The new president of the University of North Georgia announced Wednesday plans to begin a 45-day "listening tour" later in July to learn more about the university and gather information to determine the next steps amid admissions and budget challenges.
Michael Shannon announced the move in an email to faculty and staff. Shannon became president of the school on July 1, taking over from retiring President Bonita Jacobs.
"Like most universities, we face important challenges with enrollment and limited resources," Shannon said in the email. "However, we face them from a position of great strength and have many opportunities to continue building upon UNG’s mission and the momentum you have achieved. UNG’s recently adopted strategic plan offers us a solid path forward, and I am confident that we can leverage it to further elevate our work and identify valuable resources and partnerships to advance our mission."
Shannon said he will meet with groups of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community stakeholders to gather input while on the listening tour.
In March, the Georgia General Assembly approved a budget that included an estimated $2.54 million decrease in state funding for UNG for FY 2024. The university was also faced with a 10-percent state appropriations cut of $8.67 million in FY 2021 and a $13 million loss in tuition revenue and state funding related to credit hour declines between FY 2021 to 2025, according to officials.
Shannon also announced two leadership changes as part of his Wednesday announcement.
First, Jennifer Herazy will join UNG as senior vice president of strategy and chief of staff, effective August 1. She has worked at Georgia Tech since 1997 and currently serves in a dual role as interim deputy chief business officer in the Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance and as associate vice president for strategy and administration in the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. Herazy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign and her doctorate in higher education management from the University of Georgia.
Additionally, Kate Maine, UNG's current chief of staff and vice president for university relations, will become vice president for strategic communications and marketing.
"In this role, she will lead the overall strategic and creative direction of the university’s branding, marketing and communications efforts, as well as university events," Shannon's email said. "It is more important than ever that we enhance UNG’s competitiveness by strengthening our brand, reputation and visibility, and Kate has excelled in doing this over the past 15 years. Her institutional knowledge and expertise will be integral to our success."
"I am collaborating with my administrative team to strategically align our efforts and functions across the university, and I will announce additional changes as we make those decisions over the next few weeks. I am very excited about our future and to begin working with all of you to write the next chapter in UNG’s history."
