Atlanta — January 13, 2009

The creation of a “shared services center” for the University System of Georgia’s 35 degree-granting institutions is one step closer to reality today as the Board of Regents approved Sandersville as the location for the new facility.

Sandersville, located in Washington County, rose to the top of the list of potential sites reviewed by a special subcommittee charged with bringing forward to the full board a recommendation on where the new facility should be located. Board of Regents Chair Richard Tucker appointed the members of the subcommittee, which included regents Elridge McMillan, James Jolly, and Allan Vigil.

Regent McMillan, chair of the subcommittee, said, “Each of the potential sites we reviewed had strengths and weaknesses. After careful consideration, we decided that the Sandersville location offered the best fit for the needs of the University System.”

The list of potential sites was identified through a process that involved the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Current plans call for the new shared services center to be operational at the Sandersville location in summer 2009.

The shared services concept was initially approved by the regents in June 2008. It reflects the Board of Regents’ strategic plan and is designed to unify and consolidate the System’s separate business functions, such as payroll and accounts payable, throughout its colleges and universities. The concept supports the Board of Regents’ strategic goal of having the USG operate more efficiently while providing greater risk management of the state’s assets and dollars.

The first phase of the shared services strategy is to consolidate payrolls across the institutions. System officials will accomplish this through a contract with ADP, a national provider of transaction processing and information-based business solutions for payroll. The new consolidated payroll system will be in operation by July 2009.

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