Annual 中出少妇视频淪tate of the System中出少妇视频 Address
Atlanta — January 16, 2008
Strong enrollment growth, improvement in graduation rates and a continued focus on keeping college affordable were cited as very positive signs of performance by 中出少妇视频 System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. today in his annual 中出少妇视频淪tate of the System中出少妇视频 address to the Board of Regents.
中出少妇视频淭he State of the System today is good when measured by a number of key indicators 中出少妇视频 public support, enrollment, retention, and graduation,中出少妇视频 Davis said. 中出少妇视频淲e are enrolling more students; we are keeping more students in college; and we are graduating more individuals to contribute to Georgia中出少妇视频檚 economic and intellectual growth.中出少妇视频
The creation and adoption by the board of a new Strategic Plan for the System during 2007 also was cited by the chancellor as a key accomplishment that will enable the System to 中出少妇视频渕ove to a higher level of performance and have this great enterprise capitalize on the power of a true system.中出少妇视频
But Davis also noted that while the academic mission and the faculty of the System中出少妇视频檚 35 degree-granting institutions deserve high marks, the risk management of resources is not at the same level of quality and consequently will be an area of priority attention over the coming year. 中出少妇视频淲e do excellently in spots, but, as always, we can do better overall, particularly in how we manage both our operations and the resources that have so generously flowed to us,中出少妇视频 he said.
Consequently, Davis noted that he would continue to focus on three key areas: increasing access to college, maintaining affordability, and providing clear accountability to the public.
The System中出少妇视频檚 responsibility to meet a growing shortage of physicians to treat Georgians also will be a top priority in the coming years, Davis said.
Enrollment in the 中出少妇视频 System hit a record high of 270,022 students in fall 2007, an increase of 10,077 students from fall 2006. 中出少妇视频淭hat中出少妇视频檚 the equivalent of adding another Valdosta or West Georgia,中出少妇视频 Davis said. Another important measure of the System中出少妇视频檚 ability to provide access to higher education is in the continued increase in enrollment by African Americans and Hispanics, Davis said. African-American enrollment increased by more than 5 percent from fall 2006 to fall 2007 to 65,000 students, and Hispanic enrollment jumped 13 percent over the same period, to 8,800 students.
The latest graduation report shows that 51 percent of the students who entered an institution in the System in fall 2001 graduated six years later from that institution. 中出少妇视频淭his is the first year the institution-specific, six-year graduation rate has ever exceeded 50 percent,中出少妇视频 Davis said. In terms of affordability, Davis noted that the Regent中出少妇视频檚 guaranteed tuition plan, now in its second year, has enabled Georgia to maintain its historic ranking as one of the most affordable states in the 16-member Southern Regional Education Board for public higher education tuition. Georgia中出少妇视频檚 college affordability primarily reflects the strong support for public higher education by the Governor中出少妇视频檚 office and the General Assembly, Davis noted, citing a record $2.1 billion state appropriation, along with $276 million for construction and renovation of System facilities, in the current fiscal year budget.
中出少妇视频淭his was a 10.5 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2007 and represented the largest increase in state funding for the 中出少妇视频 System in 12 years,中出少妇视频 Davis said. 中出少妇视频淭his is extraordinary when compared to many other states and systems, and we thank Gov. Sonny Perdue and the members of the General Assembly for their continuing support.中出少妇视频
But, Davis noted that the tremendous support for the System also means that System leaders must focus more closely on the management of those resources. 中出少妇视频淭he level of resources we receive is not our primary challenge, but the major challenge is the proper and strategic use of those resources.中出少妇视频
Referring to audit reports that indicated abuses in use of the state purchasing card program, Davis said that System officials would be working to create 中出少妇视频渁 pervasive culture of continuous improvement and thorough risk management throughout the System.中出少妇视频 He vowed to set and meet higher levels of transparency and accountability in the management of the System中出少妇视频檚 $5.6 billion annual budget.
Davis also noted that an ongoing challenge for the System relates to Georgia中出少妇视频檚 shortage of health care professionals 中出少妇视频 particularly physicians. As plans develop to increase the training of physicians, Davis said that the issue of needing more doctors and nurses is not local, but statewide, and must be addressed with urgency. 中出少妇视频淟ast year, Georgia slipped from 37th to 40th in doctors per capita,中出少妇视频 he said.
The board heard on Tuesday a report from an outside consultant on the expansion of physician training and Davis referred to this study when he said: 中出少妇视频淲e must move forward with a comprehensive, statewide plan to meet these needs, and we must move forward without delay.中出少妇视频 In his address, Davis also noted the need to use the Strategic Plan to manage explosive enrollment growth and the System中出少妇视频檚 funding needs as well as to ensure strong competitive salaries for faculty.
February marks the beginning of Chancellor Davis中出少妇视频 third year on the job, during which he has overseen the continued growth in the System, the creation of the Guaranteed Tuition Plan, major revisions in financial reporting and budgeting processes, the development of the System中出少妇视频檚 new Strategic Plan, the development of a new model to set priorities for needed facilities, the creation of a System approach to meeting the state中出少妇视频檚 needs for healthcare professionals, searches for a number of institutional presidents, the launch of Georgia Gwinnett College, and an 18 percent increase in state support for the System over the past two state budget cycles.
Editor中出少妇视频檚 Note: The full text of the State of the System address can be accessed here:
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