Atlanta — July 9, 1997

Dr. Martha Tovell Nesbitt, vice president for academic affairs at DeKalb College, in Decatur, Georgia, has been named president of Gainesville College by the Board of Regents and University System Chancellor Stephen R. Portch.

Nesbitt will join Gainesville College on August 1, 1997.

“Martha Nesbitt’s entire career has been building to this presidency,” Chancellor Portch stated. “She has built a stellar reputation for her service and commitment to two-year colleges, and has distinguished herself on the regional and national levels. We always are thrilled when someone from the University System rises to the top in a national search.”

Nesbitt has served as vice president for academic affairs at DeKalb College in Decatur since July 1983. From May 1994 to May 1995, Nesbitt served as interim president of DeKalb College, while a national search was conducted to fill the presidential vacancy. During the 1996-97 academic year she has been on leave, serving as special assistant to Chancellor Portch.

Nesbitt joined DeKalb College’s Central Campus in 1974 as an adjunct instructor of history and political science, and served as an instructor of history and political science during 1975-77. From 1978-83, she served as chairperson of the Social Science Division, while continuing to serve as an instructor. During 1984-86, Nesbitt concurrently served as DeKalb’s vice president of student affairs, while in the position of vice president for academic affairs.

During her tenure at DeKalb, Nesbitt is credited with launching the College’s faculty mentor program and its Center for Teaching and Learning, establishing a comprehensive new faculty orientation program, implementing a global center to highlight international issues and programs, and she served as part of the original administration of the College’s North Campus when it opened in 1979.

Nesbitt has served on numerous University System of Georgia committees, most notably as co-chair of the Semester Conversion Committee in 1995-96. In 1997-98, she will serve as chair of the Regents Administrative Committee on Institutional Effectiveness. In 1996-97, she chaired the University System’s Council on General Education. In 1990-91, she served as chair of the Regents Administrative Committee on Academic Affairs, providing leadership to the 34 chief academic officers of the state’s public colleges and universities.

Nesbitt earned her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in history in 1975. She earned her M.A. T. in history/education, and her B.A. in political science, graduating magna cum laude, both degrees from Duke University.

Nesbitt is extremely active in various professional and civic organizations at the local, state and national levels. She has served as a Georgia delegate for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for six years, three years as a member of the executive committee of the Commission on Colleges. In addition, Nesbitt has frequently served as chair of visiting teams for college and university reaccreditation.

Currently, Nesbitt is serving on the national board of directors for the American Association of Women in Community Colleges and as a regional director for that organization. She also is a frequent presenter at local, regional and national conferences, including the National Institute for Leadership Development and the American Association of Community Colleges. She also has served as president of the Georgia Association of Women in Education, as president of the Georgia Section the American Association of Women in Community Colleges, and as an officer on the board of directors of the North DeKalb Rotary Club. In 1995, Nesbitt was selected as “Outstanding Woman of the Year,” by the American Association of Women in Community Colleges.

Nesbitt is married to John P. Nesbitt, Sr., and the couple have two married children, Ann Jenkins and John Nesbitt, Jr. They have one grandchild, Jack Jenkins.

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