IMMEDIATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        MAY 12, 2004

 FITZGERALD SELECTED AS CHAIR OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DIVISION

TIFTON—Anthony Fitzgerald has been selected as the new chair of the Division of Social Science at Abraham Baldwin College.   Sue Wilson had been serving as interim chair for the past 16 months.

Fitzgerald joined the ABAC faculty in 1999. He holds two Masters’ degrees, one in public administration from Jacksonville State University and another in criminal justice from Valdosta State University. He also received a B.S. degree in psychology and an A.S. in Law Enforcement from the University of New York. He is currently working on his Doctorate in Education.

Fitzgerald did two tours of duty in the United States Army, one right out of high school and another before joining the ABAC staff. He fought in the Gulf War on his second tour and retired from the Army with 21 years of service.

“I taught for the first time in Germany when I was in the military,” Fitzgerald said.  “I liked the interaction with the students.”  

While serving in the military, Fitzgerald was administrative supervisor for his units. Fitzgerald also worked as a state trooper in Arizona between his two terms in the Army.

 “I felt responsible to put my name in,” Fitzgerald said of his decision to apply for the chair’s position.   “Our Social Science Division works well as a team, even though we are all very diverse. Continuity is a really important point I wanted to maintain.

 “I feel a big responsibility, but I also feel prepared and confident to serve as chair. I have the support from the faculty and the Social Science staff. I want to help to keep Social Science relevant to the students and community at large.”  

###