[SkegeeFAMU]

Looks like the merger of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University is imminent:

http://www.wrdw.com/mobi/breaking?storyid=136635533

[Jaimac]

Not surprising.........

[ToUgh1881]

 

[Jay_Thomas]

Georgia Health Sciences University?  


I have never even heard of this school.  I'll ASSume its IN Augusta or close to it if its  being combined with Augusta State.  

So I looked it up and found out....

Founded in 1828, Georgia Health Sciences University is home to the Medical College of Georgia, the 13th-oldest continuously operating medical school in the United States and the third-oldest in the Southeast.

GHSU has more than 2,400 students in five colleges: the Medical College, Allied Health Sciences, Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies and Nursing. Students come from most of Georgia’s 159 counties.

GHSU offers modern classrooms and laboratories, the 478-bed Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center, the Children’s Medical Center, extensive outpatient clinics, residence halls, a student center, a wellness center and an outstanding medical education library.

With approximately 5,000 faculty, staff and residents (9,000 enterprise-wide), GHSU is one of the largest employers in the Augusta area. The University System of Georgia reports that during the 2007 fiscal year, an additional 3,800 jobs resulted from spending related to the institution, and its overall economic impact on the area approached nearly $1 billion

http://www.georgiahealth.edu/about/history/

[Jaimac]

JayT,

GA Health Sciences Univ = Medical College of GA (MCG)

They underwent a name change.  Most are not familiar with the new moniker.

[Jay_Thomas]

OOooookay, no wonder.

Thanks, Jaimac!   

[SkegeeFAMU]

Other GA University mergers in addition the the Augusta State / Georgia Health Sciences University to be announced:

Gainesville College with North GA College (Dahlonega)
Waycross College with South GA College (Douglas)
Middle GA College (Cochran) with Macon State College

[Cholly]

I'm hoping the HBCUs are safe...

[SkegeeFAMU]

I'm hoping the HBCUs are safe...

According to my inside source, they are!!

[Jaimac]

This is just the beginning of the mergers.

There are a few more rounds to go with the consolidations.  

Those that are considered low hanging fruit or the easier mergers will occur initially.  There will be more dust in the later rounds.

 

[Cholly]

I'm hoping the HBCUs are safe...

According to my inside source, they are!!

 

[sutherngeorgian]

Middle GA College (Cochran) with Macon State College

Why is MGC merging with Macon State? Cochran is closer to Fort Valley than Macon. Besides I know in the past, we've had several students from MGC that ended up at Fort Valley State. This makes no sense.

http://www.ajc.com/news/lawmaker-8-georgia-college-1289535.html

that's all...  

[SkegeeFAMU]

This is just the beginning of the mergers.

There are a few more rounds to go with the consolidations.  

Those that are considered low hanging fruit or the easier mergers will occur initially.  There will be more dust in the later rounds.

 

Exactly my sister.  There's going to be a whole lot of consolidation done here in the Atlanta metro.

[sutherngeorgian]

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/chancellor-proposed-consolidations-are-1290417.html

Chancellor: Proposed consolidations are right approach

By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chancellor Hank Huckaby will propose merging eight existing colleges into four as part of a sweeping plan to cut costs and give students more access to academic programs, University System of Georgia officials confirmed exclusively to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday morning.
The recommendation does not include any campuses in metro Atlanta, nor will it affect any of the state's historically black colleges.

The mergers have the potential to save taxpayers millions while affecting thousands of students.

The proposal, which will be released Thursday afternoon, affects the following colleges

-- Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University, the state's only public medical school. The two colleges are about three miles apart, and Augusta State's president is retiring June 30

-- Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. Gainesville's president is retiring June 30.

-- Macon State College and Middle Georgia College.

-- Waycross College and South Georgia College in Douglas. Waycross has had an interim president since July.

"These proposed consolidations are the right approach for us to take at the right time in the system's and state's history," Huckaby said.

The State Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on the recommendation Tuesday. The system expects to have the mergers complete by fall 2013, system spokesman John Millsaps said.

Huckaby and the regents have said they expect fights -- particularly from alumni, students, politicians and community members -- but that the mergers are necessary in light of the weak economy and continued cuts in state funding.

While Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences are the only colleges in the same community, the four proposed pairings have a history of working together, Millsaps said.

The mergers are expected to save money, but the system does not have an estimate for how much that would be, Millsaps said. Savings would be funneled back into academic programs, he said.

The Technical College System of Georgia went from 33 colleges to 25 to save about $7.5 million a year. The system didn't close any campuses but eliminated some administrative costs.

The reasoning behind the mergers is to reconfigure the University System in a way that better serves students, Huckaby said. The state needs to increase the number of residents with college degrees, and for that to occur the system must consider different approaches, he said.

The system won't close any of the merged campuses. Instead, the consolidation will eliminate some administrative costs, officials said. The system expects some staff layoffs, but it did not have estimates for how many.

In the end, students will have access to more academic programs, and the system plans to expand online learning and distance education offerings, Millsaps said.

Consolidating campuses represents a sharp change in direction for the system, which opened a new institution -- Georgia Gwinnett College -- in 2006.

The system is also changing its policies concerning campus construction and expansion of academic programs as part of a large-scale plan to rein in spending.

Huckaby and the regents have spent the past couple of days briefing college leaders and lawmakers about the proposed mergers. While the General Assembly must approve the creation of any new campus, the regents have the authority to close or merge existing colleges.

that's all... 

[SkegeeFAMU]

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/chancellor-proposed-consolidations-are-1290417.html

Chancellor: Proposed consolidations are right approach

By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chancellor Hank Huckaby will propose merging eight existing colleges into four as part of a sweeping plan to cut costs and give students more access to academic programs, University System of Georgia officials confirmed exclusively to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday morning.
The recommendation does not include any campuses in metro Atlanta, nor will it affect any of the state's historically black colleges.

The mergers have the potential to save taxpayers millions while affecting thousands of students.

The proposal, which will be released Thursday afternoon, affects the following colleges

-- Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University, the state's only public medical school. The two colleges are about three miles apart, and Augusta State's president is retiring June 30

-- Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. Gainesville's president is retiring June 30.

-- Macon State College and Middle Georgia College.

-- Waycross College and South Georgia College in Douglas. Waycross has had an interim president since July.

"These proposed consolidations are the right approach for us to take at the right time in the system's and state's history," Huckaby said.

The State Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on the recommendation Tuesday. The system expects to have the mergers complete by fall 2013, system spokesman John Millsaps said.

Huckaby and the regents have said they expect fights -- particularly from alumni, students, politicians and community members -- but that the mergers are necessary in light of the weak economy and continued cuts in state funding.

While Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences are the only colleges in the same community, the four proposed pairings have a history of working together, Millsaps said.

The mergers are expected to save money, but the system does not have an estimate for how much that would be, Millsaps said. Savings would be funneled back into academic programs, he said.

The Technical College System of Georgia went from 33 colleges to 25 to save about $7.5 million a year. The system didn't close any campuses but eliminated some administrative costs.

The reasoning behind the mergers is to reconfigure the University System in a way that better serves students, Huckaby said. The state needs to increase the number of residents with college degrees, and for that to occur the system must consider different approaches, he said.

The system won't close any of the merged campuses. Instead, the consolidation will eliminate some administrative costs, officials said. The system expects some staff layoffs, but it did not have estimates for how many.

In the end, students will have access to more academic programs, and the system plans to expand online learning and distance education offerings, Millsaps said.

Consolidating campuses represents a sharp change in direction for the system, which opened a new institution -- Georgia Gwinnett College -- in 2006.

The system is also changing its policies concerning campus construction and expansion of academic programs as part of a large-scale plan to rein in spending.

Huckaby and the regents have spent the past couple of days briefing college leaders and lawmakers about the proposed mergers. While the General Assembly must approve the creation of any new campus, the regents have the authority to close or merge existing colleges.

that's all... 

Yogi, these eight are just the beginning.  As Jaimac stated, this is the low hanging fruit.  According to my inside source, Metro Atlanta is where most of the mergers are going to occur once everything is said and done.