Policy Manual: Section 500: Public Service
501 GENERAL POLICY
The Board of Regents recognizes that public service, including lifelong education and economic development support activities, are fundamental responsibilities of all colleges and universities; that they are important means by which the University System extends and applies the knowledge available in its instruction and research programs to the needs and problems of Georgia citizens, government, businesses, and organizations, and; that such programs can assist the state and nation in providing solutions to major challenges.
Public service includes a wide array of assistance the System and campuses provide to the state and the community. Such service can be academic or nonacademic, provided under contract or informally, and funded through external, internal, or a combination of sources, depending on the extent of the assistance and the availability of funds.
The Chancellor shall identify statewide needs and develop Systemwide initiatives using the System's collective networked resources to meet System public service responsibilities. Presidents shall identify local and mission-related needs and develop methods to respond to these. The Chancellor shall periodically provide to the Board a comprehensive assessment of the way in which campuses and the System are applying their resources to serving the people, governments, businesses, and organizations of Georgia (BR Minutes, October 2002).
501.01 SERVICE AGREEMENTS WITH LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIES
As part of the University System's mission of public service, institutions are encouraged to provide expertise and services to local governments or state agencies, as needed and appropriate. The Chancellor delegates to the presidents of the institutions the authority to sign service agreements between the institution and a government or agency. The president must report monthly to the University System Office that a service agreement has been signed. As part of that report, the president should provide a summary of the service that the institution has contracted for, the agency or agencies involved, the length of the agreement, and the amount of money that the institution will receive for the service. The University System Office shall provide a summary of the service agreements to the Board at each meeting through the Committee on Education, Research, and Extension (BR Minutes, October 2002).
502 LIFELONG EDUCATION
Lifelong education, which encompasses continuing education, provides educational offerings both for upgrading knowledge and skills needed to progress in occupations and for personal enrichment options important to more meaningful and happier lives, which is a separate function from the offering of traditional college degrees.
Through its Georgia LEADS (Lifelong Education and Economic Development Services) program, the University System Office shall provide leadership and coordination to result in a widely dispersed and easily available program of lifelong education offerings, including both noncredit and credit offerings, which both respond to the needs of citizens, government, businesses, and organizations and leverage the resources of System institutions to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Emphasis should be placed on institutional collaboration for professional and personal development programs using streamlined methods for sharing continuing education units and revenue when cooperating to offer programs.
The Chancellor shall issue and periodically review guidelines implementing this policy. These guidelines shall be based on state-level needs assessment; communication with businesses, agencies, and organizations; efficient marketing; ease of access and admission; collaboration both within the System and with other educational partners; geographic responsibilities of institutions; new and emerging technologies; financial incentives; and innovative educational models that address the needs of the state and its people.
Noncredit lifelong education courses shall not be included in the workload of faculty members, but a reasonable degree of participation which does not interfere with their regular duties shall be considered as a contribution to the institution in the faculty evaluation process (BR Minutes, October 2002).
503 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Board of Regents finds that the University System of Georgia and its institutions have a major role in the current and long-term health of the state's economy in that the System produces much of the talent and technology required to advance and expand Georgia's economic base. The Board's goal is to develop sustainable intellectual resources through market-driven partnerships between education, business, and government.
The Chancellor shall develop a comprehensive program which organizes and communicates the close relationship between the University System and the economy of Georgia and which develops and implements programs linking the intellectual resources of the University System of Georgia to the state's business community in innovative ways.
Examples of programs which should be supported include education programs for knowledge workers in high-demand yet low-supply fields, research-driven economic development resulting in lab-to-market enterprises, and development of engineering, scientific, and social service applications (BR Minutes, October 2002).
504 SPECIAL PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
504.01 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
The Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, created by the Smith-Lever Act passed by Congress in 1914, provides for the United States Department of Agriculture to join with the University of Georgia in conducting off-campus education programs relating to agriculture, family and consumer sciences, and youth development throughout the State of Georgia.
504.02 THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Rural Development Center, located in Tifton, is an educational and public service unit of the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. The purpose of the center is to assist Georgia's rural citizens and communities in realizing their maximum social and economic development through utilizing the resources of local, state, and federal government agencies and private organizations. The programs of the center are directed toward the realization of four principal objectives: the increase of agricultural and forest production efficiency, the development of advanced marketing techniques and improved utilization of farm and forest commodities, the realization of comprehensive community development, and the continuation of training and utilization.
504.03 THE GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The Georgia Tech Research Institute, a public service unit of the Georgia Institute of Technology, undertakes a broad spectrum of engineering, scientific, economic, and other technical research and development services for customers in industry, government, and academia around the state, nation and world.