Two NGCSU administrators chosen for Atlanta Business Chronicle's Who's Who List

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

Taking office in July of 2011, Jacobs has helped oversee North Georgia's first comprehensive fundraising campaign, Living Our Values: The Campaign for North Georgia, which has already raised about $36 million toward the $40 million goal.

Jacobs is the president designate for the University of North Georgia, the university being formed through the consolidation of North Georgia and Gainesville State College. The consolidation is planned to be effective in January 2013.

Oates recently oversaw the reaffirmation of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation for the Mike Cottrell 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 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."