By Elliott Brack | Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash was something of an evangelist when she gave her fifth annual “state of the county” address to the Gwinnett Chamber recently. In effect, she offered an “altar call” for the people of Gwinnett County to step up and join with her and the county commission to make sure the county reaches its potential.
By Elliott Brack | Call the building “The Helmet,” for that’s what it looks like, a three-story football helmet, painted orange. It’s located on Marietta Street across from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center.
Its official name is the College Football Hall of Fame, and Atlanta landed a gem of a tourist attraction with this facility.
By Elliott Brack | This year’s Academy Awards winners and the reception of moviegoers of nominated movies gives pause to think. It sent me to one of Gwinnett’s premier events, the bi-annual awarding of the $50,000 Hudgens Art Prize for Georgia artists.The Hudgens Awards program has recently announced the finalists in its third competition. The winner will be announced on June 13.
If George Sparks shepherded Georgia State University in its middle years, the major figure propelling the university into the future was no doubt Noah Langdale. He was president from 1957 until 1988, seeing it grow from two buildings with $1.9 million budget and 5,200 students, and offering one degree, to 22,000 students and 20 buildings, a budget of $118 million and with 50 degrees in more than 200 fields. Today GSU could soon have more than 50,000 students, as Georgia Perimeter College is to merge with GSU.
By Elliott Brack | Back when states were planting institutions of higher learning, these universities were not always located in what became the state’s major city. As a result, problems have arisen between forces in the major city wanting a state university and the major university located in a smaller town wanting to enhance their school’s prestige.
It’s that same old story of jealously, while seeking to keep the state’s university as the major campus of the state.
By Elliott Brack | Two items concerning Georgia’s schools were floated last week. One we oppose, while the other intrigues us.
The proposition that we oppose, proposed by Republican Sen. John Wilkinson of Toccoa, would allow Georgia school districts to elect school superintendents, and have local school board members appointed by a grand jury.
FEB. 13, 2015 — Now that the Board of Regents have decided to merge Georgia State University with Georgia Perimeter College, GSU will soon total more than 50,000 students, and will be the largest unit of the University System of Georgia. Not only that, but it is an urban university, as well as a research university, bringing in $58 million in 2011 in grants for study. It has conferred 192,785 degrees since its founding.
“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”
– Former Prime Minister Sir William Churchill (1874-1965).
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests that Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His list:
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