At its monthly meeting on Nov. 13, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved UGA’s request to buy a 660-acre farm in Greene County for $2.6 million. Owned by the Curtis family, the farmland is also home to the famous Iron Horse sculpture, which sits next to Highway 15. The family will retain ownership of the land where the horse stands as well as use of a 70-acre pond on the property.
The new farm will replace the 522-acre Plant Sciences Farm in Oconee County, which is being sold for $11.4 million.
In other action, the regents approved the establishment of a doctor of education degree with a major in students affairs leadership and the termination of UGA’s doctor of philosophy degree in medical microbiology.
The regents also approved four new policies to govern the financial oversight of the University System of Georgia’s public-private ventures program. The policies put in place rules for projects financed through the PPV program and the Georgia Higher Education Finance Authority by setting maximum capacity limits, establishing a reserve fund, requiring refinancing reviews and revising the current private housing policy.