USG regents approve strategic plan, new degrees, capitol projects and repairs
The University System of Georgia is looking to boost enrollment at the state's colleges and universities by about 11,000 students, increase retention, keep cost increases below inflation, and award 400,000 degrees and credentials all by 2029.
These, among other goals, are part of the new USG strategic plan for 2024-2029, which Chancellor Sonny Perdue kicked off this year. A major part of the strategic plan are new dashboards, which regents were able to preview, that will track all of these goals.
"'If you're not keeping score, you're just practicing,'" Perdue said, quoting football coach Vince Lombardi. "So we're keeping score."
The dashboards will be available to Regents and interested Georgians, Perdue said, and help the system meet its ambitious goals.
"We're determined to be recognized as the best system of higher education in the United States," Perdue said. "We ought to be unapologetic about that ... that's what we're striving for."
More: University System of Georgia contract and emails reveal more information about data breach
Previously: USG Board of Regents finalizes $10.71 billion budget. See how much AU is getting.
Augusta University recognized for enrollment
During his update to the regents, Perdue handed out four trophies to the institutions that had the highest summer enrollment growth.
"I'm calling this the chancellor's cup," Purdue said, before warning the recipients that they could not keep the trophy unless they also led in enrollment in the fall semester.
Augusta University President Brooks Keel accepted the cup for leading the research universities with 6.8% growth in enrollment in the most recent semester. University of West Georgia, Albany State and South Georgia State were all recognized as leaders in their respective size categories.
Perdue went on to discuss the economic impact of the USG system, including 159,000 direct and indirect jobs and $20 billion in revenue.
"159,000 direct and indirect jobs is the same impact in the state as Georgia’s top five employers combined," he said.
On the academic side, the regents approved several new degree programs, including a bachelor of science in agriculture with a major in animal bioscience and two doctorate programs in civil and environmental engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Georgia.
As part of the ongoing merger between AU Health and Wellstar Health systems, the regents have the opportunity to name new board members for both the merged health system and the Wellstar Board of Trustees. The regents approved Dr. Daniel Rahn to the AU Health System Board of Directors, which will become the Wellstar MCG Health Board once the merger is complete. Rahn and Edward Tate will also serve on the Wellstar Board of Trustees.
More: The attorney general has approved it. So what comes next in Wellstar and AU Health deal?
Building new structures, fixing old ones
The regents also authorized expenditures for new capital projects and renovations.
The $35.8 million, 340,000 square foot West Campus Parking Deck II at UGA received approval by the Regents. They also approved $10 million for a new baseball facility at Georgia Southern University and the lease of some property on the Augusta University Health Sciences Campus to construct a previously approved parking deck.
The land will be rented at not more than $1.425 million a year to AU Jaguar Facilities Development LLC for 30 years so that the company can build the parking deck. The total project is estimated to cost $36.3 million, with AU paying $18.5 million of it. Construction is scheduled to begin in December and be completed by spring of 2025.
Regents also requested an executive order from the governor for the demolition of unused 11 buildings at the UGA Tifton Campus.
The Board of Regents also approved the major repair and rehabilitation funding for the 26 USG institutions, totaling $65.9 million in funding. More than half of this is going to the four research universities, with nearly a quarter to UGA alone:
Augusta University - $4,635,000
Georgia Institute of Technology - $7,300,000
Georgia State University - $8,358,000
University of Georgia - $16,160,000
USG schools had requested $358 million total in repairs, including UGA requesting over $25 million for HVAC repair, which was not granted. Augusta University will be getting over $1 million for each of two electrical projects. One is a major renovation to an underground utility vault on the Health Science campus where the resources are beyond their useful life. The other is a major upgrade to electrical gear in the Interdisciplinary Research Building.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: A new USG strategic plan, parking at AU and UGA, and more from Regents
