More than 50 faculty members spent a day and a half discussing “The Challenged University: Communication and Collaboration in Good and Bad Times” with members of UGA’s senior administration at the annual Academic Affairs Faculty Symposium —the latest in a series that has been held consecutively since 1991.
Sponsored by UGA’s Teaching Academy, this year’s event, held March 27-28 at Unicoi Conference Center, included a keynote address by Susan Herbst, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the University System of Georgia, who said that despite economic problems now is a good time to find ways to enhance one’s professional life and help others. She encouraged faculty to take advantage of professional development opportunities offered through the system office and to consider ways to involve colleagues from nearby institutions when planning conferences and other events.
Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration, gave a presentation on budget challenges created by current economic conditions, with particular attention to steps the university has taken this fiscal year to avoid layoffs. He also discussed possible means to generate more revenue—from raising tuition and fees to increasing credit-hour production.
Teaching loads and tenure issues were among the topics addressed by Provost Arnett Mace during an evening “fireside chat”—a tradition of the past six symposia.
The agenda also included two panel discussions. Speakers included Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction; Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach; and Robert Scott, associate vice president for research. They discussed examples of successful collaborations between teaching, research and service—ranging from the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities to the Archway Project that engages students and faculty in promoting economic development in six counties around the state.
In another panel discussion, Steve Wrigley, vice president for government relations, talked about how his office works with the Georgia General Assembly and state and national political leaders, while John Greenman, who served as publisher of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer for 10 years before joining the faculty of UGA’s Grady College, and Kelly Simmons, a former reporter for the Atlanta Journal- Constitution and current editor of UGA’s alumni magazine, discussed media coverage of UGA.
Symposium participants, drawn from departments across UGA and including two Student Government Association representatives, also met in break-out groups to develop strategies around topics, ranging from “Improving Understanding between UGA and the Public” to “Communication and Collaboration among Faculty, Administration and Students.”
“Faculty members felt their time and opinions were valued and appreciated by the administrators in attendance from both UGA and the University System office,” said Jan Hathcote, a member of the symposium planning committee. “I think faculty and the SGA representatives felt a sense of community and appreciated the opportunity to share their personal concerns about the budget cuts.”
Members of each of the five break-out groups made brief presentations at the end of the symposium, and group reports will be available online on the Teaching Academy Web site (www.uga.edu/teachingacademy).
