(Oct. 8, 2009) - On Oct. 13 and 14, North Georgia College & State University will host the Board of Regents for its October meeting. The Board of Regents is the governing body that oversees the state’s 35 public colleges and universities.

“This is an exceptional opportunity to share information about our programs and activities with key decision makers in the University System of Georgia and have them experience first-hand what makes North Georgia such a special place,” President David Potter said.

While the 18-member Board of Regents holds most of its meetings in Atlanta, the group schedules a couple of meetings each year on campuses of its member institutions. The University System of Georgia includes four research universities, two regional universities, 13 state universities, eight state colleges, and eight two-year colleges. Together, these institutions enroll more than 283,000 students and employ over 40,000 faculty and staff to provide instruction and related services to students and the communities in which they are located.

The entire campus community is invited and encouraged to attend the military review in honor of the Board of Regents on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m., at the drill field. In the case of inclement weather, the review will be conducted in Memorial Hall. Chairman Robert Hatcher will be the guest speaker for the review.

The business portion of the board’s meeting will take place in the Library Technology Center, and meals are scheduled to be held in the Pennington Military Leadership Center, the Student Recreation Center and the dining hall.

Despite budget limitations, university administrators contend that the opportunity to have the regents visit campus is too important to pass up.

“The faculty and staff committee working on this event has worked hard to minimize expenses in this challenging budget year,” Potter said. “In many cases, the cost involved in staging such an event would be more than $50,000. Thanks to the generosity of corporate sponsors and the NGCSU Foundation, our team has produced a great event for a fraction of that at about $15,000."

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia was created in 1931 as a part of a reorganization of Georgia’s state government. With this act, public higher education in Georgia was unified for the first time under a single governing and management authority.

The governor appoints members to the board, who each serve seven years. Five members are appointed from the state-at-large, and one is appointed from each of the 13 congressional districts. Regent James Jolly, of Dalton, represents the Ninth Congressional District, which includes Dahlonega and North Georgia College & State University.

An event like this understandably disrupts some normal activities on campus. Some of the temporary adjustments include movement of some shelving and resources located on the third floor of the Library Technology Center to allow for adequate meeting space, closing the Student Recreation Center to accommodate a dinner for the Board of Regents and other dignitaries, and closure of parking lot #48 (located on the hill above the Library Technology Center).