Atlanta — November 10, 2005

University System of Georgia Interim Chancellor Corlis P, Cummings announced today the appointment of the two committees that will be charged with assisting in the selection of a new president for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

“We are looking forward to a competitive and productive search process that will allow us to continue the tradition of strong leadership at this institution,” Interim Chancellor Cummings said. “ABAC is an integral member of the Tifton community”.

The search process will commence with the campus-based Presidential Search and Advisory Committee screening applicants and conducting on-campus interviews. This committee then will forward the credentials of five unranked candidates to the Special Regents’ Committee, which will be chaired by Regent Julie Hunt of Tifton and have as its members Regent James R. Jolly of Dalton and Regent Hugh A. Carter Jr. of Atlanta. The Special Regents’ Committee will decide which of the finalists to recommend to the full Board of Regents.

The members of the campus-based Presidential Search and Advisory Committee include:

• Mr. William I. Bowen Jr., chair and CEO of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation, Inc., who will serve as chair;
• Mr. Keith Perry, humanities instructor and chair of the Academic Assembly, faculty representative;
• Dr. Renata Elad, associate professor, Agriculture and Forest Resources, faculty representative;
• Ms. JoAnn Brannen, assistant professor, Business Administration, faculty representative;
• Mr. Mike Curry, associate professor, Science and Mathematics, faculty representative;
• Ms. Olga Contreras-Martinez, coordinator of ABAC’s High School Equivalency Program and chair of the Staff Forum, staff representative;
• Mr. Ellis Washington III, president of the ABAC Student Government Association, student body representative;
• Ms. Sonya Martin Aldridge, chair of the ABAC Agricultural Alumni Council, alumni representative; and
• Mr. Ray Cross, an administrator with Affinity Health Care, community representative.

Chancellor Cummings will travel to the ABAC campus on Nov. 30 to meet with and charge the Search and Advisory Committee. The Board of Regents expects to name the new president of the institution by April 2006.

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