Monday, March 19, 2001
Construction begins on coliseum parking deck
$4 million Bradley-Turner gift supports programs in undergraduate leadership
Acting director of Institute of Higher Education receives regents’ teaching award
UGA creates center to support economic development in Georgia
By Chuck Toney
ctoney@uga.edu

Improving economic development opportunities for all Georgians is the focus of the Center for Economic Development and Community Affairs, a new initiative in the Public Service and Outreach office. The center’s goal is to provide business and government leaders, as well as the general public, an easily accessible method of tapping UGA’s resources and expertise, with a particular emphasis on economic development.
“The University of Georgia has long been recognized as having one of the best public service and outreach programs in the nation,” says Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach. “Every day, UGA faculty provide valuable assistance to Georgians, their governments and their communities in many different ways. But in order to build upon this great tradition in the 21st century, we must also find new ways to connect the people of this state with the resources and expertise of the University of Georgia. We can have our greatest impact by assisting with and improving economic development in the state.”
The effort will focus on bringing together expertise from multiple disciplines at UGA to provide more effective assistance in dealing with particular issues. Griff Doyle, who previously served as director of community and regional development at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, has been appointed associate vice president for economic development and community affairs. The first project on the agenda is to assist Georgia’s growing communities as they seek more balanced growth.
“The challenges of our society today are complex and multifaceted,” says Provost Karen Holbrook. “If UGA is to be effective in helping address those challenges, we need to work in collaborative and multi-disciplinary ways. The Center for Economic Development and Community Affairs will provide the structure to do just that.”
While there are few limits on the types of issues the program will address, there are several pressing challenges that will be part of the agenda:

• Rural development: 100 of Georgia’s counties have average incomes below the poverty level. The UGA Economic Development Coordinating Council, already in existence, is engaged in efforts to improve economic conditions in rural Georgia.

• Urban sprawl: Once considered primarily an Atlanta-area problem, urban sprawl is now a concern in Athens and other smaller cities around Georgia. Urban sprawl was the topic of the recent public service and outreach annual conference. UGA can bring together experts on the environment, ecology, intergovernmental cooperation, land use and community design to assist local governments with this issue.

• Civic engagement: Through service learning, where students engage in community-service projects as part of their course-work, UGA can instill the service ethic that comes with the privilege of higher education. This collaboration between the in-class and out-of-class experiences of UGA students has proven to be a powerful learning tool.

• Gwinnett University Center: In addition to the undergraduate and graduate opportunities available at the campus in Gwinnett, UGA will offer corporate and government training, conferences, continuing education and certificate programs in metro Atlanta.

• Signature community programs: The recently announced partnership between UGA’s College of Education and the Clarke County school system is just one example of how the University of Georgia can reach beyond its main campus to have a positive impact on the state of Georgia. The School of Social Work and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences offer similar opportunities for a direct and positive impact on the people of this state, among others.
“I am convinced that the creation of this center will be seen in the future as a turning point for the University of Georgia,” says President Michael F. Adams. “This is the kind of bold step I knew Art Dunning would take, and it is exactly what the university should be doing at this moment in our history. This center will help answer the question, ‘What is UGA doing for Georgia?’ ”
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