AN INSIDE VIEW INTO GEORGIA'S POLITICS, BUSINESS...

JULY/AUGUST 2017

a college football

“must-see” page 28

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Education Issue

AN INSIDE VIEW INTO GEORGIA'S POLITICS, BUSINESS & NEWS

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DEPARTMENTS Publisher’s Message 4

Floating Boats 6

FEATURES JAMES Ranks Georgia’s Top Colleges & Universities 12

College Football More Than Just an Athens Thing by Cosby Woodruff 28

Huge Change Coming in K-12 Public Education 37 by Cindy Morley

COLUMNS Losses and Lessons Learned, A Democrat Perspective 9 by Tharon Johnson

Solving the Education Crisis Through Affordable Housing 19 by Duncan Gibbs & Margaret Stagmeier Augusta is Becoming a “Cybersecurity Capital” 21 by Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss Augusta University Growing, Spans the State A Q&A with AU President Brooks Keel 25 School Nutrition Can Make a Big Difference in Student Learning 31 by Caitlin Daugherty Kokenes Increasing College Attainment will Strengthen Georgia’s Economy 35 by Chancellor Steve Wrigley Remembering Some Great Georgia Governors 39 by Larry Walker A 2018 Forecast: Georgia Stays GOP Red 42 by Randy Evans

JAMES

ON THE COVER: Highlighting our educationissue are scenes from the recent ValdostaState University graduation that featuredcommencement speaker Gov. Nathan Deal.

P U B L I S H E R’ S M E S S A G E

spearheaded by University of Chicago President RobertZimmer. It heralds free expression as a value essential tothe mission of higher education— and a growing num-ber of other institutions including Purdue, Princeton andthe University of Wisconsin system have adopted them.While the University System of Georgia hasn’t formallyadopted the “Chicago Principles,” I know from talkingwith various Regents and university presidents thattheir commitment to protecting open campus discourseand inquiry is strong. Zimmer says, “It is important to recognize that theuniversity’s support for academic freedom is deeply driv-en by the faculty culture. Commitment to free expressionneeds to be embraced by most of the faculty to sustain aculture that supports it.” Students who feel this commit-ment is being undermined in the classroom by a facultymember ought to get out their smart phones, recordthose who hate free speech and abuse students they dis-agree with, and then report them to, if not a sympatheticuniversity administrator, a sympathetic journalist.

A FINAL NOTE ON THIS ISSUE

James is gratified that parents and students especiallyappreciate our annual rankings of Georgia’s colleges anduniversities. We commend to readers two new categoriesas well as information on how our staff compiles the rat-ings. As for K-12 progress, check out an assessment bythe Georgia Board of Education chairman in staff writerCindy Morley’s feature. For some interesting insights oncollege football, don’t miss staff writer Cosby Woodruff’sfeature. We’re also pleased to present the views of newUniversity System Chancellor Steve Wrigley, columnsrelating to Augusta becoming the “cyber capital of thecountry,” some political pieces and much more!

REFLECT ON WHAT A PROMINENT LIBERAL— FareedZakaria, a CNN host and Washington Post columnist—said after radicals at Middlebury College shut down aspeaking event by political scientist Charles Murray.“Freedom of speech and thought is not just for warmfuzzy ideas that we find comfortable, it’s for ideas thatwe find offensive.” Then, noting that some Notre Damestudents walked out on Vice President Mike Pence attheir commencement, Zakaria took liberals to task. “There is also an anti-intellectualism on the Left. Anattitude of self-righteousness that says we are so pure,we are so morally superior; we cannot bear to hear anidea with which we disagree. Liberals think they are tol-erant— but often they aren’t,” he said. His remarks prompted me to recall those eighthgraders from South Orange Middle School in New Jerseywho came to Washington, D.C., on a field trip earlier thisyear. They got to meet U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan,but when 100 students stood with Ryan for a groupphoto another part of the group waited on the other sideof the street. They refused to be in the picture! The DailyMail reported that one child declared, “Half of us stoodacross the street including me because we hate you.” It’s a sad day our children can’t even be excited tomeet the speaker of the House regardless of party. All too many kids are being brainwashed in all toomany schools to hate people who disagree with them,as well as to despise a Western society that is “capital-ist,” “racist,” “heterocentric,” etc. They haven’t learnedbasic respect for others. They haven’t been taught basicAmerican values: i.e. our individualism that was invent-ed by the ancient Greeks, the Christian doctrine of theequality of all people in the eyes of God and theEuropean exaltation of reason. All of these and moreenabled democratic ideas and societies to flourish. If you’re truly open-minded and tolerant, you’re will-ing to discuss your opinions— not yell out that “we hateyou.” That’s a main reason why the “Chicago Principles”were born. It is a declaration released by a committee

Campus Free Expression for All

At Georgia Power, we do our best to help our customers. And that means using a variety of energy sources that include natural gas, nuclear, solar and so much more. That way we can continue to deliver reliable energy at the lowest possible cost. To learn more visit georgiapower.com/energy.

©2017 Georgia Power. All rights reserved.

More power sources make energy more aff ordable.

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On a June 20 election runoff that never got as close as manyDemocrats and most pollsters anticipated, RepublicanKaren Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff 53% to47% to win Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. FormerSecretary of State Handel rode a stronger-than-expectedperformance in Democrat-dominated DeKalb County to vic-tory, pairing those results with strong finishes in GOPstrongholds East Cobb and North Fulton. The 30-year-oldOssoff, who emerged as a liberal hero after nearly winningthe 18-person April special election, couldn’t overcome crit-icism for ties to U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,his lack of experience and for living outside the district.Georgia’s first female GOP Congresswoman is RISING. Butexpect to see more of Ossoff. His ship SANK— but couldbe repaired to rise again on the political waves…

It is not a new stadium, but the home of the AtlantaHawks is getting a major facelift. The Atlanta CityCouncil voted for a $192.5 million renovation of down-town’s Philips Arena, with the money coming from a com-bination of an extension of the city’s rental car tax, the saleof Turner Field and money from the Hawks themselves. Adeal to renovate the arena had already been agreed to, butthe money wasn’t officially set until recently. Constructionbegan immediately, and the arena will be closed for therest of the summer before re-opening for the start ofHawks season. For the Hawks and one of the capital city’scrown jewels, this renovation has their ships RISING…

A federal contractor accused of leaking classified infor-mation from the National Security Agency to media out-lets has Georgia roots. Reality Leigh Winner lived inAugusta where she had top-secret clearance for her jobwith Pluribus International Corporation. The openly radi-cal left-wing activist is charged with “gathering, trans-mitting or losing defense information” which could resultin up to 10 years in prison. National security leaks arenever good, and for a major one to come from Georgia isembarrassing. Winner’s ship is SINKING…

The Fulton County Commission unanimously votedto reject the 2017 county residential property tax assess-ments that were mailed out in June by the county boardof assessors. That means residential properties withinGeorgia’s most populous county will be taxed based onthe 2016 property tax digest. The commissioners alsoagreed to work with legislative leaders in the GeorgiaGeneral Assembly to develop new property tax policy. Inthe meantime, the County Commission, the Atlanta CityCouncil, the Atlanta Board of Education and the Fulton

County Board of Education are scrambling to set a millagerate for 2017 based on the 2016 tax digest. Drifting…

Tyson Foods, the world’s second largest processor ofchicken, beef and pork, announced that it is investing$59 million to expand its distribution center in Macon.The project will include a 152,000-square foot facility inaddition to the existing facility. The distribution center inMacon serves retail and food service customers inGeorgia as well as North Carolina, South Carolina, Floridaand Alabama. The expansion is expected to be complet-ed late next year and add more than 100 permanent jobs(in addition to the work on construction of the facility)—bringing total employment at the distribution center toalmost 240. Tyson and Macon’s ship is RISING…

This year’s honoree as Georgia Teacher of the Year isJohn R. Tibbetts, an economics teacher from Worth CountyHigh School in Sylvester. The Georgia Teacher of the YearAward is a great honor— but isn’t merely a trophy to dis-play. Tibbetts will be working with the Department ofEducation over the course of the next year as an advocate,ambassador and consultant for public education inGeorgia. As he speaks to the public about his profession,conducts development activities for other teachers, serveson committees and participates in education conferences,his professional reputation will obviously be RISING…

Beginning April 1, Georgia required food stamp recipi-ents in 21 counties to find employment or lose food stampbenefits. As a result, roughly 62 percent of the 11,779 foodstamp recipients in the state no longer qualify to receivethe taxpayer-subsidized benefit. Under the new law any-one getting these benefits must work at least 20 hours aweek— and these work requirements are expected to beextended to all 159 counties by 2019. So with an estimated7,251 recipients having dropped out after just one month,Georgia’s (and its taxpayers’) ship is RISING…

At the recent Charter System Foundation annual luncheon,Warren County Schools received “The Charter SystemSchool of the Year Award” and won a $10,000 grant by theGeorgia Association of Realtors. The county was the state’sfirst charter system with 630 students. Their size likelyincreased their ability to implement innovative policies butit also handled financial challenges. The system used theflexibility of their charter model to shuffle personnel andscheduling, and expenditure controls helped overcome a $2million inherited deficit and build a $1 million-plus reservefund. All Warren schools are RISING— they are designatedby the state as “schools that beat the odds” and its middleand high schools have an 89.5 percent graduation rate.

WHO’S RISING AND SINKING IN GEORGIA BUSINESS AND POLITICS

F L O A T I N G B O A T S

or many the election results on June 20thwere a disappointment, if not a surprise. Takinga gerrymandered, ruby-red 6th U.S.Congressional District and turning it blue was

always going to be an uphill battle. Democrats wereable to accomplish a great deal in a short amount oftime, but it simply was not enough to overcome thedemographic and electoral realities in the 6th district. Even without a victory, the race betweenJon Ossoff and now-Congresswoman KarenHandel provided valuable lessons for bothDemocrats and Republicans. For Democrats,the main take-away should be that everyseat is competitive. Georgia’s 6th is aseat that former Congressman TomPrice routinely won by double digits.Handel won by less than four points. The fact that Ossoff, his cam-paign team, and the legion of pas-sionate volunteers could close sucha wide margin in so little time isnothing short of incredible. Itshould be clear now that with agood candidate, a strong messageand an engaged voter base, any oneof the 435 Congressional seats canbe made competitive in the 2018midterms. Of course, not every race willinvolve a record-breaking sum of $60 million, butmost voters will be able to make up their mindwithout 50 flyers in their mailbox or 500 ads ontheir television. However, the result of the election did not pro-vide concrete guidelines for future races in everyaspect of a Democratic campaign. Perhaps mostimportantly, it is still not clear if Democratic candi-dates would be better suited to running as moder-ates or as outspoken liberals. Ossoff unabashedlyran as the former, with his frequent mentions ofbipartisanship, cutting government waste, andfocusing on job growth in the technologysector. Without more concrete data, it is impossibleto say if that strategy helped him by encouraging

disaffected Republicans to cross over and voteDemocratic or hurt him by discouraging morestrongly liberal Democrats from showing up onElection Day. It will be difficult to know which strat-egy is best until the 2018 midterm results offer abroader sample size. What is clear, however, is that the Ossoff cam-paign and the Democratic Party missed an opportu-nity to effectively go after President Trump and

Handel on health care and theAmerican Health Care Act

(AHCA) in particular.The AHCA is rightfully

one of the most reviled piecesof legislation in recent mem-ory, yet there was littleeffort made to tie theGOP’s desire to strip 22

million Americans of health care tothe Republican Party or Handel,despite Handel coming out and say-ing she would have voted for it.Given that the legislation passed the

House of Representatives by a slimmargin of 217-213, there would have

been a compelling point to make thatevery vote counts and that Handel would vote

based on misguided politics, not policy. If Ossoffhad attacked Handel more on her support for theAHCA with the same fervor that Republicansemployed to attack Ossoff over his so-called“California liberal values,” then it would have givenDemocrats and independents a good reason to showup to the polls and give disaffected Republicans onemore reason not to. Even if all the GOP’s efforts toruin health care in this country fail, voters need to bereminded every day for the next year exactly whatRepublicans heartlessly are trying to do. The inability to harness the energy around healthcare is just one of the reasons turnout among theDemocratic base was less than ideal. continued on page 10

9J U LY /AU G U ST 2017

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Campaigning with a moderate message may havehelped convince some disaffected Republicans to votefor Ossoff, but those crossover votes did not doenough to offset the lack of enthusiasm from progres-sive Democrats or the lack of crossover among theolder, white voters in the 6th who remain staunchlyRepublican. If there were to be any hope of victory,Ossoff would have needed to solicit enough earlyvotes to counter the traditionally stronger GOPturnout on Election Day, but Handel’s campaign did abetter than expected job of attracting early voters. Inthe end, overwhelming millennial support and anti-Trump sentiments just were not enough to carryOssoff over the finish line. In the meantime, Trump and Republicans willcontinue cheering their victory, and they shouldenjoy it while it lasts. In each of the special elec-tions this year, Republican margins of victory havedwindled by at least 10 points. Given that Trump isone of the least popular presidents in modernAmerican history and that the president’s partytends to lose seats in the House in midterm elec-tions, Republicans are almost certainly concernedabout what could happen next year. Withthose elections over 16 months away and Trump’spredilection for degrading the GOP brand, it is notso far-fetched to think that Republican control ofthe House is at serious risk as popular opinion spi-rals downward. If Republicans hope to fully stay inpower, they will have to better learn how to bearthe burden of the Trump albatross. Right now, Democrats should focus on renewingtheir resolve and learning from the experiences oflosing these elections in order to win in the nextones. Democrats absolutely have the potential toregain control of the House in 2018, but only if theylearn from their experiences in Kansas, Montana,South Carolina and Georgia. Nothing is more essential to putting a stop toTrump’s dangerous agenda than winning the Housein 2018. Most Republicans have made it clear thatthey are perfectly willing to go along with whatTrump wants, so it falls to the Democrats to be acheck on his power. All it takes is 25 seats.

Tharon Johnson is a Democrat strategist with Paramount ConsultingGroup in Atlanta.

For this year’s education issue James has researched morecriteria in compiling our ratings system. We analyze U.S.News & World Report and other national and regional rat-ings, as in years past. And we continue to look at admis-sion standards such as standardized test scores. But we’veadded two important categories— the completion/successrate and the freshman retention rate— as a special guidefor Georgians as well as for out-of-state and foreign stu-dents evaluating our colleges and universities. Our James staff can evaluate fresh data due to theComplete College Georgia initiative launched in 2011 toincrease the attainment of a high-quality certificate ordegree. For six years Georgia’s University System andTechnical College System have partnered on strategizing,planning, and implementing efforts to improve studentaccess to, and graduation from, institutions of highereducation. We are now able, after several years of data, toeffectively analyze the CCG focus in four key areas:

College Readiness Mending the P-12 pipeline to increasethe number of high school students graduating and readyto begin higher education work.

Improving Access & Completion for UnderservedStudents Identifying and removing barriers for minority,part-time, adult, military, disabled, low-income and first-generation students.

Shortening the Time to Degree Improving current, anddeveloping new, paths for students to earn a high-qualitydegree in a timely manner.

Transforming Remediation Improving remedialeducation practices to remove barriers and increase success.

This year we put more emphasis on data collection thatidentifies strengths, areas for improvement and the needsof regions and populations served by Georgia’s institutionsof higher learning. One area of weakness we’ve identified isthat all too many of Georgia’s public (and private)institutions of higher learning don’t collect job placementdata regarding their graduates. We remind readers, too, that four Georgia universitiesthat place a heavy emphasis on faculty research meet theCarnegie Classifications for doctoral universities with thehighest level of research activity. We further learned duringour research an interesting fact: Georgia State Universitygraduates more African-American students than any otheruniversity in the country. Our ratings are also based on consultations withprominent education and business leaders around thestate— and we thank them for their input.

— Phil Kent, on behalf of the staff

12 JAMES J U LY /AU G U ST 2017

Universities offer a wide rangeof undergraduate majors plus master’s

and doctoral programs. They alsoplace a heavy emphasis on faculty

research. Our rankings are based oncriteria that include admissions

standards such as standardized test scores, career placement

after graduation,and more.

Top Universities

1. GEORGIA TECH2. EMORY UNIVERSITY3. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA4. MERCER UNIVERSITY5. GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY6. GEORGIA COLLEGE 7. AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY8. KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY9. GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY10. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA

How We Compile Our Rankings

Colleges focus on undergraduateeducation and offer limited, if any,graduate programs. Our rankingsare based on criteria that include

admissions standards such asstandardized test scores, career

placement after graduation,and more.

Top colleges

1. AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE2. BERRY COLLEGE3. SPELMAN COLLEGE4. COVENANT COLLEGE5. BRENAU UNIVERSITY6. PIEDMONT COLLEGE 7. WESLEYAN COLLEGE8. OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY9. YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE10. MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

Raising graduation ratesis one of the biggest priorities

for Georgia schools. These rankingslist which colleges and universities

are tops for making sure theirstudents have the tools to

graduate and succeed.

success rate

1. EMORY UNIVERSITY2. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA3. GEORGIA TECH4. SPELMAN COLLEGE5. AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE6. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART 7. MERCER UNIVERSITY8. BERRY COLLEGE9. GEORGIA COLLEGE10. WESLEYAN COLLEGE

Our rankings of Georgia’s topfreshman classes are based on a

combination of available data including acceptance rate, GPA, retention

rate, and standardizedtest scores.

top Freshman classes

Our rankings are based on overallnet price and return on investment

along with relative quality ofeducation to determine which

Georgia schools offerthe best value to

students.

best value

1. EMORY UNIVERSITY2. GEORGIA TECH3. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA4. BERRY COLLEGE5. MERCER /AGNES SCOTT (tie)

1. CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY2. UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA3. ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY4. COLUMBUS STATE UNIVERSITY5. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA

Our rankings of Georgia’stop technical colleges are based

on available data includinggraduation rates, teacher-to-student

ratio, accreditations, andjob placement rates.

top technical colleges

1. OGEECHEE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

2. LANIER TECHNICAL COLLEGE

3. SOUTHEASTERN TECHNICAL COLLEGE

4. WIREGRASS TECHNICAL COLLEGE

5. SAVANNAH TECHNICAL COLLEGE

6. GWINNETT TECHNICAL COLLEGE

7. ATLANTA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

8. AUGUSTA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

9. CHATTAHOOCHEE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

10. SOUTHERN REGIONAL TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Transiency is defined as not lasting, enduring or permanent.As it relates to the Georgia and Atlanta public education system,the problem involves students missing classes which hampers theability of teachers to teach. One can have the best teachers andfacilities in the world— but there needs to be students to learnand teachers to educate! A reduction in transiency is at the heart of Georgia’s educa-tion problem, and a central component to this crisis is the avail-ability of affordable housing. Atlanta lost over 5,000 affordable apartment units and gainedalmost the same units in luxury apartment with rents over $1,500per month between 2010 and 2014. Because of urban blight andgentrification, this is the trend among many Southern urban andrural areas— and it doesn’t seem to be slowing. Consider this: The average income for many neighbor-hoods in the city of Atlanta is $25,000 and translates toa rent affordability rate of $690 per month. Many of thelargest employers such as the grocery stores andother retailers pay $9-12 per hour, which trans-lates to $18-22,000 per year. This leads to anaffordability of about $650/month for a family offour with a single income earner. Historic solutions involved the government cre-ating public housing. But it failed its residents bycongregating the poorest of the poor into areas withlimited social support and no vision for an exit.According to the U.S. Census, new construction accommodatesless than 1 percent of the affordable housing needs for workingpoor families. Modern day solutions seek to mix income levels in new devel-opment. This model uses government tax credits to fund developersto build units and allocate 10 to 15 percent of them for “affordabil-ity” which may serve the working class but not the working poor.Recently, in one case, a developer received $7 million in tax creditsand allocated 10 percent of the rental units to “affordability”—which translates to apartments at $1,000-1,200 per month. Thisworks for those making $35-45,000 per year but the demand for“affordability” far outweighs the supply demand regarding the 85-90percent of those in units who will have to pay $2,500+/month in thenewer portion of those developments. After studying the interdependency of housing and educa-tion, there is a better solution— and we believe it is fostered bythe work of 3Star Communities (www.3starcommunities.com),an Atlanta-based 501 (c3) foundation. Let’s begin by noting that the majority of working poor fam-ilies reside in apartments built before 1980. This “naturally occur-ring” affordable housing is where investment needs to focus. In

other words, why are we building new apartments with govern-ment tax incentives, when dollars can be spent renovating well-located properties to provide good living conditions at affordableprices for a greater number of people? This is where 3Star entersthe picture by buying existing apartments next to failing schools. One of the founders of 3Star Communities and TriStar RealEstate Investment, for example, developed a solution to transiencyin a Cobb County apartment community called Madison Hills.When purchased in late 2006, this blighted property experiencedhigh crime rates. The complex had 35 percent of the students ofBrumby Elementary School. It suffered 67 percent transiency rateand it was one of the worst performing Cobb County schools. Butthe owners renovated the complex, provided off-duty police offi-cers for safety, created an after-school program and stabilized rents

at the affordable level. Brumby went from a failing school to aTitle I school of distinction as transiency fell to 41 percent.

Sad to say, though, that the investor group pushedfor a sale and the next owner fired the security, closed

the after-school program, raised rents and causedBrumby to fail again. As this is written, the school

will be closing and moving to another area.Here’s the bottom line: The conventional investor

strategy isn’t the answer because the goal is to get thehighest investment returns possible for their partners ina model that increases rents and promotes transiency.This is a vicious cycle that ends in foreclosure, blight,

poor school performance and a failing educational system. The good news is there are for-profit and non-profit realestate organizations being created that bypass conventionalreturns and short holding periods of the common investor model.Their success is reliant on holding properties for the long run,using donated or foundation or social-impact money with little tono returns and implementing wrap-around social programs.These programs include after-school, summer camps and well-ness programs with local health clinics. The stabilization of thecommunities gives neighborhoods the chance to keep its resi-dences in place, and hence reduce transiency. We are proud that 3Star Communities developed a provenaffordable housing/education model that provides a stable housingenvironment and allows children— and ultimately their schools—to improve. The multiplier effect of this simple solution is creatinga “Compassionate Capitalist” model that is changing the way wethink about education, housing and the ability to grow workingfamilies into success stories that benefit our entire state.

The authors, Duncan Gibbs and Margaret Stagmeier, are founding boardmembers of 3Star Communities.

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FORT GORDON IN RICHMOND COUNTY has hadmany missions since its establishment in 1917, but todayit is home to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Army CyberCenter of Excellence and is headquarters for the U.S.Army Cyber Command. It is also home to a significantoperation within the National Security Agency (NSA). The Signal School at Fort Gordon graduated its firstclass of 10 students from its power equipment mainte-nance course in the fall of 1948. Today the SignalCenter of Excellence trains more militarypersonnel than any other Army branchtraining center. The post now has apopulation of more than 15,000 mili-tary and nearly 8,000 civilians andhas an annual economic impactof $2.2 billion on the CentralSavannah River Area (CSRA). NSA’s first move to Gordon(NSA Georgia) was in 1994when it started with a workforceof some 50 employees. Duringthe first several times I visitedthe facility it had a larger employ-ee base but was still located inWorld War II-vintage quarters. But themission at NSA Georgia has always beento gather timely and accurate intelligencefrom across the globe and to provide that informa-tion to the warfighter. NSA Georgia has grown significantly over the yearsand new facilities were badly needed. In March 2012, wecut the ribbon on a new state of the art facility— a $286million, 604,000-square-foot Gordon Regional SecurityOperations Center on 160 acres in the heart of FortGordon. As the war on terror expanded and with theemergence of activity in cyberspace, the work done atNSA Georgia has grown in sophistication and volume.The workforce continues to do an exemplary job of deliv-ering information to the warfighter. As I traveled aroundthe world during my 20 years of public service visitingcombat troops in some places I can name and some I

cannot, it was rare not to find someone from the civilianside of NSA Georgia who was forward deployed and inharm’s way assisting with the mission. In October 2010 an Army Cyber Command (ARCY-BER) was established at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with partof the command being located at Fort Gordon. Its mis-sion is to plan, coordinate, integrate, synchronize,direct and conduct network operations and defense of

all Army networks. When directed, ARCYBERwill conduct cyberspace operations in sup-

port of full-spectrum operations toensure U.S. and allied freedom of

action in cyberspace— and to denythe same to adversaries.

In the 2012-2013 time frame, adecision had to be made about thepermanent location of ARCYBER.By this time, NSA Georgia hadexpanded and ultimately movedsome civilians from Fort Meade.These civilians could attest to the

lifestyle in Augusta and the entirearea and their testimonials turned

out to be very important. Needless to say, Sen. Johnny

Isakson and I were very pleased to get thecall from Army Secretary John McHugh in

2013 telling us that Fort Gordon had been selectedas the ARCYBER headquarters. But make no mistakeabout it, Augusta, Richmond County and the CSRA solditself. Without the community leadership and supportfrom then- Mayor Deke Copenhaver and CSRA Alliancefor Fort Gordon Director Thom Tuckey, as well as manyothers, this would not have happened. Our job was mademuch easier by their commitment. While ARCYBER continues to operate in overcrowdedand inadequate facilities, the Army broke ground inNovember 2016 on a $180 million Army CyberHeadquarters Complex alongside NSA

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Augusta is Becominga “Cybersecurity Capital”

continued on page 22

by former u.s. sen.

Saxby Chambliss

Georgia at Fort Gordon. Occupation of the new facilityand location of 1,200 military and civilian jobs isplanned to begin in 2020 with the full transition ofARCYBER HQ expected no later than 2022. As statedby ARCYBER Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone, “Theconsolidation of these operational forces … at Fort

Gordon will create significant synergy, allow-ing for the immediate incorporation of lessonslearned and operational knowledge into ourtraining curriculum.” A group of business leaders has also beenworking to create the Augusta InnovationZone, a combination of co-working, incubator,office, restaurant, retail and residential spacesto be housed in the historic Johnson andWoolworths buildings comprising one block of8th Street in downtown Augusta. All thisactivity means quality jobs are moving to theCSRA. Companies like Secureworks, Unisys,Janus Research Group, Sabre, Booz Allen,Raytheon, IntelliGenesis, and BAE have eitherlocated new facilities or expanded existingfacilities. Many of these jobs will be filled byindividuals coming out of colleges and univer-sities in Georgia.

Georgia Tech has an outstanding cyber pro-gram and produces some of the brightest minds in thefield annually. Augusta University has seized on its geo-graphical location and, under the leadership of PresidentBrooks Keel, AU has being designated as a Cyber Centerof Academic Excellence. AU has already received nineNSA grants for Gen Cyber camps to educate high schoolteachers and students. AU has also executed anArticulation Agreement with NSA and a MOU with theCCOE at Ft. Gordon. In October, AU will host CyberGeorgia for the 4th year; past keynotes include top lead-ership from Intelligence and Cyber Agencies. I was pleased to be at the groundbreaking on June19th of the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Centerlocated on the Riverfront Campus of AU. Gov. NathanDeal showed great leadership in committing $60 millionto its construction. This new state-owned building willbring together academia, private industry and govern-ment to establish cybersecurity standards across stateand local agencies to develop and practice protocols forresponding to cyber threats. This facility and range willbe used for training, education, research and develop-ment, and will act as an incubation/acceleration hub forcybersecurity startup companies. Indeed, Augusta is the heartbeat of the golfing worldfor one week every April. Now, the CSRA is becoming theepicenter of cybersecurity for both the U.S. military andGeorgia. Fortune magazine included Augusta as one of“Seven Cities That Could Become the World’sCybersecurity Capital” alongside London, San Franciscoand Tel Aviv. The community is working to meet the crit-ical needs of our nation’s workforce and continues to beanother source of pride for our great state.

Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., is a partner withDLA Piper LLP in Atlanta.

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Phil Kent When I arrived in Augusta in the 1970s, then-Augusta College was a small campus in the Summervillesection. It’s remarkable to witness the expansion of now-Augusta University during those decades. Let’s break downthis growth. Please address the consolidation of theSummerville and Health Sciences campuses. What has itmeant in terms of student recruitment, higher studentretention rates and increased measures of student success?

Dr. Brooks Keel Augusta University now offers 142 pro-grams leading to degrees and certificates across nine col-leges. Our robust academic program offers students rigor-ous coursework with high levels of faculty engagement,hands on learning opportunities, internships, and studyabroad programs. Enrollment for new freshmen has increased 11.5%since 2013, and all indications are that we will see contin-ued growth in our Fall 2017 class. The quality of thosefreshmen has also increased, as is reflected in our steadilyrising Freshman Index scores. Our students are progress-ing toward degrees at a greater rate than ever, thanks toour 4 Years 4 You initiative. This initiative has increasedour freshman-to-sophomore progression rate from below15% prior to consolidation, to 53.4% last fall. We’ve alsoput in place very intentional programs to increase reten-tion and have seen a retention rate of nearly 75%— 9 per-centage points higher than in 2012. These efforts will leadto more degrees conferred, which is our ultimate goal.

PK That’s impressive. And, since you are a graduate ofthe Medical College of Georgia, please expand upon theuniversity’s MCG partnership campuses in other Georgiacities and what they offer.

BK To help address the need for physicians in Georgia,over the past decade MCG has markedly expanded itsclinical footprint across the entire state, and significantlyincreased its class size. In 2006, MCG opened its firstclinical (years 3 and 4 of the medical school curriculum)campus in Southwest Georgia, based at Phoebe PutneyMemorial Hospital in Albany. The Southwest Campus isstrategically located in a relatively rural area of the statewhere physician shortages are most acute. In 2007, MCG

announced the Southeast Campus, which is based at St.Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, and theSoutheast Georgia Health System in Brunswick. In January 2008, the University System of GeorgiaBoard of Regents accepted a medical education expan-sion plan calling for MCG to expand statewide, includingopening the four-year Augusta University/University ofGeorgia Medical Partnership in Athens. The first 40 stu-dents started at the Medical Partnership in fall 2010,increasing MCG’s class size from 190 to its current 230students. Later in 2010, officials from Rome and AugustaUniversity announced the establishment of the NorthwestCampus, which became operational in 2013. The cam-puses accommodate residential students as well asnumerous students who come to the campus and regionfor short-term, individual clinical rotations. Today MCG’s diverse educational clinical experiencesinclude more than 230 urban and rural sites acrossGeorgia where students experience the full spectrum ofmedicine. If you include all the sites that our health pro-fessions programs (Dentistry, Nursing and Allied HealthSciences) use, we have more than 1,400 partner sitesacross the nation! We currently depend upon 2,000 volun-teer faculty in those communities to further the trainingof our students outside of Augusta.

25J U LY /AU G U ST 2017

Augusta University President Dr. Brooks Keel, an endocrinologist and Augusta native who previ-ously was president of Georgia Southern University, interviewed with James Publisher Phil Kenton the institution’s progress since he took the helm in 2015. Dr. Keel is also the CEO of AU Health.

Augusta University Growing, Spans the State

PK Even patients with the most intractable diseases findnew hope at Augusta University, thanks to a thrivingresearch enterprise. Could you detail some of the impres-sive research that has been occurring in recent years?

BK Yes, our researchers address state and regional socie-tal needs through research across multiple disciplines andin many areas. In the last fiscal year, sponsored researchat AU totaled over $107 million. We have aspirations toincrease that number substantially over the next decade. It is difficult to single out any one particular areabecause we have so much exciting work taking place onour campus. As the home of Georgia’s only public med-ical school and the state’s only dental school, we are like-ly most known for our work in biomedical sciences. Someof our most exciting research is taking place in areas thattackle the challenging public health issues thatGeorgians face: cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, dia-betes and neurological diseases and stroke. The best news is that because we are a fully inte-grated academic medical center, we can move discover-ies in the biomedical sciences out of the laboratory andinto patient care more readily. Our new M. Bert StoreyCancer Center Expansion is a visible example of how weintegrate our missions of teaching, research and patientcare as it physically connects our educational, research,and clinical facilities.

PK Science, technology, engineering and mathematicsneed to be stressed in our nation’s universities. What ini-tiatives have you been pursuing in these vital areas?

BK Clearly, with our legacy as a health sciences universi-ty, biomedical sciences are a particular strength ofAugusta University, and we continue to grow in those dis-ciplines and in related areas. We have initiated a five-yeardual degree program in which a student can earn both aB.S. in mathematics and an M.S. in biostatistics. We aredeveloping master’s degree programs in biomolecular sci-

ences and in biological and computational mathematics.We also are deeply committed to developing and expand-ing other STEM areas. In addition to our strong focus oncyber security, we have nuclear science tracks in ourchemistry and physics bachelors programs aimed at pro-ducing graduates to meet the growing workforce needs inthe nuclear industry. Our science students have opportunities for scholar-ship support from industry partners such as ADP, as wellas internships that give them real-world experience. In addition to our focus on the traditional STEM disci-plines, we recognize that Augusta University has a uniqueopportunity to leverage its strengths in science programs,in addition to leveraging our growing strengths in thearts, in the development of the so-called “STEAM” pro-grams. STEAM education is an approach to learning thatuses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math-ematics to guide student inquiry, dialogue, and criticalthinking. Our College of Education, in collaboration withour Art Department, is leading the way in these efforts.

PK Augusta and Fort Gordon are rapidly becomingknown nationally as a “cybersecurity campus.” What isAugusta University now doing in this vital area?

BK In June construction began on the new Georgia CyberInnovation and Training Center (GCITC) located at theAugusta University Riverfront Campus. We are grateful toGovernor Deal and the state of Georgia for having the fore-sight to fund this state-owned facility designed to promotemodernization in cybersecurity technology. It’s one of thelargest investments of any state that we’re aware of specif-ically targeted toward cybersecurity and training the work-force that’s going to be associated with it. This facility hasthe potential to be transformative in our community. The Augusta University Cyber Institute will be homedin the GCITC and our rapidly growing degree and certifi-cate programs will benefit tremendously from access to thisfacility. Cyber experts will develop scenarios based on anindustry or topic and then attack a computer. Students willhave to take what they have learned in the classroom andput it into action. It’s the best way to train a growing work-force in cybersecurity without doing any real-life damage. As part of our commitment to building a cyber work-force for Georgia, we are reaching out to K12 studentsand teachers. This summer we held our third annualNSA-NSF sponsored GenCyber Summer Camp, a five-dayresidential summer program created for rising junior andsenior high school students to introduce them to the fieldof cybersecurity. We also host a Gen Cyber MiddleGrades Teacher Camp to provide cyber training to localeducators with middle school students in attendance aswell. The goal is to give teachers cyber skills that theycan take back to enrich the curriculum on their campus-es. In the last three summers, we have hosted almost 250students and teachers to help develop this critical part ofthe workforce pipeline for the state and our nation.26 JAMES J U LY /AU G U ST 2017

President Keel with U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.

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Football at the smaller level doesn’t mean city-sizedcrowds or regular appearances on national TV. It meansgrowing the school’s brand, giving students and alumni anew outlet for school pride and it means appealing to abroader base of students, not just student-athletes. Mercer had just those things in mind when it addedfootball to its program a few years ago. Jim Cole, athleticsdirector for the Bears, wants a football program theschool’s community can be proudof— but also one that pays dividendsfor the school. He points to a freshman classthat is 80 percent larger than it wasbefore football was added. And thatlarger class has a better academicprofile. Many of those students, Colebelieves, applied to Mercer becausethe school now has a football team.The chance for a more complete col-lege experience is attractive toprospective students. “We did not have grand illusionsthat we are going to beat Alabamafor the national championship,” hesaid of adding football. “We did it tobring everything together.” Mercer has plenty of athletic his-tory. It more than holds its own inseveral sports, and every now andthen the school makes a big splash.The Bears made such a splash a fewyears ago when the men’s basketballteam upset Duke in the NCAA tour-nament. Cole compared the exposurefrom that game to football with acooking metaphor. “Football is kind of like your cake recipe,” he said.“You have your flour, your sugar and your butter. BeatingDuke, that was like the icing on the cake.” Mercer’s football team will have a chance to make asimilar splash— or two— this fall. The Bears visit Auburnearly in the season, then go to Alabama late in the season.Those games, especially if Mercer pulls an upset, are achance for exposure across the Southeast and nationally. The school also uses its program for exposure on astate level. Mercer’s new stadium hosts games as partof the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic, and it is host to thestate championship games for a small league made upof private schools called the Georgia IndependentSchools Association. “We are exposing this campus to as many people as wecan,” Cole said of inviting high schools to play on its field.

Here are the Georgia universities that have addedcollege football over the past dozen or so years:

LaGrange College Began playing in 2006, LaGrangecurrently is a member of the Division III USA SouthAthletic Conference. The team is coached by StevePardue, who led LaGrange High School to three statechampionships.

Shorter University Shorter playsin the Division II Gulf SouthConference with in-state rivalsValdosta State and West Georgia.The Hawks are coached by AaronKelton.

Berry College Began football in2013. The Vikings are part ofDivision III Southern AthleticAssociation. Berry, which went 9-1in 2016, is coached by TonyKunczewski.

Mercer University Began play in2013. The Bears are part of the FCSSouthern Conference. Mercer iscoached by former Furman coachBobby Lamb.

Georgia State University Beganplay in 2010. The Panthers are partof the FBS Sun Belt Conference within-state rival Georgia Southern. Theteam is coached by Shawn Elliott.

Kennesaw State UniversityBegan play in 2015. The Owls are in the FCS Big SouthConference. Kennesaw State is coached by BrianBohannon.

Point University Began play in 2012. The school, for-merly known as Atlanta Christian College, moved to WestPoint and became Point University. The school is inGeorgia, but plays games at a stadium in Valley, Ala.Plays in the NAIA Mid-South Conference. Coached byJulius Dixon.

Rheinhardt University Began play in 2013. First gamewas against Mercer, in that school’s first game. Plays inMid-South Conference. Coached by James Miller.

Cosby Woodruff is a staff writer for James.

quarter-century ago, college football inGeorgia mostly meant pointing the cartowards Athens or at least tuning the

dial to listen to Larry Munson go on about how difficultthings were sure to be for the Bulldogs. Now, while Athens may still lay claim to being the col-lege football capital of the state,Atlanta has a strong case for beingthe national center of college football.Nothing symbolizes Atlanta’s place inthe college football landscape quitelike the almost-complete Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This season it willhost four major college games, and nofewer than three figure to havenational championship implications. Alabama and Florida State meetin the first of two Chick-fil-A gamesat the new stadium. Then the SECChampionship Game— a de factonational quarterfinal game— comesto Atlanta in early December. Finally,the playoff championship game willbe in Atlanta in early January. The stadium also should bepacked in the other Chick-fil-Agame between Georgia Tech andTennessee on Labor Day evening.The Celebration Bowl, effectivelythe Historically Black Colleges &Universities (HBCU) national championship game,comes back to Atlanta early in the bowl season. It isn’t just the games putting Atlanta at the center ofthe college football world. The College Football Hall of Fameis part of the infrastructure of the game. The Hall’s CEODennis Adamovich is clearly proud of his 95,000 square-footfacility and the crowds it draws. He also is proud of being

part of the city’s fabric when it comes to the game. Adamovich knows his Hall is one of the reasons thebig games are coming to Atlanta, especially the title game. “We are going to be in the heart of that celebration,”he says. Displays around the Hall will focus on the twoteams coming to Atlanta for that game, and those fans

will be made to feel especially wel-come.

“We definitely were a part of thebid package for the game,” he told meduring a tour. “And we are going tomake ourselves available.” The Hall is more than just a placeto honor the game’s greats who havebeen enshrined there. In fact, the sec-tion that honors them is a relativelysmall part of the building. Visitors whowish to do so may immerse them-selves in the game from a perspectiveof their favorite team. “We are the illuminati of collegefootball,” Adamovich said. And hedoesn’t mean just the big powerschools. A wall of helmets that wel-comes every visitor and records theirpresence with lights represents 774schools. That includes the popularsuch as Alabama. It also includes theobscure, such as tiny HuntingdonCollege in Montgomery, Alabama,

with barely 1,000 students. The game’s growth in Georgia is similar. WhileAtlanta has grown in national stature regarding thegame, the Peach State’s smaller communities havebecome a part of the game as well. In the past dozen orso years, no fewer than seven schools in the state haveadded college football. They range from one of the state’slargest— Georgia State University— to one of thenewest— Point University.

CEO DENNIS ADAMOVICHCollege Football Hall of Fame

“We are exposing this campusto as many people as we can.”

JIM COLEMercer University athletics director

It’s elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery, you’re helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams. For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed more than $18.4 billion to education. On top of that, more than1.7 million HOPE scholars have gone to college and more than 1.4 million four-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded Pre-K Program. Add those numbersup and, well, let’s just say that’s a hair-raising number of happy kids.

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As we move toward finalizing our new state plan foreducation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, it isworth noting that the Georgia strategy places the “WholeChild” at the center of our public education system. Whenthinking of the whole child, the first component of care is toassess a child’s well-being: that state of being comfortable,healthy, and happy. One of the key factors in achievinghealth and comfort is good nutrition. Though schools arenot solely responsible for the nutrition of students, thanks toour National School Lunch Program (NSLP), many studentsreceive daily meals at school— and research shows a keylink between nutrition and student learning Our country’s federally assisted meal program, theNSLP, was founded in 1946 to provide nutritionally bal-anced, low-cost or free lunches to students each schoolday. Today this program provides meals in over 100,000public and non-profit private schools and child care insti-tutions. Students from families with income levelsbetween 130 and 185 percent of federal poverty levels areeligible for reduced price or free meals, and in Georgiathis group accounted for 60% of our student body in2016— over one million students.

SCHOOL IS A PRIMARY SOURCEOF GOOD NUTRITIONFor some students in this group, school lunch is one oftheir primary sources of nutrition. These are all good rea-sons that policymakers across the country are concernedwith how healthy meals provided by schools are for stu-dents. In 2010, the United States Congress passed theHealthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act with the intent of raisingminimum nutrition standards for public school lunches.This act was passed in part due to the growing concernssurrounding a nearly 20% obesity rate among America’schildren, but there was little discussion at the timeregarding the effect nutrition has on student learning.

LINK BETWEEN NUTRITIONAND EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

The links between diet and cognitive function anddevelopment are well known, but research has notshown how nutrition affects educational achievementuntil recently. Earlier this year, the National Bureau ofEconomic Research released the results of a study cov-ering five academic years. That study measured theeffect of healthier school lunches on end-of-year aca-demic test scores for California public school students.It included all public schools in the state that reportedtest scores, over 9,000 schools— mostly elementary andmiddle schools. Nutritionists at the Nutrition Policy Institute ana-lyzed school lunch menus using the 100 point “HealthyEating Index”— a well-established food componentanalysis that determines how well food offerings matchthe Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Theaverage American’s diet receives an HEI score of 63.8,and the median HEI score in this study is a 59.9. Whilemost California public schools prepare their schoollunches in house, 12 percent contract with private com-panies to provide school lunch. Some of these compa-nies had above median HEI scores, and the test scoresof students receiving these healthier lunches were thebasis for comparison. In years when a school contracted with a healthy lunchcompany, students at the school had higher scores on theirend-of-year academic tests. On average, these scores were0.03 to 0.04 standard deviations higher than average, andthe test score increases were nearly 40 percent larger forstudents who qualify for reduced-price or free schoollunches. It costs approximately $80 more per student per

Can Make a Big Differencein Student Learning

by Caitlin Daugherty Kokenes

year to contract with a healthy school lunch providerinstead of preparing all meals in-house, thus providinghealthier school lunches could be a very cost-effective wayfor a school to improve student learning and to increasestudent well-being.

POVERTY A BARRIERTO GOOD NUTRITIONOver 1.4 million children in Georgia are living in house-holds with income levels below 250% of the poverty line.These children are some of our most vulnerable citizensin terms of hunger, and they are also more likely to livein what the USDA calls food deserts— areas more thanone mile from a supermarket or other reliable sources offresh fruits and vegetables. This makes the need forthese children to receive nutritious, quality food atschool even more dire. Many of these Georgians are considered food inse-cure, which indicates they cannot afford to buy healthyfood on a regular basis. As of 2014, close to 30 percent ofGeorgia children were living in food insecure households,and a new analysis indicates that number is on the rise.A University of Georgia researcher recently found thatareas with increasing food insecurity have less publictransit access. As poverty spreads to more areas of thestate, food insecurity follows.

FOOD INSECURITY WIDENSSUMMER LEARNING GAPSChildren in food insecure homes are found to also experi-ence summer learning gaps much more severely thanothers. Summer meal programs are another importantstep in combatting child hunger and, in turn, summerlearning loss. USDA publishes a map on their website tohelp those in need find summer food providers, but aswith many resources, access remains a challenge for citi-zens in the highest levels of poverty, including children.

IMPORTANCE OF INVESTINGIN STUDENT NUTRITIONIt is those children who are eligible for free andreduced-price lunch, however, that showed the greatestgains in academic performance when receiving healthi-er food at school. For this reason and so many others, itis paramount that we all take note of the gains that arepossible when nutrition is improved in school meals.When students are healthy, they are more likely to behappy and to perform to the best of their abilities inschool. Investing in student nutrition today will helplead students to improved academic performance and abrighter tomorrow.

Caitlin Daugherty Kokenes is a Project Associate with the Georgia Partnershipfor Excellence in Education

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GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY provides the resources — career-minded graduates, cutting-edge research facilities and dedicated faculty members — to ensure the workforce in Georgia is ready, willing and able to meet the needs of local, national and international companies to rise — and stay — above the competition.

OUR BESTBrighten Georgia

ithin the next decade some 60 percent ofthe jobs in our state and nation will require

some level of college. With this reality, underGov. Nathan Deal’s leadership and together

with our partners in the Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia, we embarked in 2012 on CompleteCollege Georgia with the No. 1 goal of increasing college attain-ment levels. We are part of a national movement through theGates Foundation’s initiative, Complete College America. For us, this means ensuring more Georgians enter theworkforce with a college degree, and the challenge is clear:Currently in Georgia only 47 percent of our workforce meetsthis requirement. Long gone are the days when public higher education canfocus solely on enrolling more students. We must graduatemore students while maintaining our commitment to aca-demic quality. The good news is we are making progress. Since 2011, we have increased the number of studentsannually earning degrees by 14 percent, from 54,000 to morethan 62,000 last year. To meet our target, we need to increasethat number by about three percent a year. It will not be easy,so we are making changes to how we teach, with more atten-tion to student success. For example, our advisors are providing “degreeroadmaps,” so students avoid spending time and money incourses that do not count toward their degree. As part of our 15 to Finish effort, campuses encouragestudents to take full course loads of 15 credit hours a semes-ter, thus shortening the time it takes to graduate. Our institutions also use an early-alert system to monitorstudent performance so that a low-test grade may signal acounselor to provide tutoring and enable the student to com-plete the class successfully. These initiatives, brought to life every day by our faculty,are moving students in the right direction. They are begin-ning to graduate in a shorter timeframe and, as a result, savemoney by avoiding extra semesters and unneeded classes. To improve access, we are expanding online courses toprovide flexibility for students, especially those who are jug-gling the demands of a job and family. Last fall, we were offer-ing 6,200 online undergraduate courses. Six years ago, weoffered only 1,500 online courses. Meanwhile, the Move On When Ready initiative contin-ues to surpass our expectations. This initiative allows highschool students to get an early start on earning a collegedegree. Last fall, we had more than 10,000 high school stu-dents enrolled, a 30 percent increase from the previous year. We also recognize the costs of college alone can present avery real stumbling block for students, and that college

affordability is critical to achieving our CompleteCollege Georgia goals. We realize that the ultimatefocus of affordability is tuition and understand that itis a source of concern for people in our state. We sharethis concern and are committed to providing an afford-able, high quality college education.

Over the past five years, the University System has kepttuition increases at an average of 2.2 percent. We have alsoreduced the number of fee increases in the past six years. Forexample, the number of fee increases dropped from 67 in FiscalYear 2012 down to 12 in Fiscal Year 2018. In addition, the stateauditor found the University System’s tuition and fees averaged25 percent less than what institutions in peer states charge. So, we have made some strides in serving students betterby cutting time to graduation, providing more support, offeringexpanded access and trying to make college more affordable. But why does having more college graduates really matterto Georgia? There is a direct relationship between education attain-ment and economic competitiveness and thus quality of life.We will not compete with other states, let alone other coun-tries, if our college attainment levels lag. And lag behind we do. According to the World EconomicForum, about 42 percent of the U.S. workforce has a postsec-ondary degree of some kind, ranking us 21st in the world.According to census data, Georgia ranks 23rd in the nation inthe percentage of its workforce with at least a bachelor’s degree. More striking is the disparity in attainment levels withinour state. In one county, 49 percent of people 25 or older havea bachelor’s degree or higher. At the other end of the spec-trum, another county has only 6 percent of its citizens with abachelor’s degree or higher. Which county will attract newindustry, create companies and lure families? A college education also brings benefits to the individualgraduate. Bachelor-degree holders on average earn significant-ly higher income and have greater job security than thosewith a high school diploma. There are also intangible benefits that come with a collegeexperience, such as sharpening critical thinking, improvingcommunications skills, and understanding the need to showup on time and meet deadlines. The bottom line is that if we want companies to movehere or our citizens to start companies and rear their familieshere then we must have a trained and educated workforce.Complete College Georgia is the plan for how we will increasecollege attainment in our state, and the University andTechnical College Systems are bringing it to life.

Dr. Steve Wrigley is the chancellor of the University System of Georgia.

by Chancellor Steve Wrigley

chairman of the state Board ofEducation says the evolution of educa-

tion is Georgia is underway— one driven by creatingnew opportunities for students to customize their edu-cational experience. Mike Royal is Gov. Nathan Deal’s 7th CongressionalDistrict appointee and was elected board chairman lastyear. During his six-year tenure Royalhas seen “huge strides” in Georgia’s edu-cational system— changes involving seattime requirements for students, mandat-ed testing, single diplomas, career path-ways and the opportunity for students toearn college credit while still enrolled inhigh schools. But the greatest changeswill come in 2018 as Georgia embarks onturning around schools that have beendesignated as chronically failing. “Six years ago, Georgia offered asingle, standard diploma for all stu-dents; we had seat time requirementswith very little flexibility; col-lege and career pathways didnot exist; and there was nodual enrollment or Move onWhen Ready programs,” saidRoyal. “We were embarkingon Race To The Top, teacherand leader accountability sys-tems, and Milestones testingdid not even exist.” As early as six years ago, Georgia students wererequired to take 42 state and federal tests betweenkindergarten and their senior year. That has now beencut to 24 “and still going down,” according to Royal. The state’s graduation rate has jumped from 67 per-cent six years ago to 79 percent last year. “It’s not where

it needs to be right now but we are trending in the rightdirection,” said Royal. And that, the chairman says, isthe result of the state’s focus on personalized, individu-alized attention for all students.

New, Different CareerPathways

Georgia now offers over 177 differ-ent career pathways. The number of APcourses have increased across thestate— thanks in part to increased band-width and virtual education— andcourses offered to high school studentshave risen as a result of dual enrollmentand Move On When Ready. Accordingto Royal, Georgia high school studentswere enrolled in more than 91,000 col-lege level courses this past school year,and the graduation rate among studentstaking Career Tech courses is 95 percent. “This concept has resonated with

students across the state,” saidRoyal. “I truly believe that’swhy the state’s graduation rateis climbing. We have createdrelevance for so many of thesestudents. But the key to this isthat we can’t stop now. Weare off to a great start, but wehave to continue improvingand continue to come up with

new opportunities for our students.” In this context, the state board recently contractedwith the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to

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“We are trending inthe right direction.”

Mike RoyalChairman, State Board of Education


review the career pathways and update the state’s ener-gy pathway. “We want to ensure that the courses in thepathways are still meaningful,” said Royal. “We want tolook at each pathway and determine what a child needsto study to be successful, and how we can make theclass more relevant.” Royal said the Board also continues to look at ‘MoveOn When Ready’ and ensure that all students have thesame opportunities in “every seat across the state.” “Byincreasing our bandwidth across thestate,” he says, “we can now offer stu-dents courses through distance learningthat may not have previously beenoffered in their school.”

A Chief TurnaroundOfficer Search

The biggest challenge, however, iscreated by House Bill 338 in the 2017 leg-islative session— the First Priority Act—or, as many have referred to it, theschool improvement bill. In this legisla-tion, the Board of Education is taskedwith hiring and overseeing the work of aChief Turnaround Officer (CTO) toaddress chronically failing schools. There was some concern about theCTO being hired and working under the direction of theState Board of Education, especially by State SchoolSuperintendent Richard Woods who pushed to have theposition under him. However, as approved by legisla-tion, the officer would work in cooperation with Woodsbut under the direction of the State Board. “We feel like this is the most important task wehave ever been charged with,” Royal says. “We have tomake sure that the children in the poorest and mostisolated communities of this state have access to thesame opportunities we offer every other student. Aswe move forward, we must remember that some of

these children have one shot at breaking the cycle ofpoverty— and that is a quality education. That’s thebottom line.” The state board is in the process of identifying thenew officer. The board’s advisory committee held itsfirst meeting in June, and the state board partnered withthe National Association of School Boards on a contractto begin a national CTO search. “Although we needed the CTO in place yesterday,realistically we know this takes time,” said Royal. “Wehave not set a date to have the CTO in place.”

Also— A New ‘Turnaround’Principal

In the meantime, Superintendent Woods has movedahead with hiring Stephanie Johnson, a successful turn-

around principal with 22 years of educa-tion experience, to oversee theDepartment’s school improvementefforts. After leading reforms atSequoyah Middle School and JonesboroHigh School in Clayton County, Johnsonserved as the turnaround principal ofMaynard Jackson High School inAtlanta— and was a finalist for NationalPrincipal of the Year in 2017. She willserve as the state Department ofEducation’s Deputy Superintendent forSchool Improvement. To be clear, though, this is not thesame position as the CTO. The Georgia Department ofEducation has long had a schoolimprovement department, as well as

this position. Woods says that Johnson “will also col-laborate with the Chief Turnaround Officer appointedby the State Board of Education in response to HouseBill 338. Moving forward, Johnson and her team willfocus on implementing a tiered, proactive system ofsupports, ensuring that all schools have the supportsthey need and are improving student achievement.” In response to the Woods announcement, Royalemphasizes that the board is now “looking for the rightperson for this position. This person will obviously playa critical role in the future of Georgia’s children.”

Cindy Morley is a staff writer for James.

ormer Gov. Herman Talmadge said it: “When Iwas elected governor, I thought that one of the

good things about it would be to be able to appoint friendsto high positions in state government. What I found outwas that when you made an appointment, what you endedup with was one ingrate and nine mad ‘so and sos’!” Gov. Joe Frank Harris, for whom I was administrationfloor leader in the state House, told me: “The worst thingabout being governor is that you never get to go to therestroom.” During his last year as governor, I had a conversationwith Jimmy Carter and I asked him: “What are you goingto do when your time is up?” His response: “Run for presi-dent.” To which I responded: “President of what?” Howembarrassing! When I started this article, it was my intention to giveall the governors that I served with during my legislativetenure from 1973 to 2004 a letter grade. I soon realized thatall these good governors would get an A from me, resultingin accusations that I was pandering or “‘kissing up.” Andif I didn’t give all six an A, my friends would laugh and saysomething like, “with no more political sense than that, Idon’t know how you served 32 years in the House.” They’dbe right— so let me just comment on these six, which bydoing so brought back lots of happy memories.

Jimmy Carter (1971-1975)When I arrived in Atlanta in 1973, Governor Carter hadalready launched his “Goals for Georgia” (which, as I recall,state House member Sam Nunn chaired). It was a programto encourage citizen participation in public policy. He hadintroduced legislative initiatives to preserve Georgia’s nat-ural resources. His efforts to reform state government werecontroversial with the established political leadership inthe House and Senate and this enabled young and newlegislators, including me, to work directly with the gover-nor to help pass his legislative package. We became hislegislative team and I learned early on much about legisla-tive bills, and what it took to get them passed. This wasearly education to the system. Indeed, Carter did run forPresident— of the United States— and the rest is history.

George Busbee (1975-1983)His clever and effective campaign slogan was, “A WorkHorse, not a Show Horse.” It fit Busbee to a “t.” He wasGeorgia’s first governor to serve two consecutive four-yearterms. He came out of the House and was majority leaderbefore he got elected governor in 1974. He started by havingto cut the state budget. He led the effort to revise Georgia’sarcane Constitution. He improved Georgia’s business cli-mate, brought foreign industry to the state, placed empha-sis on bringing the film industry to the state (160 featurefilms) and was popular with members of the GeneralAssembly. Indeed, a work horse and not a show horse.

Joe Frank Harris (1983-1991)“No Tax Increase.” These maroon-colored signs were placedall over Georgia. Billy Bledsoe and I would go out in my sta-tion wagon and I would stand on top of it and nail them ashigh as possible on power poles and telephone poles.Consequently, they couldn’t be torn down easily by his rivals.I even put some on tree tops above the water in LakeSeminole. A good man, Joe Frank Harris. A great governor.He gave us the Quality Basic Education Act which is still thebedrock of Georgia’s public education law. He was instru-mental in bringing the Democratic National Convention toAtlanta in 1988 and the Olympics in 1996. The controversialmandatory seat belt law passed while he was governor. And,just like his slogan, there were no new taxes.

J U LY /AU G U ST 2017 39

F

REMEMBERING SOME GREATGEORGIA GOVERNORS

By Larry Walker

Stephanie JohnsonGa. Dept. of Education

Turnaround Officer

“This is the mostimportant task we have

ever been charged with.”Mike Royal

Zell Miller (1991-1999)“Zig Zag Zell” served 16 years as Georgia’s lieutenant gov-ernor. In the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1990, thetally was: Zell Miller– 41 percent; Andrew Young– 28 per-cent; Roy Barnes– 21 percent; Bubba McDonald– 6 percent;and Lester Maddox– 3 percent. And in the general election,it was Zell Miller– 52 percent and Johnny Isakson– 45 per-cent. Author, cowboy boots, country music, turtle on a post,mountain man, great governor. The HOPE Scholarship.Probably the most important impactful legislation passedduring my legislative tenure. It may be one of the top two orthree enactments in our state’s history.

Roy Barnes (1999-2003)Brilliant. Funny. Fun. Senate member. House member.Governor. Excellent trial lawyer. Changed Georgia’s flag,

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removing the Saint Andrews Cross. This was probably thesecond most important legislative accomplishment (sec-ond to creation of the HOPE Scholarship) during my leg-islative time.

Sonny Perdue (2003-2011)Georgia’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction.His defeat of incumbent Roy Barnes was one of the biggestupsets in Georgia’s political history. Sonny was the right per-son to be Georgia’s first GOP governor. He was a business-man, knew how to handle money and was tough. He gaveGeorgia a new flag that proved popular with most Georgiavoters. State government shifted to complete Republicancontrol under his leadership, and his conservative leadershipstyle, like the flag change, was popular with Georgia’s voters. So there you have it. Six good men. Six good gover-nors— no, six excellent governors. I enjoyed serving withall of them. And I am proud that this good leadership con-tinues with our present capable and popular governor,Nathan Deal. Another “A” governor!

Larry Walker is a practicing attorney in Perry. He served 32 years in theGeneral Assembly and serves on the University System Board of Regents.

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the first Republican since Reconstructionwon Georgia’s top prize— governor. Sonny Perdue defeatedincumbent Democrat Gov. Roy Barnes in an election thatvirtually no one thought he could win. Democrats thought itwas a fluke and Republicans thought it was a miracle. Itwas neither. It was a sign of times to come. It was in 2006 when the country turned blue withDemocrats winning control of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, the U.S. Senate, a majority of state legisla-tures and a majority of governorships. Yet, one gubernatorialelection that Democrats did not win was in Georgia.Governor Perdue easily defeated then-Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. In 2010 when term-limited Perdue left office, Democratsbelieved that they had their best chance of regaining politi-cal control. Instead, not only did Republican Nathan Dealwin the governorship but Georgia Republicans wonevery single constitutional office and increasedtheir margins in the Legislature to numberssufficient to pass constitutional amend-ments. There was no doubt that Georgiahad gone red. Since then Georgia Democrats havebeen singing a different song. Citingchanging demographics, they now con-cede Georgia indeed went red but insistthat now it is swinging back purple.While it sounds right to many (like thepundits predicting a Hillary Clinton winlast November), so far there is no evidenceto support it. Indeed, Georgia Democrats have continued tolose ground since then— including the ouster of the lastwhite Deep South congressman, John Barrow. In 2014, Georgia Democrats tested their new theory byrecruiting the grandson of President Jimmy Carter (JasonCarter) as their candidate for governor and the daughter offormer senior Sen. Sam Nunn (Michelle Nunn) for U.S.Senate. Georgia Democrats fared no better. In 2014 it was aclean sweep. The most recent attempt came just recently when nation-al Democrats jumped on board to help Georgia Democratsattempt to win the vacant 6th District congressional seat thatPresident Donald Trump won by less than two percentagepoints. Tens of millions of dollars and countless resourcespoured into the district once held by now-Secretary of Healthand Human Services Secretary Tom Price. By nationalizing a race that the president barely won,

Democrats hoped that the combination of Trump’s chal-lenges in the district along with supposed demographicchanges would be enough to push them over the top. It wasnot. Republican Karen Handel easily won the special elec-tion runoff— dashing the hopes and dreams of a politicalparty desperate for a win. Now all focus turns to the 2018 elections. Every consti-tutional office (including governor) as well as all of the stateLegislature will be up for re-election. Once again, GeorgiaDemocrats and pundits are pointing to any number of politi-cal variables to insist that purple is finally here. It’s not. If anything, the victories in last year’s presidential elec-tion in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio point toa Republican Party that itself has changed as the countryand Georgia has changed. Georgia Democrats are still left

without a bench of young and upcoming challengers;without a message that appeals broadly to

Georgians as opposed to individual special inter-est groups; without the infrastructure to supportcandidates statewide; and without the partyleadership to implement a winning strategy. This is not to say 2018 will be a cake-

walk for Republicans. And anyone whothinks they know what impact the Trumppresidency will have on the midterm elec-tions is simply delusional. Based on history,

most presidents lose seats during the firstmidterm. Yet, the simple truth is that, unless some-

thing strange happens (and many strange things have alreadyhappened), Georgia Republicans should do just fine next year. After all, Deal is a popular governor drawing supportfrom all demographic groups and he led Georgia to becomethe first state in the nation to be the No. 1 place to do busi-ness for three years in a row. Generally, Georgians believetheir state is headed in the right direction— and that isbefore the full impact of the thousands of new jobs headedhere has been felt. Even if Georgia was purple, Democrats would face somestrong political headwinds thanks to the good work of thegovernor and the Republican leadership in the GeorgiaHouse and Senate. The fact is that the only ones who could beat GeorgiaRepublicans next year will be Georgia Republicans. Theyhave done it before. They could always do it again.Otherwise, Georgia stays red again.

Randy Evans is an attorney with Dentons and is Georgia’s GOPNational Committeeman.

In 2002,

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