Free
automatic delivery. Click here to subscribe.
|
Free
automatic delivery. Click here to subscribe.
|
|
Issue 9.30 | Tuesday, July 14, 2009 | Forward to your friends! |
|
|
FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _::
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor |
ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
|
TODAY'S
FOCUS LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga., July 14, 2009 -- Georgia's newest four-year public institution, Georgia
Gwinnett College, received notification June 25 from the Commission on
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) that
the college has been granted its initial accreditation, less than three
years after opening its doors to students. Accreditation,
which often takes four to six years to achieve, is intended to assure
constituents and the public of the quality and integrity of higher education
institutions and programs, and to help those institutions and programs
improve. These outcomes are verified through rigorous internal and external
review processes during which the institution is evaluated against a common
set of standards.
GGC President
Daniel J. Kaufman enthusiastically says: "No one thought we could
get it done this fast, but we did it and we did it well," after he
received the news from SACS representatives. "Earning accreditation
- particularly this early on in the college's existence - is testimony
to the tremendous support we have received from the Board of Regents,
the governor and lieutenant governor, the General Assembly, and the entire
Gwinnett community. We also want to thank the great staff at SACS for
all the assistance they provided during this entire process." "In
just a few years, we have provided students access to an excellent college
education because of dedicated and inspiring professors who are devoted
to teaching and student development. Accreditation is a major accomplishment
for the GGC team, and I commend all the faculty and staff who worked tirelessly
to achieve this milestone in our short history as a college." Georgia
Gwinnett was established by the Georgia General Assembly in 2005 and opened
its doors to students in the fall of 2006. Just days after the college
was granted candidacy toward accreditation by SACS in 2008, it held its
inaugural commencement ceremony, graduating 17 of its first students. Recently, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved a significant expansion of academic programs for GGC. The three new majors in English, history and mathematics will be added to the college's current offerings in biology, business administration, psychology and information technology. The college
plans to accommodate the 10,000 students expected to enroll at GGC in
the next five years. Eligible high school students can now participate
in joint and dual enrollment programs at GGC as well, thereby getting
an early start on their college degrees. PERSPECTIVE JULY 14, 2009 -- Up until now, the actions by the county commission may have been minor league, compared to action the board took last week. You may have read the county hopes to "save" $1 million (annualized) by shuttering the Gwinnett libraries two days a week, cutting hours and taking other steps to reduce the library budget. It speaks to our reduced quality of life.
We say the new moves are "major league" because of the great use that the Gwinnett library system has, and because of the respect it has in the eyes of voters. You may remember that a key bond referendum passed in 1986, many people thought because it included funding for eight libraries in Gwinnett. And since that time the library system has improved tremendously, even gaining the status of "best in the country," according to one evaluator. Gwinnett citizens recognized this, realizing the many ways they can use the library. Go into any one of the 14 libraries, and you'll find them busy at all hours.
A victim of the budget crunch may be the delaying of the opening past early 2010 of the new library branch that people in the Hamilton Mill area are desperately awaiting. This will not set well with people in this area. Library members in some other areas will remember their long wait for high-quality library service, and sympathize. Granted, we realize the county is financially in difficult times. Yet cutting library services is far more impacting on Gwinnett citizens than the commission may recognize. It is a major blow to many in the county. It will be remembered, we are sure, when the next election rolls around. * * * * * Pardon me if you heard me, even from this distance, guffawing loudly. In one of the most unbelievable decisions, the movie industry had decided that more nominees are needed for each year's Oscar Best Picture Award. Yep, that's right. Instead of five nominees for Best Picture, now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will allow 10 movies to be nominated for finalists. The guffaw? Do they think this will mean better movies? Of course not. All it will mean is twice the ballyhooing about a movie being nominated. But most unfortunately, the movie people never thought to address the subject of improved movie quality. The movie industry should realize many of us watch old movies from the 1930-40-50-60's. We watch because of the quality of the stories and actors, not the special effects, the ever-present chase and bombastic uproars we see in modern movies. What people want are good scripts, reasonable dialogue and little mood music to set the stage. (That elevator-type mood music turns us off on many modern TV offerings. It's creepy.) We pity the generation of the future having to look at today's crop of sorry movies. * * * * * Did you know that in the first version of the Julian calendar, February had 29 days most years and 30 days in leap years. Julius Caesar named the month of July after himself, so when Augustus Caesar came to power, he decided he needed a month too. He named August after himself, but he had to steal a day from February in order to make August as long as July.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Fifth Third Bank is one of the largest and most reputable banks in the nation. It's been helping people build financial confidence for 150 years. Now, it has come to metro Atlanta and Gwinnett to help make all your hard work today mean more for tomorrow. We are often asked "Where does that name come from?" Our name is a result of a history of growth and expansion. We trace our origins back to the Bank of the Ohio Valley which opened its doors in Cincinnati in 1858. In 1871, that bank was purchased by the Third National Bank. With the turn of the century came the union of the Fifth National Bank and the Third National Bank and we eventually became known as Fifth Third Bank. With four Gwinnett County locations and plans to grow, we hope that you'll stop in and visit us in person or at www.53.com. Call Karen Rosenberg, senior vice president, retail executive, at 404-279-4540 for more information. Fifth Third Bank - Member FDIC.
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: I found a web site that might be of interest to others. It is www.scangwinnett.com. The site has some police reports, and a live scanner. But what I like the most is the Community Watch. In the menu click on Community Watch. You can sign up to receive e-mails that notify you when someone in your zip code is arrested in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties and what they were arrested for. It is mind boggling to see how many people are arrested for having no license, insurance or registration. It also notifies you when sex offenders are released and where they live. And it's all free.
UPCOMING Snellville resident Wayne Sikes will be the speaker at the Gwinnett Chamber's "Success Lives Here" breakfast on August 14 at the Sugarloaf Country Club at 7:30 a.m.
Many people
who know Wayne Sikes associate him with Gwinnett's Hospital System. His
involvement in health care started in 1989 when the county commission
asked him to serve on the Hospital Authority. That service has continued
for 20 years uninterrupted. For the past 10 years, Sikes has served as
chairman of the Gwinnett Health System. During that time, Duluth's new
hospital opened. In addition, the new North tower of the Gwinnett Medical
Center in Lawrenceville will open soon. In 1999, Beth and Wayne Sikes sold the business when it was at its peak. The Sikes "business exit strategy" could be insightful for other small business owners. The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in 1992 named Mr. Sikes "Small Business Person of the Year." Sikes is a native of Atlanta. He is a former Snellville city councilman and named the Chamber's 2007 Citizen of the Year. In his talk, he will share fundamental business principles that made his business successful and give his opinion as to "why healthcare costs so much". Wayne and Beth Sikes reside in Snellville; have three grown children and one grandchild. Southeastern Railway Museum plans weekend show Aug. 1-2 The Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth is planning a special show, "Trains, Trucks and Tractors, 2009" to be held the weekend of August 1-2.
The show will feature train rides, visiting trucks and tractors, a kid's craft corner, and food and drink. The event will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibitors include:
Special exhibits and many event activities are included with museum admission of $8 adults, $6 seniors, and $4 children (2-12). Children under 2 are admitted free with adults. The Southeastern Railway Museum has been in operation since 1970 and is "Georgia's Official Transportation History Museum". The museum has over 80 other pieces of retired railway rolling stock including vintage steam and diesel locomotives, passenger coaches, private business cars, a World War II army troop kitchen, wooden freight cars, railway post office car and maintenance of way equipment. Transit history is represented with a cross section of buses and trolleys from the early 1900's through the mid 1980's. The museum is also home to MARTA's historic bus fleet which includes buses from many of the predecessor systems to MARTA. Many other items from Georgia's transportation history are also presented on the museum's 35-acre site. The museum is located at 3595 Buford Hwy in Duluth. NOTABLE The Gwinnett
County Public Library has announced new hours of service in view of the
recent budget cuts by the Gwinnett County Commission. Altogether, the
county cut approximately $400,000 from the 2009 library budget. The cut
is expected to amount to $1 million next year. While the Library does
receive a small amount of funding from the state, the majority of the
funding is from the County.
Citizens
of Gwinnett County will be impacted by these changes. Branches will be
open fewer days and hours, and when they are open, they will be operating
with reduced staff. There will be less programming, fewer titles from
which to choose, and materials will not be shelved or placed on hold as
quickly as customers expect.
The Library
has made a number of significant cuts over the last six months, and further
cuts are anticipated in 2010. A hiring freeze has already been implemented,
and the library has now reached the tipping point where full services
can no longer be provided with reduced staff.
RECOMMENDED
READ
"The
title got me on this one. I've always enjoyed the Bill and Ted adventure
movies and wondered how one of my political heroes, Harry Truman, could
have a big adventure. Radio reporter Matthew Algeo does a great job in
weaving a fun tale about a 2,500-mile trip taken by Harry and Bess Truman
without special security about five months after he became an ex-president.
The trip, in a 1953 Chrysler New Yorker, stretched from Independence,
Mo., to Washington, Philadelphia and New York. Along the way, Truman connected
with lots of regular people who still remember his visit 56 years ago.
And readers will get a refreshing portrait of this 'Buck Stops Here' president
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA Atticus
G. Haygood, an editor, author, and educator, was a distinguished president
of Emory College and a progressive bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South. He gained national prominence as a spokesman for the New South,
promoting business and commercial development, and he fearlessly preached
reunion, reconciliation, and educational opportunity for African Americans.
He also championed such causes as federal aid to education and prohibition.
Haygood
was born on November 19, 1839, in Watkinsville, the eldest of eight children.
Educated at home, he graduated from Emory College in Oxford in 1859. That
year he married Mary Yarbrough, with whom he had eight children and was
admitted into the Georgia Methodist conference. He served as a circuit
rider and intermittently as army chaplain during the Civil War (1861-65). After the
war Haygood quickly assumed leadership roles in the Methodist establishment.
He became presiding elder in the North Georgia Conference, and in 1870
the General Southern Conference selected him as Sunday school secretary.
He moved to Nashville, Tenn., and edited and published church school materials.
His book Our Children (1876) resulted from the experience. In 1875 he
was elected president of Emory College, where he reformed the curriculum,
worked to make the college more affordable, and generally helped raise
Emory's profile in the region. From 1878 to 1882 he edited and contributed
to the Wesleyan Christian Advocate. Haygood was the fund's agent from 1883 to 1890. His book The Case of the Negro (1885) advocated racial and national reconciliation, and he was a key figure in the founding, in 1882, of Paine Institute (later Paine College) in Augusta. Elected bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, that year, he declined the position, citing his unfinished work at Emory. In 1884 he resigned the Emory presidency, and when reelected bishop in 1890, he accepted and was assigned to California. In 1893 the Haygoods returned to Oxford, where he died in 1896. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue
to Gwinnett Forum for future
publication.
© 2009, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. |
TODAY'S
QUOTE "We have to kick at darkness until it bleeds daylight..."
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
MODERN HISTORY OF GWINNETT
NOW IN STORES! You can purchase the book now at several locations:
Or order directly from elliottbrack.com and get a signed copy. The book consists
of 850 pages, including more than 143 demographic and historic tables,
with more than 4,000 names in the index, and 10,000 names in the appendix. Here are some other good reads that you might want to consider reading:
FOR CHARITY. You can give "A Gift of Laughter," a great book of cartoons by Bill McLemore, to help raise money for Rainbow Village. At just $20, it's a fun way to help. To order, call 770 840 1003, or 770 446 3800, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
© 2001-2009, Gwinnett Forum.com is Gwinnett County's online community forum for commentary that explores pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. PHONE:
770.840.1003 |
|
