Dear colleagues,
Last Thursday, the Georgia Legislature completed its 2010 session and forwarded a $17.9 billion state budget to Gov. Sonny Perdue. Starting with the conclusion of the legislative session, the governor has 40 days to review the budget and he may either sign or line item veto items in the written budget. We'll have a more complete picture of GSU's budget for fiscal year 2011 (i.e., July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011) once the governor has completed his work on the state budget, and once the University System of Georgia Board of Regents has completed its work on the University system budget for FY 2011. The Board of Regents will meet May 11 and 12 to vote on the University System budget and to set tuition and fees. We will do our best to keep you informed as our budget comes into sharper focus, and particularly once all of the pieces are in place for FY 2011.
As always, I appreciate your continued dedication to Georgia State and its mission as we navigate this challenging budgetary climate.
A budget item that is new this year for Georgia is the inclusion of a $15 million need-based aid item in the Georgia Student Finance Budget. At this time we do not have the details of how the funds will be deployed to aid students across Georgia, but we are pleased to see the legislature take this action to provide access to higher education for those students most challenged by the costs of pursuing a college degree.
Also of significance and relevance to GSU from the legislative session, the General Assembly modified Georgia's gun legislation. As passed, the bill retains a school safety zone for public and private colleges but removes a 1,000-foot buffer zone. The legislation is now with the governor for either his signature or veto. Safety is a high priority for the Georgia State community, so we are grateful lawmakers did not remove the provision banning guns on college campuses.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Regents has approved GSU awarding an honorary doctoral degree to Christiane Amanpour, our spring commencement speaker. The internationally acclaimed journalist is most deserving of this high honor, and we are looking forward to recognizing her at commencement May 15 at 2 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
Sincerely,
Mark P. Becker
President
Women's golf wins CAA title
The Women's Golf Team successfully defended their 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Championship and captured the 2010 title.
Law students nab national honor
Georgia State University College of Law captured the national title in the 25th Annual Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition, held at the Brooklyn Law School in New York earlier this month.
Baldwin-Tener named women's basketball coach
Sharon Baldwin-Tener has been named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at GSU following an extensive national search, Georgia State Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick announced April 16.
Physics and astronomy professor Mark Stockman's SPASER invention was mentioned in an editorial in a top academic journal, Nature Materials.
The College of Arts and Sciences awarded its first Outstanding Alumni Awards to Lee Armstrong and Dr. Peggy Duke.
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If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chandler Brown.