The Flint River Trails system and the impact it will have on Albany, Dougherty County and Southwest Georgia by Carlton Fletcher for The Albany Herald

PART I:

Trails group: “We’re through talking” // July 21, 2018

Albany and Dougherty County government officials have over recent years been at odds over issues that affect both. And members of the community have often expressed their displeasure with both city and county groups.

But the feeling of unity, of commonality of purpose, was palpable at the downtown Convention and Visitors Bureau on Friday as some of the heaviest of heavy hitters from local government and of community stakeholders gathered to announce a five-year plan to build out the Flint River Trails system.

The group also announced the formation of a Friends of the Flint River Trails group that, according to Friends member and Dougherty County Attorney Spencer Lee, has established a goal of helping find the funding needed to accommodate the five-year build-out plan.

“This is not a pig in a poke anymore,” Lee said near the end of Friday’s meeting. “We’ve been talking about doing this for more than 20 years. We’re through talking. You can call this our jumping-off point.”

Among the presenters at Friday’s public announcement/news conference were Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas, Friends of the Flint River Trails President Lonnie Wormley, Albany/Dougherty Planning Services Director — and long-time trail advocate — Paul Forgey, South Georgia Rails to Trails President Bo Johnson, Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan, Albany State University interim President Marion Fedrick, Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President and University System Regent Barbara Rivera Holmes, interim County Administrator Mike McCoy, Dougherty County Engineer Jeremy Brown and Chehaw Executive Director Don Meeks.

Each spoke of specific elements of the trail system and the effect it will have on the community and the region.

“This is a puzzle that has many parts and has required time, planning and resources to make it come together,” Hubbard said. “We are here today because many people have worked to bring these parts together to benefit the future of our city, our county and our region.”

Cohilas too spoke of the unity that had been required for the Flint River Trails picture to come into focus.

“Too long our community has lived divided,” Cohilas said. “I’m proud today to be a part of a plan that literally connects us. I’m proud that this plan takes us through areas that had become blighted and areas that were devastated by natural disasters. This truly is a project for all of Albany and Dougherty County.”

Over the course of the event, presenters outlined the disparate elements of the trail system that, when completed, will stretch from Radium Springs and Putney in southern Dougherty County to Chehaw park at the northern end of the county. The trail system, whose hub sits downtown and extends in all directions, will encompass waterways, various parks in the community, Albany State University, the Paul Eames Sports Complex, Chehaw, health care facilities in Albany and Lee County, and stretch westward from downtown Albany to Sasser, 13.6 miles away.

In all, the trail system’s nine segments will incorporate all or parts of 1,560 acres of greenspace along the Flint River; walking trails along land that once was the Radium Springs Golf Course; and the 13-plus-mile rail trail that runs from downtown Albany, through Lee County, into Terrell County and finally terminates in Sasser. That small community has already secured a $100,000 grant to construct a trailhead at the terminus, and Dougherty County has been granted $200,000 for a similar structure at Radium Springs.

Johnson said, ironically, that South Georgia Rails to Trails was formed 20 years ago, in 1998, in an effort to make happen what is now taking place.

“I want to commend the leadership of the communities and agencies involved for having the vision to see the benefits this trail system will have for our entire community and region,” Johnson said. “Our trail emanates downtown, but it encompasses two neighboring counties in our MSA. And, I can tell you those folks are on board. The people in Sasser can’t wait to get started.

“You look at what just this one part of the trail encompasses: through the farmland of Terrell County, out to that Oakland development in Lee County that is exploding, past the new Lee hospital, bringing in Phoebe North and connecting to downtown. We with South Georgia Rails to Trails are quite proud to have gotten this conversation started. We think we’re kind of the catalysts for this, and we’re proud of that.”

Money, the assemblage agreed, will be the primary factor moving forward. In addition to the $300,000 in trailhead grants, the University System Board of Regents has pledged $750,000 as part of the $1.75 million project to connect Albany State with the trail system. Dougherty County has earmarked the other $1 million in SPLOST funds to complete that project.

The city of Albany, as part of its agreement in purchasing the Albany-to-Sasser rail trail for utility uses, will spend an as-yet undetermined sum to build a 12-foot-wide asphalt walking trail on the 13 miles of the railway. City officials estimated the cost of that trail at around a million dollars five years ago.

“Frankly, I think those estimates were low,” Subadan said Friday. “I’m reluctant right now to commit to a figure, and, of course, the talk of return-on-investment for utility uses covering the city’s cost of building the trail is based on long-term usage. But we feel that we have a fiscal plan in place to ensure that the city meets its commitment to build the trail.”

Fedrick said the ASU-to-downtown and ASU-to-Radium Springs segments of the trail system will at last allow for the long-term goal of connecting the university with other parts of the community.

“This is but one effort to make that happen, but it’s a big one,” the ASU president said. “I think all of us share the idea that we want our students to be part of this community, not just part of the college.”

–  –  –

PART II:

Flint River Trails System flows in all directions from downtown Albany hub: Albany officials believe trail system will provide economic development, qualify of life opportunities // July 22, 2018

Only one Albany, only one Albany State

Art Dunning, Hank Huckaby discuss Albany State University-Darton State College merger

Via: Terry Lewis, Albany Herald

ALBANY — The Georgia Board of Regents created perhaps the biggest controversy to hit higher education in Albany Tuesday morning when it voted unanimously to consolidate Albany State University and Darton State College under the umbrella of Albany State.

On Thursday, University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Albany State President Art Dunning sat down with The Herald to answer questions and concerns about the decision.

Huckaby said the merger had been under consideration for several years, but the tipping point came after he got a look at the University System of Georgia’s Fall enrollment report which showed ASU down 10.7 percent and Darton down 2.7 from the previous year.

“We’ve monitored enrollment patterns and we have a funding formula in place, and the two schools were not growing, not earning more money. But it was not just enrollment problems. We look at things like the program cuts and knew we had to turn that around,” Huckaby said. “There was some discussion of folding four institutions (ASU, Darton, Georgia Southwestern and Bainbridge) into one. But this merger, with the close proximity of the two campuses, made sense.”

Dunning said the “new” ASU will be able to offer a broader array of programs to a more diverse group of students, despite the university’s HBCU (Historically Black College and University) designation.

“The new ASU, as it always has been, will be an inviting place for every person in southwest Georgia and the state of Georgia. So the (HBCU) designation isn’t going to change that,” Dunning said. “As a larger institution we are going to ratchet up and enhance the sort of academic offerings that lead directly to gainful employment. We will have one of the most diverse campuses in the the University System of Georgia. That is the intent.

“We are going to look at academic programs, offerings and look at community engagement and economic development. This broader array of academic programs will allow us to do that.

Dunning added that the response from ASU alumni has been generally positive.

“I talked to a number of alumni at the (ASU- Fort Valley State) football game in Columbus, and they are very much on board.

We’re talking about ‘one Albany’ right now, and people are excited,” Dunning said.

“I think the way this has been framed is the right way, the right way to address the needs of this congressional district. People are respectful of both institutions’ past, but they’re excited about the new university’s future.”

Huckaby said that another factor in the consolidation was the USG’s need to “optimize the resources available to us.”

“Believe it or not, but we spend a lot of time in Atlanta talking about problems in Southwest Georgia … education, the economy … and what we can do about it,” Huckaby said. “We think this merger is part of that solution. We have 30 schools in the university system. Last year, 18 had increased enrollment and 12 had declining enrollment. Unfortunately, a lot of the declines were in this region.

The Chancellor added that falling numbers at ASU are not just a problem with Georgia’s HBCUs, but it’s also a nationwide trend.

“When you look at our enrollment data of African-American students systemwide, we fall close to around 100,000 students. Only about 10 to 20 percent of African-Americans go to HBCUs,” Huckaby said. “They can go anywhere they want to go, and that’s what’s happening. That is some of the reason for the decline in enrollment at Albany State and Fort Valley. Art is right about the diversity of the campus. When we started the consolidations our goal was not to save money on the bottom line. We wanted to be able to invest more money on academic programs, and that is what we’ve done in every case.

“We want our HBCUs to thrive and to be as strong academically as any other school in our system.”

As far as Darton’s role as a two-year school which produces associate degree graduates along with certificates, Huckaby does not see a change in that mission. He added that tuition for associate degree programs would remain lower than those pursuing baccalaureate degrees.

Huckaby said 20-member teams from each campus will be formed in about two weeks to assess the needs of the combined schools and make recommendations to the Regents. He added that the committees would first define the new university’s mission before looking over “800 to 900” decision points.

“Ideally, the 20-member panels from each school will have a plan put together by September or October, and we could get final SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) approval by next January,” he said.

Dunning added that signature programs — ones which attract students — will play a crucial role in making the merger work.

“Students today are looking for signature programs. We must determine what programs the new ASU will be known for,” Dunning said. “Supply chain logistics is important, but we also want to emphasize the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs. And in order for our community to have a well-trained work force, we need for adults to come back to school.”

Huckaby said he hopes to have an interim president in place at Darton within the next two weeks.

ASU and Darton to Consolidate

Via: University System of Georgia

Atlanta — November 10, 2015

Albany State University (ASU) and Darton State College (DSC) will consolidate to form one institution under a new dynamic vision for public higher education. Today, the Board of Regents approved a proposal from Chancellor Hank Huckaby to consolidate the two institutions to increase education attainment levels and transform how the University System impacts southwest Georgia. Today’s action marks the fourth round of consolidation within the University System.

The new institution will be named Albany State University, and the Board named Albany State Interim President Art Dunning as the permanent president of the new institution to lead this bold new effort.

“The consolidation of Albany State University and Darton State College is a historic milestone for these institutions, our University System, the Albany community and our state,” said Chairman Neil Pruitt. “We are creating an institution of nearly 9,000 students, which would be the largest institution of higher education in Southwest Georgia. We have the opportunity to transform how we serve the community and the region.”

“The consolidated institution, Albany State University, will continue to serve the HBCU mission and build on its mission and that of Darton State to serve students, the community and region,” said Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “We respect the passion the community, students and alumni hold for these institutions. The new Albany State University will blend the strengths and values of each institution to strengthen the community and region more deliberately.”

The decision to consolidate the two institutions, whose combined enrollment this fall is nearly 9,000 students, follows the six guiding principles for consolidation approved by the board in Nov. 2011: http://www.usg.edu/news/release/regents_approve_principles_for_consolidation_of_institutions.

An implementation team with representatives from both institutions will soon be formed and charged with the responsibility to work out the many details associated with consolidating the two universities. A website will be created and dedicated to providing information and updates about the consolidation to both campuses and the Albany community.

The University System, Albany State and Darton State will hold campus and community listening sessions in the coming months to seek and hear input on ways to best design the new institution to serve Albany, the region and the state.

Albany State University, a state university in the University System of Georgia, fosters the growth and development of Southwest Georgia and the state through teaching/learning, research, creative expression and public service. Through its teaching, research and service, and collaboration with other institutions, the University anticipates and responds to the needs of its constituents; and enhances the quality of life of its public through advocacy of educational, cultural, artistic and social development in the region. Both traditional and non-traditional students make up the more than 3,000 students who attend Albany State. The university offers more than 30 undergraduate degree programs, the Board of Regents’ engineering transfer program, a dual degree program in engineering with Georgia Tech and six advanced degrees.

Darton State College is a state college in the University System of Georgia. Its principal mission is to provide educational programs, services, and opportunities in southwest Georgia. Over 5,400 traditional and non-traditional students attend Darton State College. The college offers a challenging array of associate-degree programs and limited bachelor’s degree programs as well as online degrees. As the nursing and allied health education center for southwest Georgia, Darton offers 13 allied health programs to serve the needs of the health-care industry in the region.

Albany State named best HBCU in Georgia

Via Terry Lewis, Albany Herald

ALBANY — U.S. News & World Report has released this year’s list of top ranked colleges and universities, including ranking Albany State University as the No. 1 public Historically Black College and University in Georgia for the second year.

It also lists ASU among the nation’s top HBCUs. ASU made the cut at No. 13 among all public HBCUs in the nation.

“We provide an excellent education at Albany State University, an education that prepares our students to compete on a global level,” said Interim President Art Dunning. “ We are delighted that the work of our faculty, staff and students is being recognized on a national level; we are working diligently to provide even more opportunities for student success.”

According to the rankings, ASU pulled ahead of Georgia’s public HBCUs — Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University. The rankings are based on graduation and retention rates, peer assessments, student-to- faculty ratio, admission test scores and the strength of the faculty; alumni giving was also considered.

Paul Bryant, associate provost for Enrollment Management, credits ASU’s small class sizes, among other advantages, for the ranking placement.

ASU also ranks among the five best Georgia colleges offering nurse practitioner programs, according to NurseJournal.org. The ASU nursing department is listed as a top choice for the website’s 2015 ranking of America’s Best Nursing Schools and Colleges.

“The Albany State experience is not only remarkably educational, but, also professionally fulfilling and enjoyable,” Bryant said. “We encourage all students to take full advantage of what Albany State has to offer.”