NGCSU presidential finalists named

ATLANTA - (Nov. 3) - Three finalists for the presidency of North Georgia College & State University were announced today by the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith.

The finalists were identified via a five-month search process, during which candidates met with a campus-based search committee and the Regents Special Search Committee.

"As one of the nation's six senior military colleges, North Georgia's dual mission of liberal arts and leadership education calls for a president with unique abilities," said Meredith. "Any one of these three finalists are eminently qualified to lead this important institution at this point in its history."

The three finalists are:

Dr. Guy Bailey, provost and executive vice president at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Bailey has 25 years of higher education experience in the U.S. and abroad. He served in a variety of administrative positions since joining UTSA in 1997, culminating in his current appointment in 2002. From 1992 to 2002, he served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Previously, Bailey was interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs from 1998 to1999, and dean of graduate studies and associate vice president of research from 1997 to 1998. Bailey was dean of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1995 to 1997 and professor and chair of the department of English at the University of Memphis, in Memphis, Tenn. from 1993 to 1995. The year 1993 found Bailey abroad, teaching as a professor for a seminar on American Sociolinguistics at the University of Regensburg, in Regensburg, Germany. Bailey's earlier higher education background includes teaching posts at Emory University, in Atlanta; Texas A&M University, in College Station; and Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater. A specialist in linguistics, Bailey received both a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English linguistics from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; he earned his doctorate in English linguistics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Bailey also conducted postdoctoral work at the City University of New York, Stanford University, Calif., and Emory University.

Dr. Kendall A. Blanchard, professor of business and anthropology, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colo . In addition to his current teaching duties at Fort Lewis College, Blanchard also served as the College's president from 1999 to 2002. He held several teaching and administrative posts at other institutions prior to joining Fort Lewis, including professorship of anthropology and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee-Martin, from 1995 to 1999. Blanchard also served as professor of anthropology and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas from 1991 to 1995. He joined Lamar from Emporia State University, in Emporia, Kan., where he had served as professor of anthropology and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 1987 to 1991. Earlier, Blanchard taught and served as chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University, in Murfreesboro, from 1978 to 1987. He has taught at other colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, including Tartu University in Tartu, Estonia. Blanchard earned a B.A. in English, history and philosophy from Olivet Nazarene College, in Kankakee, Ill.; a M. Div. in religion studies in anthropology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.; and both a M.A. in general anthropology and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Southern Methodist University, in Dallas. He did postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore.

Dr. David L. Potter, commissioner of Higher Education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning . Potter has served in his current position as the chief executive officer for the Board of Trustees overseeing the eight public universities in Mississippi since 2003. Prior to his current appointment, Potter served as president of Delta State University, in Cleveland, Miss., from 1999 to 2003. He held a number of teaching and administrative positions at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., from 1987 to 1999, including provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, vice president for Executive Affairs, executive assistant to the president, and adjunct faculty in the department of sociology and anthropology. Potter also gained extensive administrative experience at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, serving in a number of posts between 1981 and 1986 for this state coordinating agency for higher education. He also has held administrative and teaching posts at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, N.Y.; Denison University, in Granville, Ohio; and Silliman University, in Dumaguete, Philippines. He earned his B.A. cum laude in history from Amherst College, in Mass., and both his M.A. and Ph.D. in social science from Syracuse University.

The Board of Regents is expected to act on the North Georgia College & State University presidential appointment during its Nov. 17 meeting.

NGCSU cadets parade on campus Oct. 25

The annual Fall Faculty & Staff Review takes place on Monday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. on the Drill Field in the heart of the North Georgia College & State University campus.

The university's Corps of Cadets, with more than 600 of the university's 4,600 students participating, will march onto the field with the award-winning Color Guard, accompanied by the Golden Eagle Band (shown right). The event will include a special performance by the Blue Ridge Rifles, the nationally competitive precision drill team.

Dr. Andy Schaffer, assistant professor of business administration and a faculty advisor for North Georgia's unique leadership minor, will be the featured speaker.

The event is free and open to the public.

'The Passion of Dracula' on stage at NGCSU

DAHLONEGA -  The North Georgia College and State University Student Theatre Guild will stage "The Passion of Dracula" during the week of Halloween, Oct. 27-31.

"I want to scare people silly," said Kevin Mace, director of the Bob Hall and David Richmond adaptation of Bram Stoker's horror classic. "We are combining traditional staging of the classic vampire tale, with a techno-noir look similar to the film 'The Matrix.' It should be an unusual production, to say the least."

The production is scheduled for Oct. 27-30 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct.31 at 2 p.m. in the NGCSU Hoag Student Center Auditorium in Dahlonega.

The NGCSU "Dracula" adaptation includes Romanian native Veronica Chiorescu, whose country is part of historical Transylvania. Michael Stoll of Kennesaw, Ga., plays the part of Dracula.

Tickets are $5 and go on sale Oct. 14. To reserve tickets and for more information, call 706-867-2760. Payment may be made at the box office the night of the play.

Other characters include fearless vampire hunter Van Helsing (Andrew Eade), Mina Murray, Dracula's obsession (Lucy Cousins), mental patient Renfield (Missy Johnson), and the three vampire brides of Dracula (Jennifer Morrison, Adrienne Stevens, and Haley Howard).

Mace, the director of the NGCSU theatre program, plans to keep up the thrills and suspense on March 2-6, 2005, when the Student Theatre Guild presents Simon Moore's 1999 adaptation of Stephen King's "Misery."

For more information on "Misery's" ticket prices, contact Mace at 706-867-2760.

MONTANA SKIES: Prior to the November release of their new CD, "Chasing the Sun," the guitar and cello duo "Montana Skies" will perform in two free concerts at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega. Part of the Nix Living Heritage Fine Arts Series, the event featuring the music of Jonathan and Jennifer Adams takes place at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium on campus. A reception takes place after the evening concert.

Author speaks Oct. 11 on personal journey in railroad industry

DAHLONEGA -  Linda G. Niemann, author of "Boomer: A Railroad Journey," "On the Rails: A Woman's Journey," and "Railroad Voices," will give a reading on Oct. 11 at 7:30 p. m. in the Health and Natural Sciences Auditorium on the campus of North Georgia College & State University. The event is free and open to the public.

The books chronicle Niemann's 20-year career on the railroad, doing the physical labor of switching cars and coupling long lines of cars in the Southwestern United States and eventually becoming a conductor.

She had applied for a railroad job shortly after earning her Ph. D. at the University of California Berkeley, but women weren't hired for such physically demanding labor.  During President Jimmy Carter's administration, however, the hiring practices changed and Niemann was hired on the Southern Pacific in California. While struggling in the male-dominated world of railroading, Niemann dealt with the demons of drug abuse, personal relationships, self-realization, and her mother's advancing dementia.

Niemann's work has been described as gritty, honest, and lyrical, and, like Jack Kerouac, Niemann explores the connections between physical exhaustion and spiritual renewal, often in places so desolate that self-reflection is often the only pastime.

The event is sponsored by the NGCSU Visiting Writers Committee.

NGCSU negatively affected by budget cuts

DAHLONEGA -  North Georgia College & State University must absorb additional and unexpected budgetary reductions in the current fiscal year. 

The University System of Georgia's budget has been slashed by $382 million since late 2001. Now, with $68.7 additional costs to the USG mandated by the Office of Planning and Budget to balance the state's budget, North Georgia, one of 34 public educational institutions in the state system, must deal with an additional budget reduction of $781,961.

The university's cumulative budget cuts for FY 2005 total $3,716,379, counting previous hits since this year's budget was established just over a year ago. Cumulative cuts for North Georgia's last fiscal year, 2004, totaled $4,479,808.

NGCSU President Nathaniel Hansford remains optimistic about the ability of faculty and staff to deal with the cuts and maintain the university's growth and momentum, despite no pay raises in FY 04 and a 2 percent pay raise delayed six months in FY 05.

"Our intention is to proceed with caution as we evaluate personnel, i.e. faculty and staff, positions," said Hansford. "We certainly will not be able to fill all vacancies when faculty and staff leave or retire. We may be forced to eliminate positions. These cuts will be painful and negatively impact our ability to continue to offer the highest quality education."

The president stressed his intention to retain personnel in order to maintain the university's quality and to fulfill its educational mission to the region and state.

Other NGCSU administrators voiced concerns regarding the cuts.

Dr. Thomas Fox, dean of Natural & Health Sciences, said: "We are forced to hire large numbers of part-time faculty and this increases the workload of full time faculty. The budget for professional development has not increased to keep pace with increasing costs. We were forced to initiate lab fees to help cover the rapidly increasing cost of lab supplies and equipment maintenance. Class sizes are larger, so students cannot receive all the attention they used to get."

Fox added: "Salary stagnation is causing us to lose good people - especially staff. Maintenance, repair and renovation budget cuts mean that building maintenance suffers, ultimately resulting in deterioration of the learning environment and of morale."

Dr. Donna Gessell, director of Graduate Studies & External Programs, said:  "Without adequate faculty positions, we are unable to provide the infrastructure necessary for meeting our area's needs, including undergraduate and graduate programs, both on and off campus. For instance, with adequate funding, we could hire faculty and double the number of Education Specialist graduate students, accommodating all of the qualified applications we received for the '04 cohort. As it is, we could only accommodate half of those who were qualified. The resulting deficit goes beyond NGCSU, negatively impacting P-12 education and its need for qualified leaders."

Dr. Linda Roberts-Betsch, NGCSU interim vice president for Academic Affairs said: "Budget cuts are forcing NGCSU to increase class size, to assign some faculty to teach an overload of courses with minimal pay, and to increase the use of part-time faculty. In addition, we cannot order needed technology equipment that would enhance teaching and learning modalities in the classroom. With more students in the classroom and having to do more with less, many faculty find it very difficult to engage in service and scholarship activities that are essential to meeting the needs of students and contributing to the knowledge base they need to enhance their classes."

President Hansford said that every effort is being made to keep cuts to a minimum, so they won't be felt so strongly by faculty, staff, students and the local community, which depends on the university for economic stability.

The university has enrolled a record number of students for the fall term. The unofficial enrollment, as of the end of August, is 4,635 students.

Business Advisory Council formed at North Georgia
 

Business Advisory Council (l to r): Michael Shaffer, Chief of Staff, Congressman Norwood's Office; Chip Pearson, Paramont Grading; Steve Gooch, Lumpkin County Commisioner; Clayton Grant, Business Administration Department Head; John Lewis, Mountain State Bank; Nathaniel Hansford, President of NGCSU; John Rymer, Rymer Homes & Development; Gerald Skelly, Dean of Business and Government; Steven Leibel, Casey Gilson Leibel Law Offices; Larry Crowell, Larry Crowell Realty; Mike Cottrell, Cottrell, Inc.; Randy Harvey, banking; Anna Williams, CPA. Not Pictured: U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, Frank Henry, Henry & Company, CPA; Jimmy Faulkner, BB&T.

DAHLONEGA -   Representatives of the business community in Georgia are serving on the Business Advisory Council of the School of Business & Government at North Georgia College & State University.

The school's dean, Dr. Gerald Skelly, announced the formation of the advisory council to address special needs of academic programs and to participate in various activities of the business school.

"The primary purpose of the Council is to provide a strong link between the School and the business community," Skelly said.

The School often needs particular talents, specialized knowledge, or just the time and energy of individuals to supplement personnel not available on the faculty or staff, he explained. Our council members may serve as speakers, counselors for business students, and possibly liaisons with government projects.

In addition, Skelly said, the council may contribute to executive-in-residence programs, provide internships or co-op work arrangements for students, participate in workshops or special events related to the school or call on business faculty members as consultants.

North Georgia and its School of Business and Government can benefit from the knowledge and experience of those in positions of business leadership, the dean said. Also, it is hoped that such a dialogue will foster a greater understanding of the academic process on the part of the business community.

Members of the Business Advisory Council are: Mike Cottrell, Cottrell, Inc.; Larry Crowell, Larry Crowell Realty; Jimmy Faulkner, BB&T; Steve Gooch, Lumpkin County Commissioner; Randy Harvey, banking; Frank Henry, Henry & Company, CPAs; Steven Leibel, Casey Gilson Leibel Law Offices; John Lewis, Mountain State Bank; U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, Georgia's 9th District; Chip Pearson, Paramont Grading; John Rymer, Rymer Homes & Development; and Anna Williams, CPA.
Skelly and NGCSU President Nathaniel Hansford serve as ex officio members of the council.

NURSING BOOM: The new associate's of nursing students began their two-year education and training programs at North Georgia College & State University during "I Can Camp" when school started in August. More than 600 students applied for the coveted 100 slots in the associate's of nursing program. The students will study on campus and in area hospitals before receiving their degrees. Many of the enrolled students already are employed by physicians, clinics and hospitals, because of Georgia's shortage of qualified nurses. NGCSU also offers bachelor's of science and master's of science degrees to a "full house" of students who succeeded in the competitive enrollment process for the coveted degree programs.

This page last modified on: Wednesday, 17 November 2004 09:32:08 -0500 by University Relations    

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