Fedrick, USG aim to shore up Albany State University’s foundation

ALBANY — Taking a first step toward the goal of “shoring up Albany State University’s foundation,” Interim Executive Vice President Marion Fedrick on Friday announced a nine-member University System of Georgia transition team that will probe all aspects of the education process at the university.

“Everything is on the table,” Fedrick said.

The Herald obtained a campus email from Fedrick that went out to faculty and staff on Friday. It states:

“As (Albany State President Art Dunning) shared with you earlier this month, I joined the Albany State University team on October 16, and I have been on campus these past two weeks talking with Albany State students, faculty and staff.

“Thank you for your kind and thoughtful welcome. My career in higher education began on a campus, and I must say it is wonderful to be back on campus, especially with the Golden Rams.

“But more importantly, many of you have given me the opportunity to listen and hear directly from you. One recommendation that I have heard consistently is to communicate with you.

“With this spirit in mind, I want to share with you an update to let you know the transition team is coming together with the following members from other USG institutions:

“Maritza E. Ferreira, assistant vice president of marketing and communications, Clayton State University; Tracy Ireland, associate vice chancellor for student enrollment services, University System of Georgia; Patrice Buckner Jackson, dean of students, Georgia Southern University; Juan Jarrett, associate vice president for human resources, University of Georgia; Kenyatta Johnson, executive director for enterprise risk management, University System of Georgia; Scot Lingrell, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, University of West Georgia; Rich Loftus, associate vice chancellor for student enrollment services, University System of Georgia; Richard Oates, vice president, University of North Georgia — Gainesville campus; and Marti Venn, deputy vice chancellor for academic affairs, University System of Georgia.

“While every member of the Albany State community is part of this transition effort and making direct contributions, many of you have offered to serve in a formal role on the transition team. Next week, we will announce who from Albany State will be serving in this official capacity.

“Chancellor (Steve) Wrigley has charged the transition team to review and take action steps necessary to ensure a smooth transition and position the new Albany State University for long-term success.

“As part of the Chancellor’s charge, the transition team will be focusing on five key areas: academics, enrollment management, student experience, human resources and communication.”

The Herald also conducted Friday the first interview with Fedrick in her new position, during which the heavy emphasis on the team’s enrollment management experience was brought up. One-third of the transition team is made up of people who deal in enrollment.

“One of the largest issues we are going to look at is enrollment management. That enrollment management is one of our top five priorities,” Fedrick said. “We have already started diving into that, and it includes financial aid. We don’t think it’s where we need to be, and that is why we are heavily focused there.”

The University System of Georgia will release its Fall 2017 enrollment numbers sometime next week, and Albany State’s numbers are expected to slip from Spring 2017, continuing a downward trend that has alarmed USG officials.

Earlier this month, Dunning announced his retirement, but Fedrick stressed Friday that the team in Albany right now is not a presidential search committee.

That will come after the transitional team stops the wheels from wobbling at ASU.

“This is not a search committee for a new president; this is what we typically call a management review,” Fedrick said. “We’re going to be here longer that normal for a management review.”

As USG Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Fedrick said, the review will cover all aspects and departments at Albany State. Fedrick said one other person from the University System will be in Albany during the review

“All options are on the table,” she said. “We will also have people from the USG and they will be down here weekly, but maybe not the whole week. We will be very focused. We started last week. The majority of them have been here this week. We want to make sure we are on the right course to get these departments solidified. Right now, we have a pretty heavy team down here at Albany State.”

With Fedrick’s H.R. background, it comes as no surprise that certain faculty and staff members at ASU have expressed concern about their jobs.

“We are reviewing everything from top to bottom,” she said. “The chancellor met with us this past Wednesday, and we talked about how everything is on the table. We’re looking at departments and who is running those departments. I will say we don’t want anyone to be afraid of losing their jobs. Those who are doing well, we want them to keep doing well.”