MGA holds first State of the University address this year

MACON, Ga. – Middle Georgia State University hosted its annual State of the University address in the new Center for Middle Georgia Studies.

MGA President Dr. Christopher Blake spoke to both faculty and students about the university’s direction and their goals this year. MGA hosts this at the beginning of every semester, and Blake encourages the campus community to come together and hear about the year’s progress.

At the address, Blake talked about three areas he wanted to cover:

The new strategic plan the university launched in August

The institution’s performance

Looking forward to the future and acknowledging past accomplishments

He spoke about improvements in the undergraduate program and improvements in enrollment. Blake also shared that they have put 90 new student positions in the Advising Department and the Student Success Center on the Macon campus. 

He shares that he wants to maintain the institution’s reputation as the most affordable public school in the state. 

One of the university’s goals is to focus on the Warner Robins Campus, and Blake shares it is in one of the strongest counties in the state. 

According to Blake, the campus has the highest educational achievement and qualified and credentialed population.

He said they have put many amazing things into the campus, including funding for the nursing program. They will also add graduate programs and are trying to bring more students to campus.

According to Blake, the state’s General Assembly is the primary extra funding source for the university’s aviation school. He also said they have secured additional funding for health protection on the Dublin campus. 

Blake also said the university currently has a request for an expansion on the Eastman campus, a $19.2 million project. He said if they receive the funding, they will be able to provide a strong experience for flight students in terms of facilities and resources.

“Governor Kemp comes out with a budget at the beginning. He recommends full funding for some, part funding for others and no funding for others still. Middle Georgia was in the part funding and that is a political message that it is my job and all our jobs when we encounter our legislators to see those additional funds,” said Blake.

The university also plans to unfold a new residential facility program for undergraduate students. According to Blake, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue supports the renovation of four buildings on student housing at University Pointe, adding that MGA will receive $11 million for renovations.

“It’s important for students. It gives them what they need. And so, it’s really been a nice sort of project that we can make this Macon campus as vibrant as Cochran and Eastman is, in terms of residential experience,” said Blake.

He shared that he, alongside their new Vice President for University Advancement, Nancy White, will raise funds for the tennis program. The university is a part of the National Collegiate Athletics Association, and they are under division two, which helps the institution’s sports programs receive additional funding.

“We’ve got real good momentum back to that dynamic equilibrium. We’ve got support for some really important student life activity and that’s an illustration of confidence in the university,” said Blake.

He also shared that he wants everyone to stick to the strategic plan, which is broad enough to allow creative ideas and new opportunities. The plan contains four main areas the university intends to focus on in improving student life.

He said their top priority is student success and commitment to engaging with them. Blake also shares that they are the leading innovation university and have been economically relevant to the people of middle Georgia over the past year.

“In the last year, our economic impact is estimated in various models. The chamber and the Carl Vinson Institute a year ago said middle Georgia’s impact was a quarter of a billion dollars annually, and that’s now gone up to $290 million annually. That’s a significant increase in one year,” said Blake. 

Another one of the university’s top priorities is building on its shared culture and identity. 

“We have five very different campuses. Each of them needs to be excellent in their own way, in their own work, and that includes the marvelous graduate and online work that’s going on. However, they also need to have a shared sense of purpose, shared sense of vision and a unified mission. We need to be one, as well as many, and that is part of why this job that we do is so difficult and so exciting,” said Blake. 

He shared that he wants the university to be separate from the country’s two trillion-dollar student debt problem. 

“We want to provide an affordable education that makes the difference for the rest of the lives and careers of our graduates careers because our mission is about their learning, their scholarship, and their careers,” said Blake.

After sharing the university’s top priorities, Blake gave examples of these priorities in action. He said the Greatness Campaign raised $11.6 million over 26 months from individuals, businesses, and other foundations. The money goes towards helping students, and Blake hopes they will continue to move forward.

Blake reminded the audience that people are still tired after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Western world has stress and division. But the college’s job is to remind people there is a better path.

“It’s our sacred job to help remind people there’s a better forward, built around learning and education in which people can come together and celebrate the differences and dialogue in a civil way with one another. We’ve done that in the last 10 years as a unified institution and awarded over 13,000 degrees of which the vast majority of those students were living and working here in middle Georgia and the state,” said Blake.

According to Blake, the university has also seen a 60 percent increase in 10 years in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and they have now awarded over 800 graduate degrees. He said this is an example that they are on a path of excellence, which has taken hard work to maintain.

The institute is two years from its reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Blake is a board member of the association and said he has seen many institutions in trouble. 

He said it is essential for the university to craft its plan for accreditation in the coming months. Blake shared that this is an opportunity to show the university’s strength, and he believes they will do it right.

Blake is now approaching his 11th year as university president, and he believes this has been its strongest year. He said they have seen more students wanting to attend over the years, and he expects enrollment to be up this upcoming fall semester. 

The mission statement for the university was changed recently, shortened to “Middle Georgia State University educates and graduates inspired, lifelong learners whose scholarship and careers enhance the region and the state.”

“Whatever their career, we have got an amazing moment to make it the strongest career that they could possibly have with the finest and most affordable public university in Georgia. With that, it is my joy to say that the state of the university is very strong,” said Blake.

To view the university’s entire strategic plan, visit https://www.mga.edu/about/strategic-plan/index.php.

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