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Charles Knapp |
Former UGA President Charles B. Knapp is coming back to the university—this
time as a teacher.
Knapp, who was president from 1987 to 1997 and holds the title of
president emeritus, will join UGA’s Institute of Higher Education
this fall on a part-time basis as a Distinguished Public Service
Fellow. He will also hold faculty rank as a professor of economics
in the Terry College of Business.
His appointment is subject to approval by the University System
of Georgia Board of Regents.
The Institute of Higher Education prepares doctoral students for
teaching and administrative positions in colleges and universities.
Knapp will teach seminars on the university presidency and academic
leadership and will be available for public service activities,
according to Tom Dyer, director of the institute.
“I am very pleased to accept this appointment to join the
faculty of the University of Georgia,” says Knapp, who was
UGA’s 20th president. “I hope I can once again contribute
to making a difference in the lives of both our students and the
people of Georgia.”
President Michael F. Adams, who succeeded Knapp in 1997, says the
return of his predecessor will benefit not only UGA but also higher
education throughout Georgia.
“Charles Knapp possesses a tremendous wealth of knowledge
and understanding about the critical issues facing higher education
today,” Adams says. “His insights and experience will
be invaluable in preparing students for leadership roles in education,
and we will look to him for guidance in enhancing the academic prowess
of the University of Georgia and strengthening higher education
in the state. He is one of UGA’s most notable and accomplished
leaders and we are delighted to welcome him back to the university
community.”
Dyer says Knapp’s appointment will be on a one-third-time
basis. He will commute to Athens from Atlanta, where he lives and
serves as director of educational development for the CF Foundation,
Inc., a private family foundation.
“The institute is extremely pleased to have Dr. Knapp
join our faculty,” says Dyer. “He brings much distinction
and many important dimensions of experience to this new role.”
Knapp’s tenure as president was marked by increased emphasis
on teaching excellence, sharp growth in research funding and completion
of the $150 million Third Century Campaign, at the time the
largest fund-raising initiative in the university’s history.
Construction projects with a total value of more than $400 million
were started or completed during his administration.
Knapp was a founding member of the Georgia Research Alliance and
was involved in creating the HOPE Scholarship under the leadership
of former Gov. Zell Miller.
He was chair of the National Association of State Universities and
Land Grant Colleges and was a member of the National School-to-Work
Advisory Council appointed by the U.S. secretaries of education
and labor.
Since leaving UGA in 1997 to become president of the Aspen Institute,
Knapp has continued his involvement in educational matters. He has
been a senior scholar with the American Council on Education and
was a senior fellow with the Association of Governing Boards of
Universities and Colleges, where he focused on creating the Center
on Public College and University Trusteeship. He continues to serve
on the center’s advisory board.
For the past three years, Knapp has been a visiting professor during
fall semester at Tulane University’s Payson Center for International
Development and Technology Transfer.
In addition to teaching a graduate course in economics theory, he
assisted with administering education, health and training grants
in Africa.
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