UPDATED: Georgia Board Of Regents Approves GHSU-ASU Merger

The Georgia Board of Regents approved the unprecedented merger of eight colleges to reduce costs, shrinking the university system from 35 to 31 institutions for the first time ever.

News Channel 6's Archith Seshadri was at the meeting Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta.

The Board of Regents approved the University System of Georgia's recommendation to consolidate GHSU and ASU, as well as 6 other colleges in the state to save costs.

School leaders say in the next few weeks, they will create an implementation team where an appointed leader will determine next steps. Those items include reviewing faculty contracts, analyzing curriculum and accreditations, as well as branding/naming the new institutions. 

Dr. Ricardo Azziz and Dr. William Bloodworth say the consolidation could also mean job cuts since one institution will not need 2 IT departments, or 2 administrative type roles. No word on how many positions could be cut but earlier in 2011, GHSU also announced 150 positions would be on the chopping block.

The chancellor, Hank Huckaby, says Dr. Azziz will most likely fill the role in Augusta as the head of both institutions since Dr. Bloodworth will step down as ASU's president in June.

GHSU and ASU will hold town hall forums for students and the community following the decision by the Board of Regents to allow a consolidation of state schools, including Georgia Health Sciences University and Augusta State University. The plan would be to have current GHSU president Dr. Ricardo Azziz maintain a similar role over both institutions.

Press Release:

Four town hall meetings with Augusta State University President William A. Bloodworth Jr. and Georgia Health Sciences University President Ricardo Azziz will be held Thursday, Jan. 12 to discuss the planned ASU/GHSU consolidation.

The forums will be held at 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium in the GHSU Auditoria Center; and at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre at ASU.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted today to approve the consolidation. The merger is one of four consolidations proposed throughout the 35-member university system. Other consolidations include Waycross College and South Georgia College; Gainesville State College and North Georgia College and State University; and Middle Georgia College and Macon State College.

Consolidation will begin immediately with a target date for full integration by fall 2013. Next steps include the appointment of a broad-based implementation work group, with representatives recommended by the respective presidents and approved by the Chancellor.

For more information about the meetings, call ASU Director of Public Relations Kathy Schofe at 706-737-1444 or GHSU Public Relations Coordinator Christen Carter at 706-721-5733.

From Augusta State University:

The Board of Regents approved today University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby’s recommendation to consolidate eight of the System’s 35 colleges and universities. Huckaby announced the recommendation last week.

The recommended consolidations are: Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University (Dahlonega); Middle Georgia College (Cochran) and Macon State College; Waycross College and South Georgia College (Douglas); and Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University.

“The Board’s approval now paves the way for us to proceed,” said Huckaby. “We will focus on how these consolidations enable us to better serve our students and areas of the state more efficiently and effectively. I look forward to working with the eight institutions on this process.”

Now that the plan has board approval, Huckaby will begin to implement the plan, which is expected to take between 12-18 months to finalize.

Campus working groups will be appointed by Huckaby and charged with developing detailed recommendations for consolidation. Huckaby said the campus working groups should be up and running by the end of January. Implementation actions will be reviewed by the University System Office and approved by the Regents’ Special Committee on Consolidation and the full board.

The consolidation plan is just one of a series of new efforts launched by the chancellor, each part of a focus on increasing college completion rates, broadening access to public higher education and maintaining affordability. Others include the System’s participation in Gov. Nathan Deal’s “Complete College Georgia” initiative, a study of how the USG uses its current facilities, the future design and construction of facilities, the expansion of distance education, a new model of academic program review as well as the integration of academic, facilities and fiscal activities.

The University System has created a special website to help coordinate information and communication related to the consolidation effort: http://www.usg.edu/consolidation/