ABAC's Bridges wins University System Customer Service award

TIFTON — Dr. David C. Bridges, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been selected as the winner of the Gold Outstanding Customer Service Annual Leadership Award by Chancellor Erroll B. Davis of the University System of Georgia.

The award recognizes a leader in the USG who, through his or her leadership in customer service, has made a significant, positive impact on customer service for the citizens and customers of the state of Georgia over the last year. A nominee's actions must reflect all five of the customer service attributes: Courteous and Honest, Forward-looking, Inspiring, Responsive and Awareness.

“I am honored to win the award, but I could not have done it without the help of Diane Kilgore, ABAC Customer Service Champion; Dr. Chrystle Ross, Rapid Process Improvement Leader, all the RPI participants, and the customer service team,” Bridges said.

Kilgore is the director of the ABAC Public Service and Business Outreach Center, and Ross is the Chief Information Officer for the College.

After graduating from high school in 1976, Bridges attended ABAC and earned an Associate of Science Degree in agriculture in 1978. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy and soils and a Master’s degree in weed science from Auburn University. He then served as a graduate teaching and research fellow at Texas A&M; University, where he earned his Ph.D. in weed science.

Bridges joined the University of Georgia faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in 1987. He advanced through the ranks to become the Assistant Dean of the Tifton Campus of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2001.

Bridges began serving as ABAC’s 10th president on July 1, 2006. The Parrott native is the first ABAC alumnus ever to serve as president.

Kilgore and Ross nominated Bridges for the award due to “his commitment to and support of faster, friendlier, easier and quality service at ABAC.” Under his leadership, ABAC has provided customer service training to all administrators, faculty, staff, and student workers. That training was followed with “secret shopper” surveys to measure its success. Two ABAC employees were awarded Governor’s commendations for quality customer service this year, Kilgore and Dr. Eddie Seagle.

The University System of Georgia gave all institutions the opportunity to apply for special initiative funding to focus on financial aid enhancements.

Ross said that because of Bridges’ “leadership, vision, and commitment to customer service,” the USG Office of Customer Service and the USG Strategic Planning Office in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Customer Service chose ABAC as the only USG institution to participate in its LEAN Rapid Process Improvement Initiative to improve student financial aid services.

As a result, ABAC developed a new model for student services to serve students from their initial contact with a recruiter until they graduate and includes financial, enrollment, and registration services. As the result of the RPI process, ABAC has reduced the average financial aid application cycle time by 65 per cent - reducing the verification time from 20 minutes to seven minutes.

“Without a doubt, Dr. David Bridges ‘gets it’ as far as customer service,” Kilgore said. “Because he does, ABAC is a better place. His leadership and commitment to quality service at all levels is the driving force in ABAC’s endeavor to become ‘Georgia’s State College of Choice.’”

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