in Nov. 1998 with 50 percent raised.
"Bruce Grube's experience and leadership are a perfect match for Georgia Southern. I'm truly excited about his appointment," said Chancellor Portch. "He is a skilled leader, with a deep appreciation for the role of a regional university within a state system. He is also a people person, with strong interpersonal skills that will serve him well as he develops relationships and partnerships with the many friends of Georgia Southern. We look forward to his success here."
From 1992-1995, Grube served as provost at the University of Southern Colorado, in Pueblo, Colo., with responsibilities as the chief academic officer and the chief operations officer. He also was responsible for administration of the Pueblo School for the Arts and Sciences, the University's PBS affiliate television station, KTSC-TV, and for fundraising and development.
Prior to this position, Grube had moved up through the administrative and academic ranks at California State Polytechnic University, in Pomona, Calif., including serving as provost and academic vice president from 1987-1992, being responsible for all academic and faculty programs, including Cal Poly's Kellogg-West Center. From 1985-1987, he served as associate vice president of planning, and as associate vice president of administration from 1983-1985. In addition, he served on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Teaching and Learning for the California State University System.
Grube began his career as an instructor at the University of Texas, Austin. He also served briefly on the faculty of John Jay College, a unit of the City University of New York.
Grube received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, in Austin, Texas, focusing on American government and politics, public administration and comparative politics. He earned his A.B., also in political science, from the University of California, in Berkeley, Calif.
Grube's wife, Kathryn, takes an active role in the community. She currently serves on the board of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra at St. Benedict's, the Girl Scouts, the United Way and several other organizations. ¶[ Top ]
Kenneth W. Cannestra
Atlanta
VICE-CHAIR
Thomas F. Allgood, Sr.
Augusta
David H. "Hal" Averitt
Statesboro
Juanita Powell Baranco
Lithonia
S. William Clark Jr.
Waycross
J. Tom Coleman, Jr.
Savannah
Hilton Hatchett Howell, Jr.
Atlanta
Warren Y. Jobe
Dunwoody
Charles H. Jones
Macon
Donald M. Leebern, Jr.
Columbus
Elridge W. McMillan
Atlanta
Edgar L. Rhodes
Bremen
Glenn S. White
Lawrenceville
Stephen R. Portch
CHANCELLOR
Gail S. Weber
SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
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