The state Board of Regents voted unanimous approval Wednesday to consolidate Georgia Southern University and Armstrong State University under the Georgia Southern name.
Actually making it happen is expected to take about 18 months, GSU President Jaimie Hebert said in his message to “the Georgia Southern community.” It can be found online at http://consolidation.georgiasouthern.edu.
“I hope you share in the excitement and optimism this opportunity presents for current and future students of both institutions,” Hebert wrote. “The consolidation combines the best of both universities and reinforces the student-centered commitment of each school throughout their long histories. With more than 27,000 students, Georgia Southern will be the fourth largest public university in Georgia.”
Presidents of both universities issued statements welcoming the move and said town hall meetings will be held Thursday, Nov. 19, on both campuses.
Consolidation trend
Two mergers approved Wednesday – the other uniting Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton and Bainbridge State College in Bainbridge under the ABAC name – are the first formally recommended by new Chancellor Steve Wrigley.
But Wrigley, who formally took over as the University System of Georgia’s chief executive Jan. 1 from now-retired Chancellor Hank Huckaby, had served as executive vice chancellor for administration since 2011. As such, he was there through a series of consolidations.
In fact, the Georgia Southern-Armstrong State and ABAC-Bainbridge State proposals constitute the fifth round of mergers since the Board of Regents, the university system’s 19-member governing body, adopted six principles for consolidation in November 2011. So far, seven mergers have reduced the number of separate colleges and universities in the system from 35 to 28.
The moves approved Wednesday will reduce the total to 26.
“The consolidation of these institutions will enable our University System to better serve students, broaden or redesign academic programs offered in the coastal and southwest Georgia regions, and reinvest savings into academics to improve student success,” Wrigley said in a press release. “While the ultimate purpose of consolidation is to serve students better, we also have the opportunity to tailor degree programs for the workforce needs of the area and strengthen our role in the region’s economic development.”
Bigger than Tech
The universities didn’t say in their announcements which school the post-merger Georgia Southern would move past in enrollment. But Georgia Tech’s enrollment, 26,841 fall semester, is currently fourth-largest, and the fall enrollments of Georgia Southern and Armstrong State together totaled 27,831. Separately, Georgia Southern had 20,674 students; Armstrong, 7,157.
Wrigley named Hebert, who arrived as Georgia Southern president six months ago, to lead the consolidation implementation committee, with members from Armstrong and Georgia Southern. Smaller work groups are planned to make recommendations about combining various operational and academic programs.
“As we move forward, I – with the help and leadership of Armstrong State University President Linda Bleicken – will lead an implementation team that will work closely with leadership at the University System of Georgia,” Hebert said.
Bleicken’s statement
Bleicken’s retirement, planned for June 30, was announced months ago. She addressed her statement Wednesday on consolidation to the Armstrong community.
“I know change can be stressful, but I am confident that the demonstrated strength and resilience of our faculty, staff, students and alumni will be key to our success,” she said. “We will work with our counterparts at Georgia Southern to create an institution that will serve the growing needs of students across the region and combine the synergistic strengths of two award-winning public institutions.”
The consolidated university will have Statesboro, Savannah and Hinesville campuses, Bleicken wrote. Besides its main campus off the southern stretch of Savannah’s Abercorn Street, not far from Hunter Army Airfield, Armstrong State University has a campus in Hinesville, hometown of Fort Stewart.
Armstrong’s programs to assist veterans and active-duty military personnel as students have won national recognition. This is as one area where university system officials say Armstrong’s experience could benefit the merged institution, while they hope Georgia Southern can bring its success in improving its graduation rate to the Savannah campus.
The fate of Armstrong State’s athletic programs is expected to be a more sensitive subject. Georgia Southern is an NCAA Division I School that competes in the Sunbelt Conference. Armstrong is an NCAA Division II school, with no football but with athletes competing in eight sports in the Peach Belt Conference.
Before a consolidation plan returns to the regents for a final vote, it must first be presented to the regional accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, whose Commission on Colleges meets in December. If SACS approves, the plan could then return to the regents in January, and students could see the results fall semester 2018, university system spokesman Charles Sutlive said last week.
Public forums
Open to the public, the town hall meetings Jan. 19 will be to answer consolidation-related questions and listen to concerns, Bleicken and Hebert wrote.
The meeting in Savannah is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Armstrong’s Fine Arts Auditorium, with Hebert also to take part. Bleicken said she will travel to Statesboro for a town hall meeting earlier that day.
But Georgia Southern had not announced the time and place of its town hall meeting as of Wednesday afternoon. University staff members were still working out the details, said GS Communications Director Jennifer Wise.
The university system’s principles for consolidation can be found www.usg.edu/consolidation.