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January 7, 1999

I appreciate the opportunity to come before you now for the second time and talk about the present condition of the University of Georgia. Since this time two years ago, little else has been on my mind. I believe that after almost two years of listening to my colleagues on the faculty, the alumni, and literally thousands of new friends as well as the original search committee, I have a pretty good feel for the strengths and weaknesses of the University.

One of the interesting things about being President is that you are allowed a perspective that no one else sees. The individuals with whom I meet--from deans to directors to faculty members, alumni, and students--each bring a particular point of view and a particular area to represent. While such is appropriate, my responsibility as president is comprehensive, a responsibility for the whole of the institution--a responsibility to individuals and programs, of course, but always in the context of the whole. Indeed, one of the distinctive characteristics of a successful university president, in my opinion, is whether or not he or she can rise above individual or special interests and attempt to do what is best for "the whole."

Last year, I laid out five themes that I found to be vital to the University of Georgia as a unified institution. I am happy to say today that I believe we are making progress in all of them. Later in the year, I also shared with the senior administration 10 specifics that I wanted to accomplish in 1998. Now is the time to evaluate how well we have done together in meeting those themes and goals, and, even more importantly, now is the time to look at the future. I would like to return very briefly to those themes and goals of 1998 and examine our response, before looking to 1999 and beyond.

Assessing 1998 Goals

First, I asserted that everything we do should be aimed at improving the ultimate experience for each student. The University’s central purpose for being is to give our students maximum opportunities to grow intellectually, emotionally and socially.

To help increase student-faculty interaction, I have created a $100,000 fund to allow faculty members who teach undergraduates to bring students to their homes for academic or social functions. Some faculty have taken advantage of this, and I hope many more will use this resource to expand learning opportunities for their students.

We expect to receive funding this year for a new student-learning center that will be a major enhancement to our instructional program. This facility, projected to cost about $43 million, will incorporate the most advanced technological innovations for classrooms, library access and teaching, as well as space for student gatherings. This center will be a marvelous asset for our students and will be a model for instructional excellence for the state.

As for residence life, the renovations to Reed Hall make this facility comparable--if not superior--to any housing students can find off campus. Students also have several attractive new spaces to meet and interact socially, with the expansion of the Bulldog Café in the Tate Center and the opening of the Coca Cola Student Lounge in Sanford Hall. I also was pleased to participate in the dedication of the new Activities Center, for students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Our student affairs division does an outstanding job of helping students cultivate leadership skills. The LEADS program, which stands for Leadership Education and Development Series, helps students learn about current issues, shows them how to develop their individual talents and abilities, and encourages them to participate in extracurricular and community activities. University of Georgia students are making an important difference in Athens and beyond. Several students created an environmental education program to teach local school children about caring for the Earth. Another group tutors and works with children in an after-school program in a low-income neighborhood. Our students help at nursing homes and homeless shelters, clean trash from roadsides, work at food banks, and raise thousands of dollars for charitable causes.

I believe our students are as bright and capable and responsible as students anywhere. I’m very proud of them, and I am fully committed to ensuring that they enjoy the most rewarding and fulfilling educational experience possible. We have a strong tradition of service to students at the University of Georgia, due in great part to the commitment of those in the Office of Student Affairs. One of those committed individuals is Dr. Dwight Douglas, who has led faithfully in the student affairs area at UGA for 26 years. We are indebted to him for his guidance in this role.

As we look ahead to future challenges, Dr. Douglas has decided that the time has come to seek new leadership in student affairs to help chart the future course for our student body. Within the next several weeks, I will appoint a small committee with instructions to move swiftly on a national search to find the best person possible to succeed Dwight in his role as vice president for student affairs. I would ask you to please join me in expressing our sincere appreciation to Dr. Douglas for the good work that he has done and will continue to do for the University.

Second on last year’s list of themes, we have reorganized the senior administration of the University with the help and the approval of University Council and the Board of Regents. I can confirm that the new administrative structure has been well received and is in place.

Also as hoped, we are working to do a better job of serving the entirety of the state. We have once again traveled to all corners of the state, from Rossville to Valdosta, from Columbus to Savannah, and many places in between. We are moving forward specifically on program plans to serve the citizens of Gwinnett County. I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Delmer Dunn and the other members of the Gwinnett Program Committee for their report on curricular options for undergraduate and graduate study at Gwinnett.

We are assisting our citizens through a number of other initiatives, as well. Last year, for example, the University’s Small Business Development Center provided training, consulting and research services to more than 27,000 small business owners, managers and prospective owners throughout Georgia. Businesses assisted by the Small Business Development Center increased their sales by an average of 15.4 percent and increased employment by 12 percent.

We are working collaboratively with other Georgia schools to broaden the range of educational options available to citizens. Our College of Pharmacy and the Medical College of Georgia conduct joint training programs for pharmacy students; we also partner with The Medical College of Georgia in an M.D./Ph.D. training program, and have joined with Fort Valley State University, Georgia’s 1890 land-grant college, to offer cooperative programs in teaching, research and extension services.

Research conducted by the University benefits the state enormously in terms of economic growth and improved quality of life. For example, our scientists are among the leaders in research on a new agricultural technique known as precision farming. This practice uses satellite imagery to target pesticide and fertilizer applications in fields, reducing the wasteful practice of broadcasting fertilizer or pesticide over an entire field.

Our researchers have developed a faster, more efficient procedure for diagnosing plant diseases. Extension agents in the field now use the Internet to send digital images of diseased or pest-infested plants to labs here on campus. Scientists can analyze the problem and recommend treatment within hours, instead of days, as was the case when samples had to be mailed or transported to labs. This new procedure potentially can save growers millions of dollars in crop losses.

Our Center for Continuing Education is the home of the Georgia Statewide Academic Medical System, or GSAMS. This is a two-way video classroom that allows an instructor here in Athens or in another city to teach students at many distant locations using television satellite uplinks and cable connections.

Perhaps one of our most important services to the state is our role as a key partner in the Georgia Research Alliance. The seven GRA eminent scholars on our faculty are among the most elite researchers in their fields. A significant outgrowth of our GRA membership is the new Applied Genetic Technology Resource Center here in Athens. Scientists in this facility, known as AGTECH, will conduct trail-blazing research on the genetic composition of plants and animals. In addition to its important scientific value, this work holds enormous economic potential for the state through improvements in agriculture, forestry, animal science and related industries, and the creation of new commercial ventures.

Last year, I also identified the need to add an increasingly global dimension to everything that we do. I have received the final report of the International Studies Committee, which I charged last April to consider ways we might expand or enhance some of our existing successful study-abroad programs, and to recommend to me potential sites for University of Georgia year-round residential study-abroad programs. I appreciate the dedicated work of the committee and its chair, Dr. Gary Bertsch. The committee presented to me three sites which would be likely candidates for an expedient program start-up, sites in which we currently have strong study-abroad efforts: Oxford, England; Lyon, France; and Veracruz, Mexico.

I am pleased to announce today that, assuming completion of housing negotiations, the first University of Georgia residential year-round program will be at Oxford, England. Oxford has been a rich backdrop for scholarly inquiry for centuries--by the beginning of the 13th century, its colleges had begun to attract resident scholars from across the European continent. In the 21st century, increasing numbers of University of Georgia students will walk the paths of Oxford, as well, and I will be putting into place a small working group to effect that change by either September or January of the 1999-2000 school year.

UGA at Oxford will be just the first of several residential sites, for I believe that this institution has a responsibility to provide opportunities for study abroad in varied cultures and regions of the globe.

Yet study abroad is only one means of broadening the cultural experiences of our students. As an institution committed to helping improve the human condition, the University can make significant contributions to the goal of a global community built on respect and cooperation among nations and cultures.

A few examples of people and programs in support of this theme: we currently have cooperative agreements for faculty and student exchange programs, and joint research projects, with more than 85 universities and research institutes in 37 foreign countries. Each year we host several Fulbright scholars as well as send our own Fulbright faculty scholars abroad.

Through the work of such groups as the Dean Rusk Center for International and Comparative Law, and the Center for International Trade and Security, the University is making valuable contributions to policy decisions affecting commerce and trade, weapons control, and conflict resolution among nations of the world. Our programs in science also have widespread implications. Our newly created Center for Emerging and Global Diseases will address the immunologic, biochemical and molecular basis of parasitic diseases that have an enormous impact on developing countries.

Our faculty have formed a global network in their research efforts. Political science faculty member Professor Han Park, for example, is one of few Westerners with access to high officials in North Korea’s insulated government. Dr. Park’s knowledge and contacts make him a key source of accurate information about economic and political conditions in that desperately troubled nation.

And on April 27th, the inaugural Delta Prize for Global Understanding will be presented at an awards ceremony in Atlanta. The University and Delta Air Lines established this award to honor groups or individuals whose initiatives have promoted peace and cooperation among cultures and nations of the world.

As you can see, we are thinking in national and not just regional terms, a mind set which will secure the University’s prominence in the 21st century. The University has forcefully staked its claim to a seat on the national educational stage alongside the country’s best public institutions. Lest that claim be doubted, consider these milestones from the past year:

For the second consecutive year, one of our faculty was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Susan Wessler is the ninth active or retired faculty member elected to membership in this distinguished learned society.

In addition, Dr. Wyatt Anderson, also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his outstanding record of scholarly achievement.

In what seems to be becoming a yearly occurrence, one of our students was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Scott Hershovitz, who graduated last June, left for Oxford at the beginning of fall semester as the 17th Rhodes Scholar in the University’s history. And I am delighted to add that Beth Shapiro, a Bernard Ramsey Foundation Fellow from Lindale, Georgia, has just been named our 18th and our first female Rhodes Scholar, one of only 32 selected from the United States for 1999.

Capping this "academic grand slam" for the past year, Dr. Ed Larson received the Pulitzer Prize for history, the first faculty member at the University of Georgia to win a Pulitzer.

No other university in America attained all four of these esteemed academic honors last year. Add to this our ranking by Kiplinger’s Magazine as 20th among the 100 top American public universities; our ranking by U.S. News & World Report as 26th among the 50 best public universities; our women’s gymnastics team’s national championship; the perfect record of our Terry College M.B.A. students in major national business-plan competitions; and the designation by U.S. News & World Report of our Honors Program as one of the best in the country--and it becomes obvious that the University of Georgia is increasingly recognized as one of America’s leading public educational institutions.

Key Tasks of the Past Year

In addition to the five themes which have guided my first 18 months at the University, there were 10 tasks that I had indicated to the senior administration that I wanted to complete in 1998.

The first of these was to acquire and put into place money for the Governor’s endowed professorship. One of the best things I was able to do last year was to complete the funding for the Alston Chair. We remain grateful to Mrs. Elkin Alston, and many of you attended that wonderful day in July when Governor Miller accepted our faculty appointment.

Second, acquire the money from some source to fund our AGTECH match for $4 million. With the generous support of the Woodruff Foundation and UGARF, that task is complete.

Third was to complete the selection processes for our provost. No one can question the wisdom of the appointment of Karen Holbrook, and the University community knew from the first moment that she was the right person for the job. At this time, I would also like to thank Dr. Tom Dyer for his service as interim provost during the summer months. You might remember that last year I indicated a preference for administrative leadership in the area of instruction, but that I would leave such decisions up to the provost. I am pleased to say that Dr. Holbrook has retained Dr. Dyer to play a key role in academic affairs, ensuring that our commitment to instruction will be commensurate to that of research and public service.

Fourth, we would initiate a search for a new Senior Vice President for External Affairs and secure that appointment. Kathryn Costello is a vital player in this institution’s future who brings enthusiasm, vitality, and a wealth of experience to her interactions with the friends and alumni of our institution.

As a fifth goal, we needed to visit Skidaway, Sapelo, and Brunswick, and get the key groups together to facilitate an ultimate decision on management at Skidaway/Sapelo. I now have been there twice, the last time on November 17, with the provost. She and I will shortly submit our management plan for Skidaway and Sapelo to the Chancellor, which he will approve or disapprove, indicating what role we will play in those unique and important marine environments in the future.

Sixth, we would reach a decision with the alumni and development leadership on the site for the Alumni House and Development Offices. On November 28, we dedicated a site by Lake Herrick and fund raising began.

A seventh goal was to complete the process for an appointment for a new dean of the School of Law, and Dean David Shipley has just successfully rounded the six-month curve of his first year at the University of Georgia.

Eighth, we would work with the Development staff to establish the University of Georgia Partners program. The UGA Partners program is designed as the premier support vehicle to bring this institution to the next level of excellence, and you as employees are now eligible to participate in the Partners program at $1,500 per year, alumni and friends at $2,500 per year. The most important point here is that we have to increase annual unrestricted giving. I will speak about this program at greater length in a moment, but I am willing to accept cards and checks as I leave today.

I have referenced the ninth goal earlier: we would work with the International Studies Committee to get at least one European site arranged by the fall of 1999. These arrangements will be in place, and we will work diligently to be ready for students in the 1999-2000 school year. There are enough logistical issues to be solved that we might not know until later this semester whether year-round residential study in Oxford will commence in September or January.

Last in order, but perhaps first in my mind, is the goal of having the strategic planning process started in each of the schools and colleges, so that by the year 2000 we might begin the strategic planning process for the entire institution for the first decade of the 21st century. At present, our schools and colleges and administrative units are at differing stages in the planning process. A year ago at this time I appointed Dr. Donald Eastman to lead the strategic planning process for the University. Dr. Eastman is ably equipped to shepherd the process, and in the coming weeks you will hear more from him regarding the collective energy and thought which will shape our future as an institution. In the planning process, unit and institutional strategic priorities will be the basis for:

1.academic program plans; 2.annual budget request priorities and allocation decisions; 3.capital outlay and major maintenance priorities; and 4.fund-raising priorities. Each planning unit participating in the strategic planning effort should end up with a realistic set of priority tasks that the unit commits to accomplish by the year 2010.

Accompanying the task of strategic planning, and certainly reliant on that process, is the University’s upcoming SACS reaccreditation, which occurs in 2001. In order to receive SACS accreditation, we must demonstrate a viable method of strategic planning for our institution, along with compliance with many criteria measuring our financial, academic, and program strengths.

Given the integrity of past SACS reviews, the University has been approved to pursue an alternative self-study process which, while documenting compliance with the SACS criteria, allows us to examine themes of concern for our institution. During these next two years, in anticipation of reaccreditation in 2001, the University of Georgia will be involved in a self study entitled Creating a Climate of Inquiry: The Undergraduate Experience at a Public Research University. Dr. Bob Boehmer has been appointed to direct our self-study process, and he, Dr. Holbrook, and I would welcome any nominations for participation in the self-study process.

Following the appointment of a SACS self-study steering committee and a kick-off this spring, four individual study committees will begin their work. The work of these committees includes

1.an assessment of our progress in addressing the recommendations issued in 1997 by the Task Force on the Quality of the Undergraduate Experience; 2.an examination of physical plant improvements and their effect on undergraduate life; 3.a study of research as an essential component of undergraduate education; and 4.an examination of information technology and the undergraduate experience. While we will still demonstrate compliance to SACS criteria, we will do so in an abbreviated, audit fashion. Our primary SACS self-study committee work will be University-wide and will engage members from across the campus in discussions of the future of undergraduate education at Georgia. We expect many benefits to accrue from this in-depth analysis of our own best practices in undergraduate teaching and learning experiences.

The completion of these planning initiatives will require a great deal of work and cooperation on the part of all of us. The report of the Task Force on the Quality of the Undergraduate Experience points out a number of areas for improvement, such as increased student-faculty interactions, more out-of-class learning opportunities, better advising, and upgrades in classrooms and residence halls. We have taken steps to implement some of the recommendations. Other recommendations from the Task Force report will require additional resources, and equally important, additional planning. I will ask the new vice president for student affairs to make this his or her top priority at the outset. We will continue to use this excellent report as a framework for strengthening all aspects of student life, a course of action to which I will return in a moment.

New Avenues of Education

As I look to the future, there are three things on my mind as we begin 1999, the three "E"s: enrollment, educational opportunities, and endowment.

First of all, we do have some significant enrollment issues. I was recently asked to respond to the Regents on what our enrollment goals were when this current five-year plan is completed. I had to say to them that at 32,500, we are nearing our capacity--until and unless we decide mutually to develop additional opportunities for our students. This would require some significant infrastructure improvements, including additional on-campus housing, and an improved bus system, more parking, classrooms, sidewalks, sewage capacity, etc. Our Master Plan, which has just been completed, indicates that we have adequate land holdings. While there are some adjacent pieces that we want to buy, we find ourselves in fairly good shape as far as land is concerned.

We do have issues that relate to student housing: the quality of residence halls, fraternity and sorority houses, off-campus apartments, etc., that need to be addressed as a part of an on-going enrollment analysis. As the satisfaction with Reed Hall illustrates, our students enjoy being on the University campus, a desire which we should not ignore in our academic and physical plant planning. Those of you who attended the Master Plan presentations on the physical improvements for the campus will remember the renderings of additional attractive, modern residence halls, addressing a need that was clearly identified by the master planning team. I believe Reed Hall’s success calls for creative attention to future academic opportunities which would be made possible through improved on-campus residential communities.

It is clear that we cannot continue to add opportunities (or students) at the top of the funnel without additional curricular avenues for students, without additional courses, majors, and programs which serve their changing academic needs. While I cannot and will not try to autocratically impose the following additions to the campus structure, the provost and I, after hours of discussion, are convinced that we need additional academic opportunities for our students.

And it is these avenues which I would call upon you today to consider exploring, both independently and collectively, as we look ahead to a University for the 21st century. If education involves enhancing the life of the mind, then we as educators have a responsibility to examine the myriad of ways in which those enhancements may be offered to our students. We have spent the past year putting into place a reorganized administrative structure--is it not also important that we consider opportunities to reorganize our academic structure and offerings to better serve our student body? The University of Georgia has not established a new school or college since 1969, and I believe we must now wrestle with the hazards of stasis, the risks of change, the opportunities for development, and the rewards of success.

In this spirit, I would like to paint some backdrops for you of a University of Georgia which I believe we might consider for the coming years. Just as we have already spoken about a commitment to undergraduate education, I believe we must also consider the responsible growth of our graduate program through appropriate resources, quality students, quality programs, and full market disclosure to students about career opportunities in their fields. I offer you today some lines for discussion, lines which I believe we must examine together if we are to be responsive to the changing face of higher education and our desire to strengthen both undergraduate and graduate education at this place.

First, I would personally support the proposal that has come to me from Professor Loch Johnson, signed by 56 representatives of the political science faculty, senior administration, and student leadership, for the exploration of the development of a School of Public Policy. Professor Johnson’s proposal acknowledges the numerous ways in which such a school might undergird our already strong efforts in the field of public affairs. With a dual focus on U.S. public affairs and international affairs, the school could offer undergraduate and graduate programs dedicated to the study of contemporary social issues. Pointing to the historical role the University has played in preparing students for positions of leadership, he argues that such a school could complement the service efforts of the Vinson Institute of Government through degree programs "by educating young leaders in the skills of rational inquiry and analysis essential for successful public careers; by conducting research designed to inform public officials and improve the crafting of policy in today’s intricate world; by integrating existing University courses on policy issues and establishing new courses that address contemporary challenges to effective policy-making; by offering practical training in public policy analysis with on-the-job experience gained through internships and practicums; and by providing workshops, tutorials, and seminars in policy studies with visiting scholars and practicing public servants."

Policy and Administration is already one of our highest rated programs, and, as one can see from the November election, University of Georgia people are rising to positions of leadership in all phases of public endeavor. We might also say that all public servants could stand to be better educated and exposed to the issues of the world. I do not presume to dictate curriculum matters, which are always best served with much discussion and ultimate decisions in the hands of the faculty. But I do believe that we are an academic community aspiring to greater national recognition, and, as such, we have a responsibility to pay thoughtful attention to the opportunities afforded by such a school -- opportunities for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs; for leadership in Southern policy studies; for an international perspective and a recognized voice on the emerging political issues of our time. We might also want to develop an interdisciplinary public policy institute as part of this initiative to allow our faculty to research and speak more forcefully on issues facing our state, our region, and our nation.

Second, I would also like to see us consider the establishment of a College of Ecology and Environmental Science. I think we need to work with the faculty to bring together what are already substantial resources in those areas, especially from the Institute of Ecology and other areas in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; but also in colleges such as Family and Consumer Science; Pharmacy; Veterinary Medicine; and even Law, which is concerned with environmental policy issues. I think closer proximity of these resources would provide additional research and academic opportunities, as well as improve our successes with competitive grants. And I believe such an initiative is timely. When we have a person still affiliated with us of the stature of a Gene Odum and all the resources that we bring to the table, and as we anticipate the 21st century, the truly aggressive and progressive new land-grant university will be recognized for its concern in addressing the depletion of the land and air, compromised water quality, congested transportation, hazardous levels of pollutants, etc. The University has already established a set of values in public service and outreach which are unparalleled among our peers, and this facet of the land-grant mission is one on which we can build. I believe this college might also be an appropriate home for the proposed State Museum of Natural History.

While agriculture is certainly the mainstay of our service to the land, I think that we must seek a broader definition of service to the land today. I think an aggressive and progressive approach like this will not only help our agricultural initiatives, but also the general business and economic climate in the state as well. Surely in this modern age, just as a land-grant university must speak to the issues of the land, so too must we provide expertise and help in our urban areas, providing leadership for clean air, safe drinking water, more efficient transportation, and urban renewal. The School of Environmental Design has made great strides in addressing the needs of urban communities. We have expertise that speaks to the ecological needs of our state in urban areas like Atlanta and Savannah, as well as in the farming areas of South Georgia. With Atlanta continuing to be a dominant presence in the state, the needs of the urban environment have become one of the most visible showcases for the research of the land grant university, and I would like to see us increase our efforts in this area.

Third, I believe we need a College of Communications. The Grady College has been a tremendous servant of the University since 1915. As the industry of journalism has grown and evolved from the days of print journalism to radio, television, cable, and now numerous forms of mass communication, we must carefully consider how we reflect these sweeping changes in the curriculum, degrees, and emphases of our programs. The scope of the journalism program has evolved over the years to include seven undergraduate professional majors in three departments: advertising/public relations; journalism; and telecommunications. In addition to the traditional majors in journalism that are now offered, however, we would be missing an opportunity if we did not explore expansion in the area of human communication and additional offerings in areas as diverse as speech therapy, rhetorical studies, and new technologies. With one of the world’s fastest-growing information hubs only an hour’s drive away, such a review would maximize the use of our resources and would be responsive to our students, our future students, and the industries which they will enter. I’d like to see a broad-based college exploring virtually every realm of human communications.

Fourth, certainly trends in the organization of major research institutions tend to reflect the institutions’ areas of expertise, the demand for degrees, and the niche markets that each institution is able to serve. Trends aside, I think (as my predecessor Dr. Knapp pointed out) that a really first-rate university has a first-rate fine arts program, and I want to commend Dr. Knapp’s foresight in setting into motion a planning and fund-raising effort that has resulted in our beautiful East Campus Complex. I want to commit this president as an advocate for expansion of our fine arts complex and have recently secured program approval from the Regents for the next big step: a new building for the Lamar Dodd School of Art. The University of Georgia has an extremely rich tradition in fine arts. Building upon the legacies of Hugh Hodgson and Lamar Dodd, our fine arts division, if given separate status, appropriate support, and the identity associated with such support, would most certainly continue to develop and excel.

I think we are nearing the point in size and scope where a College of Fine Arts would be appropriate at the University of Georgia. I think that some time during the next five years we ought to consider establishing such as its own separate academic unit with a clearer focus and commitment to the fine arts, offering the B.F.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Such a college might support programs in drama, music, and dance, among others. A physical presence for a College of Fine Arts has already been established on East Campus, and we are poised to secure state funding for the School of Art. We have some of the finest resources in the area of fine arts that I have seen at any university, and we should consider how they might work collectively.

Fifth, I believe that the state and nation’s demand for trained people in the area of computer science and computer science technology is staggering. Atlanta is becoming one of the top high-tech cities in the nation, a hub for commercial interests in telecommunications services, high-tech manufacturing, software development, computer systems and services, and biotechnology and biomedicine applications. In turn, the University of Georgia must do a better job of feeding people into the state’s high-tech workforce. While we have a number of programs that address this demand in several schools and colleges, we are not yet coming close to producing the quantity of trained people our state needs at the present time.

The high-tech companies that I mentioned in Atlanta will also require graduates with business and accounting skills. We share this role with other schools in the state, but do not lead. With the new Center in Gwinnett we have an opportunity to prepare a larger and more diverse group of students who may wish to return to school to obtain professional business degrees.

I have asked the provost to take a hard look at how our computer programs might be enhanced, in a focused effort to increase the output of students in these areas. We have an excellent small program in Computer Sciences that is relatively new and growing, but our expertise in computer applications development and applied research extends across several colleges. University of Georgia faculty are using state-of-the-art applications in modeling of molecular structure, coastal marine environments, and forest areas, as well as developing simulation and modeling programs to study the biodegradation of chemicals, for example. We also have a first-rate program in computational chemistry and state-of-the-art computer innovations in public communications. We will need to think creatively--and quickly--about how we can bring together our existing talent to build an expanded, diverse and comprehensive educational program in allied computer sciences. We have seen from our own experience on campus that individuals with these skills are highly sought after in all careers.

Sixth, I think it is time for the Regents, the Chancellor, and the leadership of the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia to explore a closer working relationship to establish an environment for collaborative research and education in the biomedical sciences. We already have two strong colleges, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, that are typically part of a Health Sciences Center, and many additional research programs in other colleges that are related to human and animal medicine. Think of ongoing University research: in human disease and prevention, nutrition and food safety, drug design and development, biotechnology, parasitic diseases, international medicine, viral diseases, and social sciences in human health and disease. We have already established a number of collaborative programs with the Medical College of Georgia. A closer working relationship could prove beneficial to both institutions, and conversations to explore the costs and benefits of this prospect would stimulate creative thinking.

The University might wish to consider a combined-entry, interdisciplinary program for graduate education, a first-year basic sciences medical program, or a B.S./M.D. program with the Medical College of Georgia which would allow early entry into the medical program. Similarly, I believe we must explore options for increased collaborations between veterinary medicine and pharmacy, as well, which offer singular opportunities for attracting research dollars at the national level. In recent years, UGA has reached a plateau in externally sponsored research. And while federal funds for research have been constricted, other research universities are competing successfully for a larger market share of these dollars. For the most part, these universities have medical and engineering schools. The reputation of a research university depends upon its growth in externally sponsored research. We will gain a competitive advantage for the future if we enhance and reconfigure our programs in the biomedical sciences, creating stronger linkages with both the Medical College of Georgia and with our partners in the private sector. Increased collaborative research will provide opportunities for both institutions to compete more effectively for research funds in the National Institute of Health’s areas of interest, including genetics research and international health initiatives. And such collaboration is good for Georgia. A stronger biomedical sciences presence at the University of Georgia, as we work more closely with the Medical College of Georgia, would serve to raise the national presence of both campuses in a highly visible arena and promote the growth of industry and resource development in the state.

I told the search committee and all of you on the steps of the Chapel a year and a half ago that I thought you would find me a better academician and perhaps not as good a fund raiser as you all expected. Even more than achieving success in fund raising, I am committed to leaving a mark on this place that broadens and enhances the academic mission of the University. But none of the academic advancements we can envision for this institution will happen without maximizing each of our resources, including those from the state, from grants, from foundations, from outside fund raising, and particularly from the support of those individuals who have grown to cherish UGA.

This leads me to my third and final "E," the building of additional endowments. Frankly, when it comes to endowment dollars per student, the University of Georgia trails behind its peer institutions. I would like to share with you the same numbers that I laid out for our Foundation Trustees in 1998, based on data from FY 1997. First, the numbers for this University, which I would ask you to remember: an endowment of $249,413,000, roughly $8500 per student educated at the flagship institution of our state. In comparison to the Southeastern Conference schools, who enrolled an average of 21,095 students per institution, Georgia served approximately 30,000. The average endowment for SEC institutions was $306,469,858, however, while the endowment at UGA in comparison was only $249,413,000. These numbers translate to an SEC average endowment of $20,641 per student, versus Georgia’s $8,500 endowment per student. If one does not include Vanderbilt in these counts, of course, Georgia compares more favorably to its SEC peers. The issue, though, is whether this is an acceptable plateau of comparison, whether or not Georgians are willing for their flagship institution to rest easy as a regional leader.

The question becomes more pointed when we align Georgia with the Big Ten institutions. While their average enrollments fall at 39,675, almost 10,000 more students than are educated per year at Georgia, their average endowment was $720,063,125--again a dramatic contrast to Georgia’s endowment of $249,413,000.

Individual institutional comparisons make the case more dramatically: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had an endowment of $789,524,000, a support of $32,729 per student. Georgia Tech’s endowment of $775,394,000 calculates to $59,715 per student, whose enrollment was not at 13,000 at the time of this study. And the University of Virginia, with 21,488 students, had reached an endowment of $1,098,539,000, allowing an endowment per student of $51,123.

The directive behind these numbers is that within the next 18-24 months, we will be putting in place plans to go to the donor community to help make the kinds of academic advancements that I am describing become a reality for Georgia’s students. I am certain that it will take somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion to see that happen.

We have taken first steps in planning for such efforts. University of Georgia graduates of years past established a firm foundation of academic and athletic excellence and a wealth of traditions that are firmly rooted in the hearts of alumni around the world. Today, more than 200,000 graduates represent the University of Georgia in positions of leadership and influence worldwide. These graduates are proud of their academic roots and are generous providers of the annual funds necessary to enable our current students to question, learn, and excel.

Over the past few months, the Office of Annual Giving has been reviewing our gift clubs and discussing ways to enhance the recognition of our donors who give at levels above those of the annual Presidents Club. To accomplish this recognition, and to encourage more donors to give at levels of $2,500 or higher, we are initiating the University of Georgia Partners program. As an enhancement of the annual Presidents Club, the Partners program honors donors who are committed to supporting the partnership of both restricted and unrestricted academic needs at the University.

Membership in the University of Georgia Partners program will be extended to all alumni and friends whose annual gifts total $2,500 or greater. As I mentioned earlier, UGA faculty and staff are invited to join the Partners program at $1,500 annually. The official kick-off of the Partners program will be at a dinner hosted by the UGA Foundation Trustees on January 28, followed by an annual black-tie dinner in 2000 based on 1999 giving. With the initiation of this program, we set our sights significantly higher in support of students, academic programs, and institutional excellence.

We are making tremendous progress together. This is not only a place of hope and vision, but a place of spirit. Any successes that the University of Georgia achieves in the coming years will continue to be team successes, because it is clear that success at this level rests in the quality of people with whom we work every day. I continue to have a growing appreciation for the dedication and skills of those whom I meet at this institution. We have some of the finest students in the land at the University, but we also have some of the finest faculty and staff.

As I concluded the recent Fall Commencement ceremonies for the 1998 graduates two and a half weeks ago, I said to them, "People will expect uncommon things from you, because you are a graduate of the University of Georgia." I know that to be true, but equally true, I know that each of us here today plays an important part in support of the uncommon achievements of Georgia graduates. My challenge to you is this: take part in the conversation as we discuss the academic opportunities which await the young people who will seek an education at the University of Georgia in coming years. Look beyond the boundaries of what is here to the outline of what might be. I believe this is an exciting time for us, and I look forward to joining with friends, colleagues, students, and those in the University community across the nation as we envision new avenues of education for Georgia’s finest students.

Thank you.

Michael Adams.