January 18, 2011
Dear colleagues,
Welcome back to campus after an unusual week of snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures. First, let me thank the many employees who helped to maintain the university while we were shut down. This includes, for example, housing and dining employees who came in Sunday night and stayed all week to make sure our resident students were fed and provided with an appropriate environment. Likewise, campus police continued patrols, while grounds and facilities staff worked diligently to prepare campus for re-opening. I want to thank these employees and many others who helped us get through this unusual (for Atlanta) weather event. Also, due to last week's closing, late registration and the fee deadline have been extended to Friday, January 21, 2011 at 5 p.m.
A week ago Monday, Nathan Deal was sworn into office as Georgia's 82nd Governor, and on that Wednesday he delivered his first State of the State address. Accompanying that address was his budget for the next fiscal year, and an amended budget for the current fiscal year also was released. The amended budget includes further and immediate budget cuts for the University System of Georgia, and hence for Georgia State.
The cuts in the amended budget are in line with scenarios that then-Governor Purdue asked us to plan for back in the summer. We are now moving forward to implement our plans for the expected cuts. The plans that we submitted included the development and implementation of a career-transition program to assist retirement-eligible employees in separating from the university to pursue retirement or new opportunities. The University Senate Budget Committee is providing consultation on the details of the plan, and later this semester, once the details are in order, we will present the program to the university community.
The Governor's budget proposal for the next fiscal year (i.e, July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012), is particularly challenging for research universities such as Georgia State. We have some tough sledding in front of us. In the days, weeks and months ahead, we will be working with the Legislature, as it works to develop the budget that members will send to the Governor, to try to arrive at a final budget that will ensure that GSU and the University System of Georgia are supported at the levels required to take Georgia forward.
In spite of the budget challenges ahead, I am confident that GSU has a bright and promising future. The excellent work of the University's Strategic Planning Committee will conclude later this month when it presents its plan to the University Senate. While looming budget cuts will almost certainly have an impact on how quickly we move to action on some elements of the plan, it is a strategic plan for advancing the university over the next decade. The plan will help guide us through the budget challenges, and as we head into better economic times the pace of implementation will accelerate. Most importantly, this strategic plan will guide our experiments and inventive efforts as we "build greatly" the GSU of the future.
Finally, please join us this Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4 p.m. in the Student Center ballroom for the 28th annual MLK Convocation, to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year's theme is "Carrying the dream... A call to action," and our keynote speaker will be Ms. Shirley Sherrod. Ms. Sherrod, a native Georgian and civil rights activist, is the former Georgia director of rural development with the United States Department of Agriculture, and in 2010 she became the center of national controversy when she was forced to resign from her post over allegations that she made racist comments during an address to the NAACP. Ms. Sherrod's life story is compelling, and her talk promises to be thought provoking and informative.
As we get to work in the New Year, I extend best wishes to each and every member of the GSU family for a 2011 that is stimulating and rewarding. May you have peace and good health throughout the year.
Mark P. Becker
President
In the news
Classroom South expanding
Construction is underway on a four-story expansion of Classroom South to accommodate the university's growing student population. The 24,000-square-foot expansion will contain three computer labs and 15 general purpose classrooms with a total of 700 seats. Completion is scheduled for July with classes beginning in the new facility in the fall.
