ICAPP STATEWIDE “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER TOUR” VISITS ABAC

Tifton Event Showcases USG’s Economic Resources

The campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College served today as the ninth site for the University System of Georgia’s “Knowledge Is Power Tour.”

The 12-stop tour provided the state’s business leaders with a chance to meet the system’s new chancellor, Thomas C. Meredith, and an opportunity to learn how the University System is boosting Georgia’s economic growth.

Sponsored by ICAPP (Intellectual Capital Partnership Program)--the University System’s economic development initiative--the tour highlighted the University System’s existing and proposed efforts to encourage regional and statewide economic development by utilizing the intellectual capital on its 34 campuses to meet business needs.

Showcased at today’s event were ABAC, South Georgia College in Douglas, Valdosta State University, and Waycross College.

“Today will be a two-way street of information exchange,” Meredith said in remarks to the group of southeast Georgia business leaders. “Our challenge is to work together to turn knowledge into the type of power that can transform lives, businesses, and communities.”

In addition to hearing from the Chancellor and beneficiaries of the ICAPP program, attendees provided feedback to System officials and campus representatives on the business community’s needs and perceptions of public higher education.

Since the creation of ICAPP six years ago as a “one-stop shop” for business needs, a number of programs oriented toward enhancing the state’s economic development have been unveiled by the University System of Georgia. These include fast-track programs to meet the need for highly educated knowledge workers and the use of technology to identify employees in key fields such as computer science, engineering and information technology. ICAPP’s most recent initiative, launched in July by Gov. Roy E. Barnes, will focus the University System’s resources to help meet Georgia’s critical shortage of personnel in key health professions. ICAPP also has been instrumental in creating programs to match employees with businesses through the System’s on-line GeorgiaHire website. “Knowledge Is Power Tour” attendees received background on these programs as well as information on upcoming plans by the University System to increase commercialization activity statewide.

The tour, which launched April 17 in Atlanta with stops at Augusta State University on April 23, Gainesville College on May 1, the University of Georgia on June 4, Albany State University on August 29, the Coastal Georgia Center on Sept. 25, Columbus State University on Oct. 1, and Dalton State College on Oct. 3, will continue through this October, visiting the state’s 12 economic regions. It is being supported by the System’s 34 colleges and universities and private industry.

The remaining stops on the “Knowledge Is Power Tour” are: Oct. 24, Macon State College; Oct. 29, Clayton College & State University; and Oct. 30 East Georgia College.

For more information on the “Knowledge Is Power Tour,” call the ICAPP office at (404) 656-2275 or visit the ICAPP website at www.icapp.org.

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