Furloughs Approved By Regents

University workers could get put on unpaid leave to make up an over half billion dollar budget shortfall over the next two years.

The state board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday to furlough employees at the state's colleges and universities if needed.

School presidents would ultimately make that decision.

Earlier this year, the board also voted to increase tuition and fees as a way to help make up the budget deficit.

Politicians had criticized University System of Georgia Chancellor Errol B Davis for increasing staff pay and steering clear of furloughs this past January.

Georgia has 35 colleges and universities, and collectively, they are expected to be short some 513 million dollars over the next two years.

Lawmaker suggests merging black public schools

A state lawmaker told Georgia college leaders today they need to look at merging public historically black colleges with nearby white-majority schools to help meet budget cuts. Midland Republican Seth Harp suggested combining historically black Savannah State University with nearby Armstrong Atlantic University, and historically black Albany State University would merge with Darton College. Like most state agencies and departments, Georgia's public colleges are facing budget cuts of up to 10 percent this year. University system Chancellor Erroll Davis told lawmakers that such move would face strong opposition.

(Associated Press)

Chancellor: Medical schools won't compete

What could be Georgia’s newest medical school won’t compete with plans to expand the Medical College of Georgia. That’s according to University System Chancellor Errol Davis. Lawmakers have expressed concerns about plans by Brenau University in Gainesville north of Atlanta to build Georgia’s 5th medical school. They have said it might compete with the Augusta-based Medical College of Georgia’s new campus in Athens. Chancellor Davis says Georgia needs as many medical schools as it can get because the state lags in training physicians.

Chancellor urges Governor to veto bill

The chancellor of Georgia's university system has taken the rare step of asking the governor to veto a higher education bill. Chancellor Erroll Davis says the veto is necessary to protect academic integrity. The measure would give 24 hours of college credit to high school seniors who complete the two-year International Baccalaureate diploma program offered in some Georgia high schools. But Representative Bill Hembree says the chancellor is just trying to keep students in college longer so they pay more tuition to the system.