Staff reports
TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently unveiled plans to divide the academic curriculum into six schools of study beginning with the 2009 fall semester. President David Bridges made the announcement to faculty and staff at their spring term meeting.
"We are a State College now," Bridges said. "We offer bachelor’s degrees. It’s only logical that we create a structure to enhance the academic environment of the college."
Bridges said instead of the divisions which now exist on campus, ABAC students will enroll in courses of study in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the School of Business and Information Technology, the School of Human Services, the School of Mathematics and Science, the School of Liberal Studies or the School of Health Sciences.
"These changes to our structure and function will help ABAC become Georgia’s State College of choice," Bridges said. "Having departments within schools will strengthen the academic environment by improving faculty recruitment and retention.
"It will allow department heads to focus on management duties, such as instructional quality, mentoring faculty members and other day to day duties. At the same time deans will be able to focus on strategic planning, faculty and student recruiting, development and other forms of leadership duties."
ABAC has added Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Diversified Agriculture and Turfgrass and Golf Course Management and also offers bachelor’s degrees in accounting, management, early childhood education, and resource management on its campus in a joint program with Georgia Southwestern.
Bridges made it clear that while ABAC will make a greater investment in baccalaureate programs, it will retain its focus on transfer programs that send well-prepared students to other senior institutions. At the same time it will continue its highly respected two-year programs such as Nursing, Wildlife, Forestry, and others.
"Students in Moultrie will still have the choice of taking core curriculum classes in Moultrie or coming to the main campus in Tifton," Bridges said. "We will expand the definition of who we are but we will maintain our role as an access portal to the University System.
"My goal is to establish ABAC as a strong four-year institution. I want students to come to a more enlightened place for a richer academic experience."
Bridges said most of the projects in the Second Century Plan, which ABAC initiated in the midst of the 100th birthday celebration last year, have been completed. He said the college is ready to tackle new endeavors.
"We had a great celebration of ABAC’s 100th birthday," Bridges said. "Now I think we better understand the past so we have a clearer path to the future."
