Atlanta — The Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE) has announced the election of its board of trustees officers for the 2002-03 academic year.
Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey was re-elected to the board’s executive committee as a member-at-large.
Elected unanimously, Morehouse College President Walter E. Massey will become board chair effective July 1. He succeeds Atlanta College of Art President Ellen L. Meyer, who completes two successive terms in the position.
“ARCHE has become a leader in communicating the collective contributions of Atlanta-area colleges and universities to the region and state. The organization also plays a valuable role in bringing constituencies together to address pressing higher education and regional issues,” said Dr. Massey. “I look forward to serving the Consortium as board chair.”
Georgia Institute of Technology President G. Wayne Clough becomes the board’s vice chair. He is succeeded in the role of treasurer by Agnes Scott College President Mary Brown Bullock. State University of West Georgia President Beheruz N. Sethna becomes a member-at-large of the board’s executive committee, joining Godsey and Southern Polytechnic State University President Lisa A. Rossbacher, who were re-elected as members-at-large.
The board of trustees is composed of the presidents of the organization’s 21 member colleges and universities, and elects its own officers. Terms are for one year.
Michael A. Gerber, president of ARCHE, noted the Consortium’s gratitude for Ms. Meyer’s work as board chair. “Ellen Meyer provided great support for the development of several new ARCHE initiatives. Under her leadership, the organization has grown during the past two years in its connections and activities in the community.”
ARCHE’s mission is to advance Atlanta-area higher education through academic collaboration, community partnerships, and public awareness. The organization was founded in 1938. In addition to colleges and universities, membership also includes corporate and non-profit Community Partners and regional Affiliated Libraries.
The Consortium’s member institutions annually enroll more than 130,000 students and award nearly 27,000 degrees at the Bachelor’s level and higher. The ARCHE cross registration program allows these students to enroll in courses at other member campuses. An interlibrary sharing program provides students, faculty, and staff access to academic library resources across the region. A cooperative purchasing program provides collaborative buying agreements to help reduce institutional expenses.
ARCHE recently co-hosted a conference exploring how higher education, business, and government can maximize resources and form partnerships to help grow Georgia’s bioscience industries. Future projects include publishing an updated directory of higher education collaborations with public schools and building an educational Web site documenting Atlanta’s role in the civil rights movement.
Information about ARCHE and its members is available at www.atlantahighered.org.
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