Arthur N. Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach at UGA, has been named vice chancellor for international programs and outreach at the University of Alabama System.
Dunning will step down from his role at UGA on March 31, 2010, after a decade directing the nation’s largest campus-based outreach program.
“I am grateful to have been part of a program that has made such a positive difference in the lives of people in our community, our state, our country and our world,” Dunning said. “I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of each public service and outreach unit, as well as the special initiatives on which we have worked.”
UGA President Michael F. Adams lauded Dunning for his service and credited him with helping expand the university’s land-grant mission for the 21st century.
“The missions of teaching, research and service are interwoven at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Dunning has done a masterful job of leveraging the university’s
expertise to the benefit of our state, nation and world,” Adams said. “Through innovative programs such as the Archway Partnership and the expansion of service-learning activities, he has helped make UGA a national model for campus-based outreach.”
Dunning is known across campus for his vision and integrity, according to Provost Arnett C. Mace Jr.
“I will greatly miss his creativity, astuteness and sound approaches to advancing public service and UGA,” Mace said. “Equally important, I will greatly miss his professionalism, personal attributes and the opportunity to interact with Dr. Dunning on a regular basis.”
Dunning was named vice president for public service and outreach in 2000 and has led several initiatives that have fostered socioeconomic and community development. The Archway Partnership, which began in 2005 and now serves eight communities statewide, pairs university expertise with needs identified by community members to drive economic growth. In Colquitt County, for example, the Archway Partnership has worked to improve graduation rates, to improve access to after-school programs and to help plan for infrastructure needs.
Dunning also established the Office of Service-Learning in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Instruction to support faculty members as they integrate community service with academic coursework to enhance learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. Project Riverway, for example, has brought students and faculty from several schools and colleges together to develop a tourism-based plan to help revitalize communities in southwest Georgia on the Chattahoochee River.
Dunning also oversees the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, which last year alone delivered educational programs to more than 19,000 state and local officials. The Vinson Institute also helps promote excellence in government by presenting government entities with data and alternatives in policy areas such as children and families, environmental resources and citizen service satisfaction.
Additional units that report to the vice president for public service and outreach include the Fanning Institute, which provides community, economic and leadership development programs and activities; the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel; the Marine Extension Service; the Office of International Public Service and Outreach; the Small Business Development Center; and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
