CARLTON FLETCHER: Albany State University President Art Dunning wants seat at economic development table

Once there was a silly old Ram Thought he’d punch a hole in a dam. No one could make that Ram scram, He kept buttin’ that dam. ‘Cause he had high hopes.

— Frank Sinatra

Art Dunning gets it.

While all the economic development “experts” in the region — real and self-imagined — talk about Southwest Georgia’s strengths and weaknesses and how they’d address them, Dunning, the president of Albany State University, has sat back and listened. As he’s fond of saying, “It all starts with education.” And Dunning has been educating himself.

He, Darton State College President Paul Jones, Albany Technical College President Anthony Parker and Dougherty County School System Superintendent Butch Mosely made a bold if tentative first step recently when they came together to talk about ways their institutions and systems can collaboratively address the education issues that hinder the city’s growth.

But Dunning’s smart enough — has been there and done that enough — to know the work of the education leaders is only a step.

“I don’t know if people in this community get how important these educational institutions can be to the economic development of the region,” Dunning said during a conversation at his office. “From what I’ve gathered, (school leaders) haven’t been at the table for such discussions. That just doesn’t make sense. Business all starts with education, with having a viable, well-trained work force.

“There are discussions we should be having, and all of the stakeholders — government, business and industry, the religious community, educators — should have a seat at the table.”

Dunning, a native of the Alabama “Black Belt,” feels a kinship to Southwest Georgia. Even though he spent 30 years in Atlanta (with the state Board of Regents and Kennesaw State University), Athens (with the University of Georgia) and Tuscaloosa (with the University of Alabama) as part of the two states’ higher education systems, he’s drawn to the small communities and agricultural land of this region.

“I don’t have to stop in the small towns between here and Atlanta, I know them,” Dunning says. “I see it in the people, smell it in the soil.”

That’s why he’s determined to use his influence to address the crippling poverty that envelopes the region.

“It just amazes me that there’s all this substandard living all around us, this poverty, and people accept it,” the ASU president said. “People just throw up their hands and say, ‘That’s the way it’s always been around here.’ I don’t understand that. There are ways out of that life. There is no need for anyone to continue living that way.

“Look, we’ve tried the separate ‘I’ll-keep-mine, you-keep-yours’ way of living around here for a long time. It didn’t work. It’s time that we all started working together to address these issues. There’s so much more we can accomplish when we address our issues collaboratively.”

Dunning sees first-hand the talent that’s available to the region in the students at Albany State. But he’s also collected data, observed and done his homework as it relates to the broader community.

“I don’t know if a lot of people realize how much potential there is here,” he said. “Our higher education assets alone are the envy of many cities … you don’t know how many communities would give anything to have an Albany State, Darton and Albany Tech. It’s up to us and to our (community) leaders to determine how we can best utilize such assets.”

One thing Dunning has shown in his relatively short time in Albany is that he’s a doer. Yes, he’ll take the time to gather vital information, but when he feels the time is right, he’ll use his influence to push the needle forward.

“We can’t keep sitting around, waiting for someone else to figure out what has to be done,” he says. “We have the ability right here to address our issues and find solutions. We just have to quit doing a little here, a little there and a little more over there. We have to work together to make things happen.”

Dunning made it clear during the conversation that he and his colleagues in higher education are ready and willing to add their vast expertise and experience to the mix in a quest to help Albany, Dougherty County and Southwest Georgia reach their potential. He’s just waiting for a seat at the table.