Georgia Perimeter College has been approved to become a part of Georgia State University.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the regional accrediting agency, announced its approval of the plan submitted by Georgia State on Tuesday.
The merger will boost enrollment at Georgia State to more than 54,000 students and make it the largest university in Georgia.
There will be new signs on Georgia Perimeter College’s campus next year when it becomes a part of Georgia State University. CREDIT BILL ROA / GEORGIA PERIMETER COLLEGE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
A Name Change
Georgia Perimeter College will undergo a slight name change to join Georgia State.
Georgia Perimeter College will become Perimeter College and be another college within Georgia State University like the J. Mack Robinson School of Business or the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing.
Perimeter College will be the largest college at Georgia State with five physical campuses and an online program that has a total student enrollment of 21,000.
Georgia State professor Peter Lyons was appointed the first vice provost and dean of Perimeter College.
He said the major decisions and plans to deal with hiccups after merging the two schools have been reached — like promotion and tenure requirements for faculty.
Different Standards
Lyons said Perimeter College will continue to be an “access institution” and offer associate degrees and certificate programs.
“The faculty at Perimeter College will remain doing what they’re doing, teaching students with a smaller requirement for research productivity,” Lyons said. “The faculty at Georgia State University will have a much higher requirement to produce and publish scholarly articles and publications.”
The new name will go into effect on Jan. 6 after the Board of Regents gives the final nod.
Staff Cuts
Georgia Perimeter College interim president Robb Watts has joked that he would be the first person out of a job with the merger.
Lyons said public safety officers will not lose their jobs, but other staff changes have not been decided on yet.
“Clearly, we don’t have vice presidents in the other colleges at Georgia State University and some of the vice president positions will change into other positions,” Lyons said. “We’re working methodically through the tiers in both organizations to figure out exactly who’s the best person to be in each particular position.”
