Atlanta — October 12, 2005

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia today formally named its newest institution, located in Gwinnett County, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC).

“In our discussions with community leaders and the Regents, we felt the name represented a bridge honoring our heritage as well as our future - recognizing the history of Georgia, while focusing on the progress and advanced technology found in Gwinnett County and the region,” said Regent Richard Tucker.

Georgia Gwinnett College, which will admit its first students in fall 2006, is the 35th institution in the University System and the first USG institution to have been created in Georgia since Bainbridge, East Georgia and Waycross colleges were authorized in 1970.

Currently in the process of being transformed into a free-standing “state college” from what has heretofore been called the Gwinnett University Center, GGC already ranks as the ninth-largest institution in the University System of Georgia, with more than 8,000 students from Georgia Perimeter College (GPC), the University of Georgia (UGA), the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) enrolled in courses on its Gwinnett County campus.

“Our newest institution is destined to grow by leaps and bounds, as it is strategically located in a fast-growing metropolitan area hungry for access to public higher education,” said University System of Georgia Interim Chancellor Corlis P. Cummings. “Georgia Gwinnett College has an important role to play in helping the System create a more educated Georgia.”

Led by newly appointed charter president Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, the new state college’s administration has been charged by the Board of Regents with extensive use of technology within the College’s instructional programs to optimize resources and foster innovative learning.

“As a native Georgian, I find our new name a fitting tribute,” Kaufman stated. “Gwinnett’s extraordinary history of public-private partnerships speaks to a record synonymous with innovation, which is a primary goal of the new state college. Georgia Gwinnett College’s structure will focus on innovation and creativity, and promises to become a model for integrating technology in higher education - not only to create a more efficient institutional design, but also a new learning experience.”

Founded as the University System’s third “state college,” Georgia Gwinnett’s mission will be to provide a range of associate degree programs, as well as a number of bachelor degree programs focused on the economic development needs of Gwinnett County and the surrounding area. Specific bachelor degree programs are being planned for presentation to the Board of Regents at their November meeting.

The existing Gwinnett University Center will be phased out as lower-division students from Georgia Perimeter and upper-division students from UGA, SPSU and MCG graduate or transfer to other institutions. Once the transition is complete, the new institution will offer all undergraduate education, with UGA continuing to provide graduate programs and continuing-education courses. Georgia Gwinnett College will begin offering junior-level courses in the fall semester of 2006, and is expected to be fully operational by the 2008-2009 academic year.

Kaufman said GGC officials soon would begin developing an image campaign including a new logo, promotional material, campus signage, and directional signs on adjacent streets and highways. Georgia Gwinnett College is located on a 170-acre hi-tech campus in Lawrenceville, near the intersection of GA Highway 316 and Collins Hill Road.

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