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Chancellor to step down from post
Signaling time for new leadership, University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch informed the board of regents on May 9 that he will step down from his post at the conclusion of a national search to name his successor.
Portch, who joined the University System of Georgia in July 1994, said he was maintaining the commitment he made to the board upon accepting the chancellorship--that he would serve no less than five and no more than seven years.
Among the system’s many accomplishments cited by Portch during his tenure are the development and implementation of a strategic plan that has guided decision and policy setting; an increase in the national competitiveness of USG salaries by 35.5 percent since fiscal year 1996; the creation and 150-day launch of GALILEO, the statewide electronic library; and securing a record $1.09 billion in funding into capital construction. Academic standards also have risen across the system.
“I am proud that wherever you go in the nation now, people talk about the success of higher education in Georgia,” Portch said. “Yet, challenges remain. Still too few high school students in the state are interested in or prepared for college. Our budgets still don’t reflect sufficiently the quality progress we’ve made. Our diversity isn’t yet what it should be. . . . That’s why periodic changes in leadership are good because new people have new ideas on solving old problems.”
Engineers, ecologists form AEES
Engineers and ecologists attending an international conference at UGA earlier this month voted to formally establish the new American Ecological Engineering Society.
Organized and moderated by UGA engineering faculty David Gattie and Matt Smith, the conference brought together representatives of the two disciplines from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. In opening remarks to conference attendees, UGA Provost Karen Holbrook described the recent formation of UGA’s own interdisciplinary faculty of engineering and gave her rationale for sponsoring the conference.
“The problems being explored by modern science increasingly demand interdisciplinary solutions,” Holbrook said. “I can’t think of a more promising example than the collaboration of ecologists and engineers to understand and address complex environmental issues.”
After three days of open discussion and debate about shared interests and issues, the conference attendees voted unanimously to form the first society in America dedicated to ecological engineering. A consensus definition of environmental engineering also emerged at the conference: “The design of sustainable systems based on ecological principles that integrate society with nature for the benefit of both.”
William Mitsch, professor of natural resources at the Ohio State University, was elected AEES’s first president. Mark Brown, professor of environmental engineering sciences at the University of Florida, was elected vice president. David Gattie, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at UGA, was elected secretary-treasurer.
Minority services hosts conference
Approximately 150 students from Burney-Harris-Lyons, Clarke, Coile and Hilsman middle schools attended the inaugural New Millennium Leaders Conference May 3 at the Tate Student Center. Sponsored by the Office of Minority Services and Programs, the conference was developed by Joe Jones Sr., minority student counselor. With a theme of “Becoming Messengers of Hope,” the conference focused on student leadership and the need for students’ understanding of their leadership potential.
“Students don’t often have the opportunity to attend conferences,” Jones said. “We wanted to provide the young people of Clarke County an experience that is not often afforded them until they reach high school, college or even their professional careers.”
Students attended a series of workshops designed to inform, motivate and cultivate their personal awareness and attitudes toward leadership. Workshops were led by representatives from several local community agencies.
UGA faculty, staff and students participating in the conference included Eric Atkinson, Dannella Bishop, Sige Burden, Del Delaper, Lyndon Goodly and Charlie Monroe.
“The New Millennium Leaders Conference made a great impact on the young scholars and the faculty from the area middle schools,” Jones said. “The overwhelming consensus from the participants was to sponsor another conference as soon as possible.” |
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