Georgia Colleges Suffering: It's Time For A Change
By: Elise Barnes
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Nation/World
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Chancellor Errol B. Davis urges that college presidents and campuses play a role in finding answers for these issues saying, "I would prefer to see more institutions sharpening, honing and tightening their missions rather than seeking to expand them based solely on institutional aspirations rather than true state need. We also must start thinking about what activities we need to stop doing in order to bring reduced missions into alignment with reduced resources."
There are many changes that Chancellor Errol B. Davis is recommending to be made in order for Georgia Colleges to recover from budget recent and drastic budget cuts. These economic times are resulting in a great loss in the university system in Georgia.
Sophomore and Mass Media Arts Major Deja Cromartie said, "Something needs to be done because many students cannot afford these price changes. Students should not have to be the ones suffering so much from these budget cuts. There are already enough problems that we deal with financially. "
Many colleges and universities in Georgia have furloughed employees, raised health insurance costs and postponed raises. Raising tuition is used to replace states funds. Many Georgia colleges are also suffering from a decrease in enrollment, which affects the budget. Many students protest higher fees because many expenses are not covered by most financial aid.
Chemistry major and senior Marcus Johnson said, "I'm on a grant so this change has not effected me personally. I know some friends that are having trouble with this situation right now. It's unfortunate."
The university system in Georgia has lost about $323 million in state budget cuts since 2009. Davis wants to help guide college presidents to be more innovative and that there will be success and some failure.
