America's Promise Alliance and ING Release National List of 100 Best Communities for Young People

The Georgia cities of Cumming and Macon, along with Troup County, are tops in our great state for young people.

/PRNewswire/ -- In a celebration of America's young people and the communities most dedicated to helping local youth graduate from high school, America's Promise Alliance (the Alliance) today announced its 2010 list of 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING. An interactive showcase of the 100 Best and their accomplishments can be found at www.americaspromise.org/100Best.

"The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance. "Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career."

The 100 Best competition is part of the Alliance's Grad Nation campaign, a 10-year initiative to mobilize all Americans to end the dropout crisis. This year, more than 350 communities in all 50 states and Washington, DC, were nominated for the 100 Best competition. The winners come from 37 states and 30 are first-time recipients of the honor. They were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges that included some of the nation's most well-known civic, business and nonprofit leaders such as: William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs; Fr. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA; Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Larry Naake, executive director, National Association of Counties; Jane Beshear, first lady of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold medalist and youth advocate.

The 2010 winners will be highlighted at a ceremony in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC, with Alma Powell, Alliance President and CEO Marguerite Kondracke, and ING Foundation President Rhonda Mims. Winning communities will be pinpointed on an expansive ceremonial U.S. map.

Twilight star Kellan Lutz will make a special appearance at the event, assisting the Alliance and ING executives in revealing the list of 100 Best Communities and connecting with young people about the importance of staying in school.

"ING is committed to children's education and to the advancement of education initiatives that prepare our young people to graduate and have successful futures," said Mims. "Our support for 100 Best demonstrates our goal of honoring communities that produce real, measurable results for improving the lives of young people."

"100 Best is an essential building block of Grad Nation, an inspiring national movement that seeks to ensure every young person graduates," said Kondracke. "These winning communities are helping to build a generation of assertive, successful and dynamic young people that are the future of this country. Our ultimate hope is that 100 Best will inspire all communities across America to make a commitment to children, keep them in school and help them overcome the challenges that could otherwise determine their future."

First held in 2005, the 100 Best competition is open to all communities that make children and youth a priority, including small towns, large cities, counties and school districts. In addition to enhancing local educational opportunities, most winning communities help facilitate greater access to quality health care for young people, encourage youth civic engagement and supply developmental resources that create better places for young people to live and grow.

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Georgia Southern University Recognized as one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report

The 2009 edition of America’s Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report, has included Georgia Southern University in the best national university category. The ranking is a result of Georgia Southern’s continued growth in academic quality and stature as a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University.

Georgia Southern University is one of only 262 American universities, both public and private, in the national category.

“As Georgia Southern University has grown, we have done what many said we could not,” said President Bruce Grube. “We have grown in both size and in the quality of our academic programs and students. We are welcoming the largest class of freshmen with the highest average SAT score in our history. We also welcomed the largest class of graduate students pursuing master’s and doctorate degrees. Our students are from nearly every U.S. state and more than 80 countries. This is a direct reflection on the efforts of our outstanding faculty and staff who work every day to provide all the benefits of a major university with the personal attention of a much smaller college. Students and their parents value being taught by a professor in a small class setting where knowing your professor isn’t a luxury, it’s the norm.”

National universities offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs and emphasize faculty research. Data indicating academic excellence from a range of categories is gathered from each institution and is weighted by the magazine's staff. The colleges are then ranked against their peers based on their composite score.

U.S. News & World Report utilizes seven categories to evaluate and capture academic quality: assessment by leadership at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, alumni giving, financial resources and “graduation rate performance,” the difference between the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion who actually do. In addition, the publication also evaluated graduation rate performance for national universities. Georgia Southern University is listed in the Tier Four category of institutions within the National University rankings.

In addition to being named one of the top national universities in the nation, Georgia Southern University was recognized by high school guidance counselors for providing an outstanding education to students. U.S. News & World Report asked guidance counselors from America’s Best High Schools to rate national universities they believe offer the best education to their students. Georgia Southern University was ranked number 206 nationally, tied with the University of Cincinnati and the University of Memphis to name a few.

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UGA Makes Top 20 List for Public Universities in U.S. New & World Report's "Best Colleges" Guide

The University of Georgia is tied for 20th among public universities and tied for 58th overall according to the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide. UGA has been ranked among the top 20 leading public universities in the nation eight of the last ten years.

“I am always pleased when the students, faculty and staff of the University of Georgia are recognized for their quality and their very good work,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “Recognition such as this is a reflection of a commitment to excellence in everything that we do at the University of Georgia and should be a point of great pride for our alumni and friends.”

UGA also was listed among 25 national universities for 2007 graduates with the least debt.

The undergraduate program at the Terry College of Business is ranked 30th overall and 18th among public business schools. Of the more than 2,000 U.S. business schools, fewer than 500 have achieved full accreditation and are eligible to be ranked by U.S. News. This year’s ranking marks the 10th consecutive year Terry has been ranked in the top 30. Terry’s risk management and insurance program maintained its second place ranking nationally, as did the real estate program, which is ranked third in the country.

“This is another affirmation of the high quality of the undergraduate program and the Terry College overall,” said Dean Robert T. Sumichrast. “It’s now time for Terry to expand from these areas of strengths, like risk management and real estate, and advance across an even broader front of program improvement. When we adopt our new strategic plan later this year, we’ll be in a better position to pursue our vision of national prominence.”

The 2009 rankings are available on-line at www.usnews.com and highlights of the college rankings will be published in the September 1 issue of U.S.News & World Report, available for newsstand purchase Monday, August 25. The 2009 America's Best Colleges guidebook will be available as of Tuesday, August 26.

U.S. News considers several factors in producing the annual ranking. Among those are graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and peer assessment.

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Emory Rated as 'Great College To Work For'

Emory University has been recognized in an online survey conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the 2008 "Great Colleges to Work For."

Emory was rated among the top five in 13 of 27 categories in the survey of 15,000 respondents at 89 colleges and universities. Results are reported for small, medium and large universities, with Emory included among the large universities with 2,500 or more employees.

"This is a very satisfying affirmation of Emory, but our real goal is not recognition -- it's being a community that values the needs and contributions of every individual. In that sense everyone at Emory helps to make this a positive place to work," says Emory University President James Wagner.

Emory ranked among the top five universities in the nation for:

• Healthy faculty/administration relations
• Teaching environment
• Facilities and security
• Job satisfaction
• Work-life balance
• Confidence in senior leadership
• Internal communications
• Connection to institution and pride
• Physical workspace conditions
• Supervisor or department chair relationship
• Perception and confidence in fair treatment
• Respect and appreciation
• Engagement index

The assessment process, which also included an analysis of demographic data and workplace policies at each participating college or university, was administered by ModernThink LLC, a human-resources consulting firm that has conducted many "Best Places to Work" surveys.

With 21,129 employees (and approximately 3,200 faculty), Emory is the largest employer in DeKalb County and the largest private employer in metro Atlanta. The total includes Emory University, Emory Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, The Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods, Inc.

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments:

Board of Early Care and Learning
Carolyn W. Ormsby, Ed.D., 65, Conyers, Fourth Congressional District Representative —
Ormsby is the principal of Honey Creek Elementary School in Rockdale County. She serves on the Board of Child Development Center of First Baptist Church of Conyers, and is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Ormsby earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, master’s and specialist’s degrees from Georgia State University, and a doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University. She and her husband, Ted, have three grown children and nine grandchildren.

Board of Governors of the George L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority
John H. Downs, Jr., 51, Marietta –- Downs is senior vice president of public affairs and communications for Coca-Cola Enterprises. He serves on numerous boards including The Coca-Cola Foundation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, Morehouse School of Medicine, Voices for Georgia’s Children, and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He was appointed to the Georgia Department of Education’s Parent, Community and Business Advisory Board and the Commission for a New Georgia’s Administrative Services task force by Governor Sonny Perdue. Downs earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington College. He and his wife, Molly, have four children.

Board of Trustees of the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund
John L. Quinn, 59, Avondale Estates, Labor Representative –- Quinn serves as district counsel for Communications Workers of America, where he represents nine Southeastern states. He is currently chair-elect of the Georgia Bar’s Labor and Employment Law Section, along with being a longstanding member of the American Bar Association’s EEO Committee. He is an active member of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee and has chaired its advisory board. Quinn earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He and his wife, Kerry, have five children and four grandchildren.

Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Kathleen T. Bowen, 29, Decatur, Consumer Representative –- Bowen is special projects coordinator for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and serves as program director for the Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students. She is a member of the Georgia Society of Association Executives, the Southern Center for International Studies Young Professionals, the Atlanta Ole Miss Alumni Club and a volunteer with Hands on Atlanta. Bowen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi. She is married to Will Bowen.

Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority
R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk, Sr., 80, Atlanta – Loudermilk serves as chairman of Aaron Rents, Inc. He is the founder and past chairman of the Buckhead Coalition and founder and chairman of the Buckhead Community Bank. He served on the board of the Atlanta Rotary Club, Piedmont Hospital Foundation Board, Atlanta Community Food Bank, and served as chairman of the Omni Group and the MARTA Board of Directors. Loudermilk earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina. He is married to Courtney Loudermilk and has three children, two stepchildren, and five grandchildren.

State Board of Cosmetology
James S. “Slatz” Gaines, 74, Flowery Branch, Cosmetologist – Gaines has been a professional hairdresser for over forty-seven years and has owned multiple salons around the Atlanta area. He is a member of Blackshear Place Baptist Church and the National Hairdressers Association and a former member of Intercoiffure America-Canada.

State Workforce Investment Board
Edward P. “Phil” Best, Sr., 52, Dublin, Municipal Elected Official – Best is the mayor of the City of Dublin and the chief executive officer of Premier Construction Group, LLC. He serves on the Laurens County Board of Health, Community Mental Health Board and the Solid Waste Management Authority. He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and served as director of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. Best attended Floyd Jr. College and DeKalb College. He and his wife, Cile, have two children.