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College News
ABAC President Looks Ahead To Third Year...
Coming off the historic second year of his presidency when Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College celebrated its 100th birthday and was named one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation, Dr. David Bridges believes there’s more history to be made in ABAC’s second century of service.
“It has been a wonderful birthday year, and we’re still celebrating,” Bridges, the first ABAC alumnus (Class of 1978) ever to be named ABAC President, said. “We have worked hard on our Second Century Plan, and we’re really on the move.”
Bridges assumed the ABAC president’s position on July 1, 2006. Since then, his life has been a whirlwind of activity.
“The time has gone by really fast,” Bridges said. “We have had a few bumps in the road but no major hurdles.”
Highlights of his second year at the helm include the Washington Monthly distinction ranking ABAC as the 10th best community college in America, the ranking of the turfgrass program as the seventh best in North America by TurfNet Magazine, and the long-awaited offering of bachelor’s degrees on the campus in diversified agriculture and turfgrass and golf course management.
“We have done a lot for students this past year,” Bridges said. “It has been really smooth sailing with our bachelor’s degrees. Now we’re seeing high school students mark on their applications that these programs will be their majors.”
The college also opened the ABAC Lakeside complex on the north shore of Lake Baldwin, offering ultra modern housing for 489 students. Another 835 beds are available at ABAC Place, where each student has a private room.
“When you look at Lake Baldwin, and you look at the way it was two years ago with weeds growing up around it, it’s amazing that it now has a beautiful shoreline with a $17 million complex with students everywhere,” Bridges said. “It’s a functional part of the campus now.”
Bridges said the students also got a boost with the opening of the new green space on the south side of the campus which includes soccer, intramural, and practice fields. But the biggest piece of news during the year might have been the announcement that ABAC will receive $6 million in funding from the state budget to begin the rehabilitation of the original three buildings on the front of campus.
“We finally got ABAC on the radar screen as far as doing something with the front of campus,” Bridges said. “We had good support from our alumni, the legislature, the Chancellor, the System office, the Governor, and great support from our local delegation who championed the project from beginning to end.
“The Governor had it in his original budget, and now we have six million to get started. Let’s face it. The front of the campus is ABAC. When you roll in across those railroad tracks and hit Moore Highway, you see the buildings Pratt Cassity called ‘the three wise men.’”
Tift, Lewis, and Herring halls were the three original buildings on the campus when classes began at the Second District A&M School on Feb. 20, 1908. Cassity and a team of designers from the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design spent several days looking at new ideas for the front of the campus in March.
Bridges said when those ideas turn into a plan, ABAC will put the state funding to work. In the meantime, he has plenty of other projects to occupy his attention including a brand new partnership with Georgia Southwestern State University which will bring bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education and resource management to the ABAC campus.
“This new agreement with Southwestern should put us another step up the ladder,” Bridges said. “It’s going to be big. The combination of agriculture and forestry is still Georgia’s biggest business by far. But the business has changed. That’s where this resource management degree is going to come into play.
“The education degree fills a need. We need more school teachers in Georgia. I believe it will be a real growth area. These and other bachelor’s degree programs will make ABAC Georgia’s state college of choice.”
When classes begin for the fall semester on Aug. 18, Bridges wants to focus on two broad topics during his third year as the ABAC President.
“We should continue to bring good, committed students to ABAC, and we should reconnect with the community that has supported us for the past 100 years,” Bridges said.
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Barber Named Chief Development Officer At ABAC...
Keith D. Barber has been named Chief Development Officer at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, according to an announcement today by ABAC Chief Advancement Officer Melvin Merrill.
Merrill said Barber’s primary responsibility will be to secure assets for the advancement of ABAC. Barber currently serves as the Senior Director of Development for Public Service Activities and the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson University. He plans to begin his ABAC duties in August.
“Keith brings a solid advancement background and credentials to the position,” ABAC President David Bridges said. “His new ideas will bring enthusiasm and energy to the college and its Foundation during this vital time of planning for the next century of service.”
Prior to joining the Clemson staff in 2005, Barber worked as the Director of the Office of College Advancement for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He began his UGA career in 2002 as a major gifts officer in the CAES office and was promoted to Director in 2003.
Before he joined the UGA staff, Barber spent 10 years in institutional advancement, the majority of that time with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Barber, a North Carolina native, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and his Master of Arts in Leadership and Higher Education from Appalachian State University.
“Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s tradition-rich history, combined with its vision for the future, is exceptionally motivating,” Barber said. “The opportunity to be a part of advancing the institution during its second century is both challenging and exciting. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends to help pave the way for the next 100 years of top-tier education at ABAC.”
Barber and his wife, Stephanie, who is from Pearson and will practice pediatric medicine in Tifton, plan to move to the area in August with their children, Bennett, 6, Laney Gracyn, 4, and Brooks, 1.
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ABAC Tennis Player Invited to U.S. Open...
The number one women’s tennis player in the National Junior College Athletic Association has been invited to attend one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.
Monika Lalewicz, who won the #1 singles’ title for ABAC at the NJCAA national tournament, has been invited to the U.S. Open in New York as a result of her selection to the ITA National Collegiate All-Star team.
“It is a prestigious honor for her,” Alan Kramer, Athletics Director at ABAC, said in an article in the Tifton Gazette. “They only invite the best players in the nation to participate.”
Lalewicz won’t actually play in the tournament but can attend an awards luncheon, the Arthur Ashe Kids Day show, a special behind the scenes tour, and a special dinner in the city. Other champions from the NCAA and NAIA were also invited to the tourney.
In an interview with Gazette Sports Editor Steve Carter, Lalewicz said she was “very honored” by the selection.
“It was exciting to be picked,” Lalewicz said. “I wouldn’t want to interfere with my school work.”
ABAC Hall of Fame selection Milena Stanoytcheva was also invited to the U.S. Open when she won the national titles for ABAC in 1999 and 2000.
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Coleman To Retire After 23 Years As Alumni Director...
Instead of checking her calendar for alumni events at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Nancy Clark Coleman now plans to schedule her days around the pitching schedule of a certain Colquitt County High School baseball player.
Coleman, the Director of Alumni Relations at ABAC for the past 23 years, will retire July 31 to be able to spend more time with her son, Clark, who will be a CCHS senior this year.
“Everybody who knows me realizes this is the reason I am stepping away from it this year,” Coleman, the only full time alumni director in the history of ABAC, said. “I just don’t want to miss any of his senior year activities, but particularly baseball and FFA.”
A graduate of Cairo High School, Coleman was a member of the Class of 1975 at ABAC before completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Home Economics from the University of Georgia.
Coleman’s husband, Thomas, a Colquitt County farmer, was also a member of the ABAC Class of 1975. The two never met while students at ABAC but rather in 1987 when Nancy was working the ABAC exhibit at the Georgia Young Farmers Convention where Thomas was running for a state officer’s position.
Coleman joined the ABAC staff in 1985 after a seven-year teaching career, which included stops at CCHS, Pelham High School, Albany Tech, and Westover High School.
Memories abound from the thousands of ABAC alumni who have crossed her path. Most of them have one thing in common.
“Almost every one of them will tell you that their time at ABAC was the best two year of their lives,” Coleman said. “I have met a lot of wonderful people who really love ABAC.”
Coleman and the members of the ABAC Ag Alumni Council organized the ABAC Ag Classic golf tournament seven years ago. It has been a tremendous success, raising $141,000 for scholarships and instructional resources for the Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources.
“I was very skeptical at first because I wasn’t a golfer and didn’t know anything about running a tournament,” Coleman said. “But I had some avid golfers on the board, and they assured me it would work.”
During the past year, ABAC has celebrated its 100th birthday. Coleman and other members of the campus community poured hours upon hours of work into planning and coordinating the events of the year.
“The whole Centennial Celebration is one thing I’ll never forget,” Coleman said. “Homecoming and all the other activities were just really special.”
ABAC President David Bridges said Coleman will definitely be missed.
“An ongoing and important part of any college’s success is linking former, current, and future students,” Bridges, a member of the ABAC Class of 1978, said. “Nancy has represented the alumni and the College well during her tenure.”
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SGA President Enrolled in New Four-Year Degree at ABAC...
Nate Carney will lead Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College into its second 100 years as the first junior Student Government Association President.
“ABAC is a tight knit group of folks with everything a big school has, while still having a small town, South Georgia feel,” said Carney. “I look forward to the progress that SGA can make in our first year of the new century.”
Carney, a Turfgrass and Golf Course Management from Dallas, has plenty on his agenda for his term as SGA president. At the top of the list is to find a way to increase the student body’s knowledge of the financial aid process, hopefully making the entire process flow smoother. Along with Vice President Dan Pennington, Carney also wants to increase student involvement on campus.
“I am excited about gaining my BAS from ABAC,” said Carney. “Having more hands on experience and a further knowledge of the subject matter will make me more marketable in the job market.”
Turfgrass and Gold Course Management is one of the two new four-year degrees offered by ABAC. Pennington majors in the other four-year degree, Diversified Agriculture.
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Three Selected For Presidential Scholarships at ABAC...
Three students have received the first ever Presidential Scholarships at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for the 2008-2009 academic year.
ABAC President David Bridges said Jessica Ashley Kalina from Griffin High School, Colton Farrow from Wilcox County High School, and Jeremy Tanner Newhouse from Warner Robins High School will receive the prestigious scholarships when they enroll for the first day of classes at ABAC on Aug. 18.
With input from several groups, the ABAC administration identified three particularly deserving students from across Georgia to receive these scholarships, which were made possible through the combined efforts of the ABAC Foundation and key supporters of the college.
“The Presidential Scholarship Program was initiated as a model system designed to enhance recruiting power and hence the admission of highly deserving students to ABAC,” Bridges said. “We looked for students who will make the ABAC of the future even better than the ABAC of today.”
Kalina was a two-time Governors’ Honors nominee, a Global Achievers’ nominee and the recipient of the National Leadership Merit Award, the All American Scholars Award, and the International Foreign Language Award.
She finished second in the Griffin High School science fair and was a member of the National Junior Classical League, the Latin Honors Society, Key Club International, the National Beta Club, and the Interact Club. Kalina plans to major in Animal Science.
Active in FFA his entire high school career, Farrow serves as the 2008-09 state president of the organization. He has served as Sentinel, Chaplain, Vice President and President of his local chapter. He was also a member of the Livestock Judging, Dairy Judging, and Ag Communications teams.
A Governor’s Honors Program participant, Farrow was president of the Wilcox County Beta Club and was named to the National Honor Roll. He played football and baseball during all four years of high school. Farrow plans to major in Animal Science.
Newhouse is a former Chapter Treasurer and Chapter President of the Warner Robins High School FFA. He was a Governor’s Honors’ Program participant and attended the Natural Resources Conservation Workshop. He was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Forum, the Beta Club, and the Student Council.
Bridges said Newhouse has already proven his ability to succeed in college by taking classes through the ACCEL program at Georgia Military College. Newhouse plans to major in forest resources.
“ABAC is on the move,” Bridges said. “We have an all time record enrollment, new student housing, and brand new four-year degrees which we offer on our campus. I believe Jessica, Colton, and Jeremy will be very positive additions to our student body.”
As a State College of the University System of Georgia, ABAC offers two-year degrees and selected four-year degrees. The enrollment of 3,665 students comes from 154 Georgia counties, 12 states, and nine countries. Classes begin Aug. 18 for the fall semester.
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Madison Student New VP Of ABAC SGA...
Dan Pennington will help lead Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College into its second 100 years as the first Student Government Association Vice President from the junior class. Nate Carney, the 2008-2009 SGA President, is also the first member of the junior class in his position.
“I look forward to the progress that SGA can make in our first year of the second century of service,”said Pennington. “I have taken this opportunity to serve the students.”
Pennington, a Diversified Agriculture major from Madison, has plenty on his agenda for his term as SGA vice president. At the top of his list is to find a way to increase the student body’s involvement in on and off campus events.
“ABAC students could have a more positive impact on the campus and the city of Tifton if we all get involved,” said Pennington. “ABAC has a rich history and tradition that I am glad to be a part of.”
Pennington and Carney are a part of a new group of ABAC students. Long known as a two-year college with only freshmen and sophomore students, ABAC is now a State College offering four year degrees in Diversified Agriculture and Turfgrass and Golf Course Management. The college celebrated its 100th birthday on Feb. 20, and now embarks on its second century of service.
Pennington is a second generation ABAC student. Both his parents, Dan Pennington and Dana Jackson, attended ABAC.
Along with Carney, Pennington also wants to increase the student body’s knowledge of deadlines, especially the July 15 financial aid deadline.
“Since I started ABAC I have wanted to find a way to stay here and earn my Bachelor’s degree," said Pennington. “I love ABAC, and I am excited about the years to come.”
The application deadline for the fall semester at ABAC is Aug. 5. Classes begin for the fall term on Aug. 18.
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Here's The Link For Hard To Find ABAC Information...
If you don’t know where to look for a piece of information about ABAC, click on the Need Help? link on the front page of the ABAC web site. The link takes you to the Ask The Golden Stallion page where all questions about the college can be directed. Janet Weaver from the ABAC Information Center said the site has received questions relating to fees, final exams, horse boarding, and much more. Use this key tool if you want an answer to your ABAC question.
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