NGCSU offers web course for students on campus and in Germany

DAHLONEGA – The European Union Studies Certificate, available through North Georgia College & State University, is offering an online course fall semester 2002 where students in Georgia will take the class with students from the University of Munich in Germany via the Internet.

The course, European Law & Legal Systems, may be taken as a requirement for the EU certificate, designed to enhance a student’s credentials by providing a background in the European Union. Students in any major at North Georgia may pursue the certificate.

“The strength of the EU certificate is that through video conferencing classes and web-based course work, our students are in these ‘virtual classrooms’ with students from Europe,” said Dlynn Armstrong-Williams, coordinator of international programs at North Georgia.

The class is open to all students enrolled at University System institutions. It is offered jointly with the University of Munich and students in Georgia and Germany will receive instruction from professors on both sides of the Atlantic.

The course will begin with an overview of the legal structures of the European Union and then look more closely at the institutions that promulgate European Union Law.

Growth of online course offerings for the EU certificate have been substantial since the program was introduced at NGCSU in 2000.

This year, students pursuing the certificate also have an opportunity to travel to Europe as part of the capstone course in the program. This class, the first linked to a specific study abroad experience, is in Strasbourg, France.

“Students will stay in the Chateau de Pourtales, a 250-year-old castle only minutes away from the EU Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights,” Armstrong-Williams said.

Trips to Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Brussels and Luxembourg are also included in the course.

“This new opportunity will give students the ability to see the day-to-day business of the EU – ranging from policy changes to banking issues,” said Armstrong-Williams.

For more information on applying to NGCSU, e-mail admissions@ngcsu.edu or telephone 800/495-9581.

Students interested in the EU certificate may contact Armstrong-Williams at 706/864-1869 or Brian Murphy, NGCSU’s EU certificate advisor, at 706/864-1909.

For more information online visit www.inta.gatech.edu/eucenter/

NGCSU’s economic impact more than $95 million

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University’s economic impact on Lumpkin County and the surrounding counties of Dawson, Hall, Union and White was $95.7 million in Fiscal Year 2001, according to a study by Jeffrey Humphreys, director of economic forecasting in the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

The Intellectual Capital Partnership Program, ICAPP, an initiative of the Board of Regents’ Office of Economic Development, commissioned Humphreys’ study to enhance understanding of how the University System of Georgia contributes to the state’s economy.

He analyzed three categories of college- and university-related expenditures; spending by the institutions themselves for salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses, and other budgeted expenditures; spending by the institutions on capital construction projects; and spending by the students who attend the universities.

“The University System of Georgia truly is an economic engine that helps to power our state on many levels, from producing graduates to building capital projects, to leveraging our employment and spending power,” said USG Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith. “Humphreys’ study documents our value in very specific terms, adding dimension to the many intangibles our campuses contribute to the economy on a daily basis.”

Of North Georgia’s total economic impact, $62.9 million represents initial spending by the university and the students attending classes. The remaining $32.8 million represents the impact generated by the re-spending of these dollars. The study concludes that, on average, every dollar spent by a USG institution or student injects an additional 56 cents into the host region’s economy.

The employment impact North Georgia has had in the region includes 1,260 full-time and part-time jobs. The university employs 556 people, with a full-time equivalent of 386 jobs. Off-campus jobs that exist due to university-related spending total 875 full-time and part-time employment.

On average, for each position created on campus, 1.4 off-campus jobs exist because of spending related to the institution, Humphreys noted. North Georgia’s total labor-income impact on the region equaled $42.5 million during the year.

Georgia’s 34 public colleges and universities together generated nearly 101,500 jobs and infused $8 billion into local communities, according to the Selig Center, a public service unit of the Terry College of Business at UGA.

Humphreys said the 101,427 jobs at the USG’s 34 institutions represented 2.8 percent of all the jobs in Georgia, or about one job in 37 during FY ‘01.  Approximately 43 percent of the University System’s jobs are on campus – representing employees of the University System of Georgia – and 57 percent are off-campus in either the private or public sectors. Altogether, the system generated $3.7 billion in labor income in FY 2001.

The researcher cautions that the figures in his study are conservative, noting that the actual economic impact of the University System of Georgia is much higher than his report reflects, because it does not factor in such figures as spending by people who visit USG campuses to attend meetings, athletic events and reunions; spending by USG retirees who have remained in the region; and income earned by USG employees through consulting and other activities.

The complete report is available on the University System’s website at www.usg.edu under the ‘Publications’ link.

NGCSU awarded grant to educate on substance abuse

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University has won a $20,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway safety.

The funding will help begin a training program to enhance awareness and knowledge of alcohol, drugs, and highway safety issues.

With the “Reducing Drug and Alcohol Risk Through Peer Education” grant, the university will train a group of approximately 20 college students to become educators for their classmates on these issues.

“Impaired driving and a lack for highway safety knowledge are large contributing factors of injuries and deaths on Georgia roads,” said Yvonne McBride, director of the highway safety office. “We are confident this program will help reduce those numbers.”

“We plan to target high-risk groups such as fraternities, sororities, athletic groups, members of the Corps of Cadets and freshmen women,” said Betty Greene, education program specialist in NGCSU’s Office of Counseling & Student Development.

In addition to staging campuswide programs, counselors will continue to work individually with students who violate campus policies regarding drugs and alcohol.

North Georgia’s campus is an alcohol- and tobacco-restricted environment. NGCSU is a public, co-educational, liberal arts university, as well as the Military College of Georgia – one of only six senior military colleges in the nation. The university, founded in 1873 in Dahlonega, offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a wide range of academic and professional fields.

Parents-Alumni Weekend at NGCSU April 12-14

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University will host its annual Parents-Alumni Weekend April 12-14, inviting alumni, parents and friends of the university to experience special events and activities.

Highlights of the weekend include a performance by the university’s national champion military drill team, the Blue Ridge Rifles, intercollegiate sporting events, the memorial retreat ceremony honoring past and present armed service members and several award ceremonies including the alumni awards reception and banquet and the military awards review.

Several events are open to the public, including the April 12 Saints baseball game and jazz band concert, the April 13 Lady Saints softball game and Corps of Cadets “Fun Run” and the April 14 military awards review on the Owen Drill Field, where the Blue Ridge Rifles will perform.

For a detailed schedule of the weekend activities visit www.ngcsu.edu/discover/alumni/paw.htm or telephone 706/864-1547.

NGCSU Honors Day showcases student achievement

DAHLONEGA – A Civil War camp reenactment on the Owen Drill Field at the center of the North Georgia College & State University campus will be among the April 16 events at the university.

The historical encampment, staged by Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society, will be among the highlights of the annual Honors Day Academic Conference. The event is free and open to the public.

The day will be capped with two events in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium.

At 3:30 p.m., National Public Radio's National Security Correspondent Tom Gjelten, will discuss his experiences as well as national security issues in light of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Gjelten was in the Pentagon on the morning of Sept. 11.

At 5 p.m., a “Great Debate” will feature Honors Program students tackling the issue of the male partner's legal rights to an unborn child where abortion is a factor.

"The Honors Day conference is staged every spring as a forum to showcase student excellence and achievement,” said Carl Cavalli, coordinator of the event.

Each department selects student papers or projects to present to audiences interested in the different academic fields. The presentations run from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. The seven-year-old event will span the entire campus at different locations, replacing all on-campus day classes.

Student presentations involve original research or thinking, often in the form of multimedia presentations. In addition, honor societies and other academic or professional groups will stage related activities.

“In the past, a number of Honors Day presentations have gone on to win praise at other academic conferences around the country,” said Cavalli. Presenters will also have the opportunity to publish their work in “Honores,” the NGCSU Journal of Undergraduate Research.

For more information, contact Cavalli at ccavalli@ngcsu.edu or telephone 706/864-1872.  An updated schedule is available from the “Campus Resources” section of the university’s web site at www.ngcsu.edu

Novelist Lynne Hinton to Speak at NGCSU

DAHLONEGA – Novelist, devotional writer, and pastor Lynne Hinton, author of books described as “compelling and enjoyable slices of small town life,” will speak and read from her works at North Georgia College & State University. The events, at 7 p.m. on April 8 in 214 Young Hall, and at 12:30 p.m. on April 9 in Gloria Shott Auditorium, are free and open to the public.

“Hinton will talk with aspiring young writers who are eager to learn more about writing and looking for ways to keep their writing going while they pursue their professions,” said Sandee McGlaun, an assistant professor of English at NGCSU.

Hinton is the author of a series of critically acclaimed novels, “Friendship Cake,” “The Things I Know Best” and “Garden of Faith,” all set in fictional small towns in North Carolina.  She is also the author of a volume of devotions, “Meditations for Walking” and pastor of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheboro, N.C.

“She is a new name in fiction who has produced three successful novels in the last three years," said McGlaun. "We’re fortunate that we can bring her to our campus early in her published career.”

After her public readings, organized by the Department of Language & Literature, Hinton will answer questions and sign copies of her books, which will be available for purchase.

This page last modified on: Friday, 05 November 2004 15:43:30 -0500 by University Relations    

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