05 LC 28
2220
House
Resolution 228
By:
Representatives Heard of the
104th,
Coleman of the
97th,
Rice of the
51st,
Coan of the
101st,
Sheldon of the
105th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Approving
the creation of a new four-year college in Gwinnett County by the Board of
Regents of the University System of Georgia; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Article VIII, Section IV, Paragraph I(b) of the Constitution of the State of
Georgia grants to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia the
exclusive authority to create new public colleges, junior colleges, and
universities in the State of Georgia, subject to approval by majority vote in
the House of Representatives and the Senate; and
WHEREAS,
the University System of Georgia has established an entity known as the Gwinnett
University Center, located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, as a consortium of the
University of Georgia, Georgia Perimeter College, Southern Polytechnic State
University, and the Medical College of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
the Gwinnett University Center offers both graduate and undergraduate courses,
and with its aggressive growth has enrolled approximately 8,000 students in Fall
2004, an increase of 124 percent over the past five years; and
WHEREAS,
Gwinnett
Countýs
burgeoning population creates a demand for access, which the University System
of Georgia wishes to provide, in that Gwinnett County has 676,000 residents and
its population is expected to reach 1 million by 2020; and
WHEREAS,
Gwinnett County has the largest school system in the state and already accounts
for 10 percent of
Georgiás
economy; and
WHEREAS,
the board of regents has determined that a four-year state college with its own
leadership will better meet the higher education needs of the citizens of
Gwinnett County and the surrounding area; and
WHEREAS,
it has been deemed by the board of regents to be in the best interest of the
state to create a free-standing four-year college in Gwinnett County as the 35th
unit of the University System of Georgia near the location of the Gwinnett
University Center; and
WHEREAS,
Article VIII, Section IV, Paragraph I(b) of the Constitution provides that
approval of both houses of the General Assembly is required for the creation of
a new public college.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that, pursuant to
Article VIII, Section IV, Paragraph I(b) of the Constitution of the State of
Georgia, this body approves the creation of a new four-year college in Gwinnett
County by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Board of
Regents of the University System of Georgia.