NGCSU dean chosen for Atlanta Business Chronicle's Who's Who

DAHLONEGA - Dr. Richard Oates, associate vice president for academic affairs and interim dean of the Mike Cottrell School of Business of North Georgia College & State University, has been named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the top 100 leaders in education in the greater Atlanta area.

Continuing a career that began at North Georgia in 1982, Oates' longtime service as a professor and administrator led him to become the associate dean for the School of Education, followed by taking office as the associate vice president for academic affairs in 2010. School officials say his work on student success and support programs has played a major factor in North Georgia's continuing high freshman-retention rate, which now stands at 78 percent.

Oates recently oversaw the reaffirmation of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation for the School of Business. This distinction is currently held by less than five percent of business schools worldwide. Oates was also involved in an effort to secure a $1 million gift from BB&T that will be used over the next five years to create and fund the Center of Excellence in Ethical Business Leadership in the Mike Cottrell School of Business.

"It's an honor to be nominated by your peers and selected by the Atlanta Business Chronicle staff for inclusion in their Who's Who listing," Oates said. "The Atlanta Business Chronicle has a long history of recognizing individuals from a wide range of professions in the greater Atlanta community. To be considered one of the top 100 educators in the greater Atlanta area is humbling."