GA Tech President Makes Visits Across State

Georgia Institute of Technology President G.P. “Bud” Peterson is kicking off a tour across the state today in Columbus visiting with alumni and friends of Georgia Tech. He will follow with stops in Macon, Savannah and Brunswick.

Peterson became the 11th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology on April 1 and has been meeting with key stakeholders throughout the state to gather input and direction as the Institute begins a strategic planning process.

"Georgia Tech is one of the truly outstanding research universities in the country and benefits the state of Georgia well beyond the city of Atlanta,” said Peterson. “As we begin to formulate our strategic vision for the future, we are reaching out to our alumni and to the community and state leaders all across Georgia.”

Georgia Tech played a significant role in one of Georgia’s recent economic development successes - the move of Fortune 500 corporation NCR to Georgia. The company will be looking to Georgia Tech as a source of engineering talent and as a partner in development of future technology and innovations.

According to NCR’s leadership, the opportunity to partner with top-tier academic institutions such as Georgia Tech was one reason among many that the company made the decision to relocate to Georgia.

Georgia Tech not only assists with attracting new industry to the state, the Institute also impacts the economy through research and economic development. For example, for the first time ever, Tech’s research activity exceeded the $500 million mark, reaching a record $524.9 million in fiscal year 2008. This represents a 10 percent increase over 2007 and an increase of 99 percent over the past decade, helping the Institute consistently rank among the top ten in research programs among universities without medical schools.

To help meet the state’s demand for math and science teachers, this funding also helps support the newly established Tech to Teaching program designed to create pathways for students pursuing K-12 or college teaching careers. Likewise, the Foundations for the Future initiative helps Georgia Educators incorporate technology into the classroom.

Georgia Tech is also leading the effort to create need-based aid for Georgia students who cannot afford the tuition and associated costs with attending a research university.

Launched in 2007, the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise program is designed to help Georgia students whose families have an annual income of less than $33,300 (150 percent of the federal poverty level) earn their college degree debt-free. The program is the first of its kind offered by any public university in Georgia.

"The gift of education is the most valuable gift you can give. It not only helps the individual who receives it, but also the family and the larger community,” said a student receiving Tech promise who is majoring in electrical engineering. “It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. During these financial times, it’s something we can’t afford to cut out because it’s so beneficial to society. It’s really a life-changing gift.”

"The Tech Promise program assures that eligible Georgia students from all economic backgrounds have the opportunity to attend Georgia Tech without placing a financial burden on their families,” said Peterson. “We don’t want a family’s financial status to stand in the way of a qualified student pursuing a Georgia Tech degree.”

This year, Tech Promise made access to a college education a reality for 198 students from 53 counties across Georgia - from Appling to Wilkes. There were 139 students who entered the program as freshmen, along with 59 transfer students. In addition, 23 Tech Promise scholars graduated this spring.

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Tim Hynes Named Interim President of Clayton State

University System of Georgia Chief Academic Officer Susan Herbst announced today that she has appointed Dr. Thomas J. (Tim) Hynes Jr., provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of West Georgia (UWG) in Carrollton for many years, to serve as interim president of Clayton State University, effective June 1, 2009.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to call on Dr. Hynes’ strong leadership skills during this transition,” Herbst said, referring to the previously announced resignation of Clayton State President Thomas K. Harden as of the above date. “Clayton State University has a great deal of momentum going for it, and I am confident that the institution will be in excellent hands under Dr. Hynes.”

Hynes has held his current position at the University of West Georgia for all but two years since 1996. On two occasions since 1999, Hynes served as acting president of UWG when President Beheruz N. Sethna was called to the University System Office in Atlanta to serve as interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Hynes previously served as interim dean of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., from 1990 to 1996. Before that, he was associate dean of the university from 1988 to 1990 and had been a member of the University of Louisville faculty since 1978. Prior to that, he taught at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, the University of Massachusetts (UM) in Amherst and the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill.

Hynes was a member of the Board of Regents Advisory Committee that developed the 1998 Regents’ Principles for the Preparation of Teachers. Still in use today, these principles guarantee the quality of all teachers prepared by the University System of Georgia.

Hynes holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in communications studies from UM and a Master of Arts degree in speech from UNC. In 2005, he earned a certificate of participation in the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management, and in 2003, he participated in the American Institute for Managing Diversity’s Diversity Leadership Academy.

Plans regarding the search for a permanent presidential appointee at Clayton State will be forthcoming at a later date.

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Furlong and McFarlane Win MicrobeLibrary Curriculum Resource Editor’s Choice Award

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has honored Clayton State University’s Dr. Michelle Furlong and Renee McFarlane with the 2008 MicrobeLibrary Curriculum Resource Editor’s Choice Award for their article, “Immunity and the Spread of Influenza Within a Population Department of Natural Sciences.”

The MicrobeLibrary Editor’s Choice Awards were created by ASM to spotlight excellence and raise the status and visibility of research into teaching and learning in microbiology education and allied disciplines. Selected by ASM’s Curriculum Resources Editorial Committee, the Curriculum Resource Award is given to one curriculum resource published in the past year that exemplifies the criteria for publication in MicrobeLibrary. Furlong and McFarlane’s article was selected above all of those published in the MicrobeLibrary Curriculum Collection in 2007.

Furlong is interim department head of Natural Sciences and an associate professor of Biology in the Clayton State College of Arts & Sciences. McFarlane is an instructor of Biology. Together, they created a classroom activity that teaches about the influenza virus – a particularly timely subject given the still-relevant issues of a possible Avian Flu epidemic.

“Renee and I created a new activity for the microbiology classroom that teaches students about the influenza virus, immunity and the spread of influenza in a population,” explains Furlong about their award-winning activity. “In our publication we explained how to conduct the activity in the classroom and we presented data that showed that the activity enhanced our students’ understanding of immunity, spread of disease and the influenza vaccine.”

MicrobeLibrary is a founding partner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s BiosciEdNet Collaborative (www.biosciednet.org), a portal sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s National Science Digital Library (www.nsdl.org). MicrobeLibrary, which has won many citations and media accolades, is the first service of its kind and continues to be recognized as one of the best resources for science information.

Clayton State School of Graduate Studies Holding Open House July 8

The Clayton State University School of Graduate Studies will be holding its next monthly informational Open House on Tuesday, July 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 201 of the University’s Harry S. Downs Center.

The Open House will give prospective graduate students a chance to learn more about the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration, and Master of Science in Nursing. The Clayton State School of Graduate Studies regularly holds open houses on the second Tuesday evening of each month.

The University is now accepting applications for all four of its graduate programs. Go to http://graduate.clayton.edu or call the School of Graduate Studies at (678) 466-4113. For directions to campus, go to http://conted.clayton.edu/directions.html.

Debye Baird Honored as a Patriotic Employer

Clayton State Director of Client Support Services Debye Baird (McDonough) has been honored by the Department of Defense as a “Patriotic Employer.”

Baird was nominated for the award by Clayton State alumnus John A. Westbrook. Currently a sergeant in the 55th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base in Warner-Robins, Ga., following his December 2007 graduation from Clayton State, Westbrook worked for the University’s student help desk, “The HUB,” under Baird while he was a student at Clayton State. His narrative for Baird’s award reads in part…

“During the entire four years of working for Ms. Baird she would always give me time off of work to complete my military requirements as far as my two weeks a year and one weekend a month. Sometimes that small reserve commitment would require more than that two weeks, and every time that would happen she would always be very supportive of my military obligations. I had to deploy at the last minute in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Aviano AB in Italy. While I was gone foe three months Ms. Baird held my position and pay grade… when I came back she also made sure I received my annual pay raise.”

The Patriotic Employer award is presented by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense organization. It is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.

Baird, along with approximately 100 other ESGR honorees, will be honored at a luncheon with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue on Wednesday, June 25.

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Economic Impact of University System Reaches $11 Billion

An updated report offers confirmation that Georgia’s public university system continues to be one of the state’s key economic engines. Together, the 35 institutions of the University System of Georgia (USG) packed an economic impact totaling $11 billion on the state’s economy during Fiscal Year 2007.

The Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), an initiative of the Board of Regents' Office of Economic Development, commissioned the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business to analyze data collected between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, to calculate the University System’s FY2007 economic impact. This work updates a similar study conducted on FY2004 data that placed the University System’s economic impact at $9.7 billion. The first such study calculated the USG’s impact at $7.7 billion in FY1999.

In addition to the $11 billion in total impact generated by the University System in FY2007, the study determined that Georgia’s public higher education system is responsible for 106,267 full- and part-time jobs – 2.6 percent of all the jobs in the state or about one job in 39. Approximately 42 percent of these positions are on-campus jobs and 58 percent are positions in the private or public sectors that exist because of the presence in the community of USG institutions.

Locally, Clayton State University has an economic impact on its region (the Southern Crescent) of 1,737 jobs. Initial spending in the Southern Crescent generated by the University for FY2007 was just under $120 million and the output impact of the University was just under $184 million.

“All 35 of the University system’s institutions are economic engines in their communities and the state,” said study author Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the Selig Center. “The benefits they provide permeate both the private and public sectors of the communities that host the campuses. For each job created on a campus, there are 1.4 off-campus jobs that exist off-campus because of spending related to the college or university. These economic impacts demonstrate that continued emphasis on colleges and universities as a pillar of the state’s economy translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater production of goods and services for local households and businesses.”

Humphreys’ report quantifies the economic benefits that the University System of Georgia’s institutions convey to the communities in which they are located. He determined that $7.3 billion (66 percent) of the $11 billion in total economic impact was due to initial spending by USG institutions for salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses, and other budgeted expenditures, as well as spending by the students who attended the institutions in FY2007. Re-spending – the multiplier effect of those dollars as they are spent again in the region – accounted for another $3.8 billion (34 percent). Researchers found that, on average, for every dollar of initial spending in a community by a University System institution, an additional 52 cents was generated for the local economy hosting a college or university.

The Selig Center’s research has its limitations – it neither quantifies the many long-term benefits that a higher-education institution imparts to its host community’s economic development nor does it measure intangible benefits, such as cultural opportunities, intellectual stimulation and volunteer work, to local residents. Spending by USG retirees who still live in the host communities and by visitors to USG institutions (such as those attending conferences or athletic events) is not measured, nor are additional sources of income for USG employees, such as consulting work, personal business activities and inheritances.
“Another important aspect of this study is that we have very detailed data across institutions that can be used for a wide range of planning purposes by the Board of Regents and other state and local agencies, as well as the private sector,” said Humphreys.

Seven institutions in the metro Atlanta area – Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Clayton State University, Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, Atlanta Metropolitan College and Georgia Perimeter College – accounted for almost $4.5 billion of the University System’s $11 billion total, and 40,700 jobs.

“This Economic Impact Report continues to be an invaluable study,” said Terry Durden, interim assistant vice chancellor of the University System’s Office of Economic Development. “It conclusively demonstrates that – beyond all the benefits colleges and universities offer communities through a more educated society, cultural opportunities and other activities – our campuses have an ongoing and powerful economic impact on communities large and small.”

Tours of Clayton State’s New Student Housing Now Available

Beginning on June 4, the Housing staff of Clayton State University started conducting daily tours on the University’s new student housing.

The tours are given on Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are open to current Clayton State students, incoming students, parents, faculty and staff.

The tours include information about the facility, its amenities and features. The tour will also include the viewing a “model” suite that is identical to the ones where students will reside.

Tours begin at the Information Desk on the first floor of the James M. Baker University Center. Individuals seeking an opportunity to tour are encouraged to make a reservation by calling the Clayton State Housing Office at (678) 466-4663.

Save Gas… Live on the Clayton State Campus

Here’s a riddle, one with hopefully a happy ending.

Which will come first… $5 a gallon gas, or the opening of Clayton State University’s new student housing?

Actually, there’s no guarantee that the price of gas will stop at the $5 mark. However, Clayton State’s first on-campus student housing is scheduled to open in August, with the building’s dedication set for Tuesday, Aug. 12 and the first students moving in on Thursday, Aug. 14.

After 39 years, Clayton State has become a residential campus, and just in time to save a bunch of students from burning up the contents of their wallets in their gas tanks. While the University’s student body has always drawn heavily from Clayton, Henry and Fayette counties, it still can take a good (or maybe bad) 30 minutes of driving to get to the Clayton State campus from McDonough. For that matter, it’s still 15 or 20 minutes from parts of Jonesboro and, if you should happen to live in Newnan or Jackson, well, get ready for 45 minutes to an hour on the road. Even at 30 miles per gallon, that’s $50 a week in gas when we hit the $5 standard. (Today, it’s “only” $40 a week.)

However, that will all be a thing of the past come Aug. 14 as 450 beds in the new student housing facility will become available to Clayton State students. Along with the also-soon-to-be-completed student activities center, the student housing is funded by a bond project with the Development Authority of Clayton County the issuing agency. The cost of the entire bond project for student housing and the student activities center is approximately $42 million, with $38 million of hard cost -- $21 million for the student housing and $17 million for the student activities center. The buildings are owned by Clayton State University Foundation Real Estate I LLC, and leased to the University System with the lease payments coming from housing rental for the student housing facility and student activities fees for the student activities center.

The student housing is the largest building on campus, with 451 beds in 108 units on four floors. Included in the building’s amenities are gigabit ethernet service (making this the only gigaplex residence hall in the state, as befitting Georgia’s first “Notebook University”), Wi-Fi service throughout the building, VOIP telephone service, a café, lounge areas, a game room with a large screen HD TV, HD capable cable TV service in the suites, card entry into both the building and individual suites, a 24/7 Community Desk in the lobby, and 60 security cameras. The individual suites are fully-furnished and consist of four bedroom (every bedroom will have a hard-wired internet port as well), two bath suites with kitchenettes.

Clayton State School of Graduate Studies Holding Open House June 10

The Clayton State University School of Graduate Studies will be holding its next monthly informational Open House on Tuesday, June 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 201 of the University’s Harry S. Downs Center.

The Open House will give prospective graduate students a chance to learn more about the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration, and Master of Science in Nursing. The Clayton State School of Graduate Studies regularly holds open houses on the second Tuesday evening of each month.

The University is now accepting applications for all four of its graduate programs. Go to http://graduate.clayton.edu or call the School of Graduate Studies at (678) 466-4113. For directions to campus, go to http://conted.clayton.edu/directions.html.

Clayton State University Graduate Student Coaches Mock Trial Team to Second National Championship

Clayton State graduate student Anna Cox recently helped to coach the Jonesboro High School (JHS) mock trial team to its second consecutive national championship.

In competition held in Wilmington, Del., and hosted by the Delaware Supreme Court (who also served as the presiding judges for the final round), the JHS team defeated a team from Kalamazoo High School (Kalamazoo, Mi.) in what Cox says was, “the most amazing final round I have ever seen. It was perfection!”

“This is an immense feat, because we had two completely different teams each year,” she adds in regard to JHS’s back-to-back national titles. “In the words of our state committee, [we] `steamrolled’ the competition.

“We have a fantastic, diverse group of students from a public school who beat out private and charter school students. We have a great support system from our legal community and the judges and lawyers that help coach the team.”

Cox, a resident of Jonesboro, teaches Latin at the regular and honors levels at JHS. She has been helping to coach the mock trial team for the last three years. Her husband and fellow JHS teacher (chemistry), Andrew Cox, also coaches the team. Anna Cox also credits the Honorable John C. Carbo, state court judge; the Honorable Deborah Benefield, superior court judge; Tasha Mosley, esq., assistant solicitor of Henry County; and Katie Powers for their help.

The winning case for JHS involved Delaware Auto and Marine (DAM), a publicly-traded company with a low stock market price.

“Because they think they are ripe for a hostile take over, they enact a poison pill in order to discourage Mid-East Stevedores Services, Inc., a company held by a fictitious Arab nation,” explains Cox. “DAM must prove that it is acting in the good faith of its shareholders and that MESS is a company that has material ties to terrorism. MESS must prove that DAM is acting in bad faith and not in the good interest of its shareholders.

“The kids can now say that they have tried a case in front of the Supreme Court.”

Members of the JHS mock trail team included; Laura Parkhouse, Joe Strickland, Dominique Delgado, Jurod James, Brian Bady, Ralph Wilson, Avion Jackson, Miguelande Charlestin, Kayla Daniels, Lindsay Hargis, Braeden Orr, Bridget Harris, Jayda Hazell, Adrienne Marshall, and Tabias Kelly.

Aside from coaching the mock trial team, Cox is an advisor for the Latin club, prom committee, and student council for JHS. She is also a student in Clayton State’s Masters of Liberal Arts program and plans to graduate this fall with the first masters degree ever awarded by the University.

Cox is the daughter of Larry Wiley, a Clayton State Communications instructor. Like his daughter, Wiley worked for the Clayton County School System for many years before retiring. He has taught at Clayton State part-time for more then 25 years.

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners, Clayton County Public Schools, and Jonesboro High School will be hosting a parade this weekend honoring the national champions. The parade through the city of Jonesboro will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 24 and will depart from the Jonesboro Historical Courthouse at 121 S. McDonough St.; turn right on South Main Street and conclude at Jonesboro High School, located at 7728 Mt Zion Blvd.
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Education Policy Forums Planned For School Board, Legislative Candidates

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia School Boards Association will soon be holding a half-day session at Clayton State University for area school board and state legislative candidates. The Education Policy Forum is designed to provide future education decision makers with factual, research-based information on which to develop positions.

The Forum, which began in the 2002 election year and was repeated in 2004 and 2006, features experts who address areas that are consistently local and state-wide items of interest.

Topics include: choices in education; early learning; education finance; governance and policymaking; school leadership; standards, assessments and accountability; student achievement; and teacher workforce. The information provided is based upon non-partisan research and is compiled in a Primer that covers each topic in-depth. All participants receive one of the resource books.

The Clayton State session, the first in the county since the program began, is one of 12 Forums to be presented across Georgia in June. The local event will be held June 4, 12:30 – 4:45 p.m., at Clayton State University, Jonesboro Rd., Morrow. Five sessions will follow over the next eight days in Dalton (June 6), Columbus (June 9), Albany (June 10), Valdosta (June 11), and Macon (June 12). A Clarksville session, June 3, is scheduled to kick-off the month-long program.

The Forums will resume June 23 with a session in Acworth followed by stops in Athens (June 24), Sandersville (June 25), Savannah (June 26), and Dublin (June 27) There is no cost.

Dr. Steve Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership, explained the value of the sessions. “There is nothing more important to our state’s future than our public education system. The legislatures we elect will ultimately set education policy that will affect all of us and have a direct impact on Georgia’s prosperity.”

He added, “This is why the Forums are so valuable. We present expertly researched in-depth, non-partisan information that helps explain the intricacies of our education system. Attendees will leave the session with a wealth of information on which to base their campaign and future education decisions.”

Jeannie M. (Sis) Henry, executive director of the Georgia School Boards Association, also stressed the importance of the Forums. “It is critical to all legislative and governmental decision makers to have an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a school board, and to have a working knowledge of how school systems are governed and operated.”

She continued, “Not only are school systems usually one of the largest employers in a county, but in teaching our children, schools systems have a direct effect on the future of our country.” Henry stressed that as a co-sponsor of the Forums “GSBA welcomes the opportunity to provide information on school board governance to candidates and potential candidates in any political race.”

Registration is available on line at both the Georgia Partnership (www.gpee.org – Home Page) and Georgia School Boards Assn. (www.gsba.com – click On-Line Registration on Home Page) web sites. Questions may be directed to the Partnership at 404-223-2280 or GSBA at 770-962-6843.

A participant in one of the 2006 Forums, Amy Carter, now a member of the House of Representatives, District 175, clearly defined the importance of attending a session. “As a current high school teacher, I thought I had a clear understanding of the public education process. The Education Policy Forum was an eye opener!

“Believe me,” she emphasized, “this is a very complex subject and this session provided expert insight that I could never get anywhere else. The knowledge gained here will allow me to make more informed education-related decisions.”

Clayton State Nursing and Dental Hygiene Programs Awarded $326K Grant from HRSA

The Clayton State University School of Nursing, and the Department of Dental Hygiene, part of the University’s College of Professional Studies, have been awarded a $326,730 Student Disadvantaged Scholarship Grant (SDS) from the federal Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The grant, for FY2009, will be split almost equally between the two programs and marks the third consecutive year the University has received an SDS grant from HRSA. The School of Nursing will receive $157,952 for the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. The Department of Dental Hygiene will receive $168,778 for the same period.

The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program was created by Congress under the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1990 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to disadvantaged health professions and nursing students.

The amount of the individual SDS award was transmitted to Clayton State’s Office of Financial Aid for their records and to the Clayton State Bursars Office for disbursement. The SDS is only used for scholarships for minority or disadvantaged students and funds are applied directly to the recipient’s tuition/fee bill and any remaining balance distributed to the student for the purpose of paying other fees and incidentals associated with their education.

Clayton State University’s student population is roughly two-thirds minorities and has been rated by U.S. News and World Report as the most diverse in the Southeast region of the United States for five out of the last seven years.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

Clayton State University Signs Faculty Exchange Agreement with Hunan University of Technology

Photo Caption: Standing across from one of the seven campuses of the Hunan University of Technology are (left to right); Dr. Zi Wan, HUT President Hanqing Wang, Dr. Thomas K. Harden, and HUT Vice President Taigang Liu.

Clayton State University President Dr. Thomas K. Harden and Assistant Professor of Marketing and Merchandising Dr. Zi Wan recently returned from the People’s Republic of China with a signed agreement that will open a new chapter in the University’s history.

Harden and Wan traveled to the city of ZhuZhou in Hunan Province to meet with officials of the Hunan University of Technology (HUT), returning with a signed agreement for an exchange of faculty members between the two institutions of

higher education. After a series of meetings with HUT President Hanqing Wang and HUT Vice President Taigang Liu, Harden and Wan finalized an arrangement whereby members of the Clayton State faculty will have the opportunity over varying periods of time to teach at HUT. In addition, HUT will later send faculty members to teach at Clayton State.

“Clayton State University is proud of our already-existing international flavor; including our international faculty, international students and the opportunities our American faculty and students have to teach and further their educations abroad through our Fulbright-Hays grants and our Study Abroad programs.,” says Harden. “This new relationship with the Hunan University of Technology promises to open some exciting new doors for both Clayton State and the region.”

Although Harden’s name is on the final document, he makes it clear that Wan’s efforts were vital to the success of this initiative. A native of Hunan Province who originally lived within 100 miles of ZhuZhou, and who speaks the same Chinese dialect as that spoken in ZhuZhou, Wan has been a faculty member in Clayton State’s College of Professional Studies since 2006, and is the coordinator of the University’s Chinese International Programs… a task she undertook almost as soon as she joined the Clayton State faculty, and a position she is uniquely qualified for, given her international background.

“As a graduate of universities in China, the UK and the USA, and having an extensive and strong network to work with many of the universities in Hunan Province, I am able to communicate, and to improve understanding between our university and HUT, which was critical in establishing the connection between the universities,” explains Wan. “If this connection is successful, it will allow us to go further with other Chinese universities.”

Wan previously worked for almost 10 years as a faculty member in the international education programs at Hunan University, one of the top universities in China and one of the oldest universities in the world. As a result of that experience, and through her background as an international student, she knows that China presents a huge international education market for Clayton State.

“I began to work and establish the cooperative international programs with China when I was first employed by Clayton State with the strong support of Dr. Harden and Provost Dr. Sharon Hoffman,” she says. “Without the support and help of Dr. Harden, Dr. Hoffman and Director of International Education Dr. Robert Welborn, all of whom put a lot of effort into the Chinese International Programs, we could not have had this achievement.

“I want to contribute to the benefit of both the USA and China, to promote closer international cooperation between the two institutions and to promote better understanding between the people of the United States and the People’s Republic of China through educational and cultural interchange.”

Wan and Welborn reported on their efforts to Dr. Richard Sutton, director of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia’s Office of International Education, in November 2007. Sutton noted at that time that, “this is a new model of international educational program in the University System of Georgia…”

The international educational partnership program between the Clayton State and HUT is on track to add another component, a curriculum agreement that would allow HUT students to finish their bachelor’s degrees at Clayton State. Shortly after returning to Georgia, Harden invited President Wang to personally come to Morrow to work out the final details of this second agreement.

“Someone has said, China is an IT society,” says Wan. “The people there are craving knowledge and information global-wide. In this sense, China is the biggest IT market globally. If we do not embrace the market, someone else will. The sooner we act, the better, if we believe that we have advanced knowledge or information.”

ZhuZhou is one of the most important transport hub cities in China, one of the first heavy industry cities developed after the founding of the PRC government in 1949. It has the population of 3,500,000 and it is located in southeastern China. Previously known as the ZhuZhou Institute of Technology, HUT has 35,000 students spread over seven campuses.

“Signing this agreement represents a substantive step in the cooperative international educational programs between Clayton State and HUT,” says Wan. “The signed agreement for the faculty exchange will no doubt enhance the communication and understanding between the two universities.”

Indeed, such is the understanding already that Harden and Wan have been honored by being appointed visiting professors of Hunan University of Technology. Because of her significant work in the Chinese International Program, Hoffman has also been honored by being appointed a visiting professor of Hunan University of Technology.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding, comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

Clayton State Commencement Ceremonies Saturday at 9 a.m. and Noon

Clayton State University’s will hold its 38th Annual Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 10, 2008.

As has been the case for the past several years, Clayton State will hold two ceremonies. The first, starting at 9 a.m., will be for graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences. A total of 195 graduates are expected to participate. The second ceremony, scheduled for a noon start, will be for the graduates of the School of Business, the College of Information and Mathematical Sciences, the College of Professional Studies, and the School of Nursing. A total of 207 graduates are expected to participate in the second ceremony. Both ceremonies will be held in the University’s Athletics and Fitness Center.

The Honorable Michael Baird will serve as the commencement speaker. Baird was a member of the first baccalaureate class of Clayton State University, earning a B.B.A. in Management (1989). He is also a 1992 graduate of the Georgia State University College of Law where he earned a Juris Doctorate. A native of Clayton County, Baird worked his way through college as a police officer with the Lake City Police Department.

He served as a prosecutor in Clayton County after graduating from law school. In 1996, he was elected to serve as the chief judge of the Magistrate Court of Clayton County and served in that capacity until January of 2005 when he was appointed a senior judge. Baird served as the chairman of the Georgia Magistrate Court Training Council and on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education at the University of Georgia. In addition to his duties in the court room, Baird taught in the School of Business at Clayton State for 13 years.

The University’s senior faculty member, and a 37-year veteran of Clayton State, Professor of English Dr. Thomas V. Barnett, will once again serve as the faculty marshal for both ceremonies.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.


John Shiffert
Director of University Relations
Clayton State University