|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Dr. Dorothy Leland became the 10th president of Georgia College & State University on January 1, 2004
following her appointment by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. At Georgia
College, she oversees a residential liberal arts campus and two commuter centers with a combined
enrollment of more than 6,000 students and almost 800 faculty and staff.
During her tenure at Georgia College, Dr. Leland has focused on initiatives designed to enrich the
undergraduate learning experience and to enhance the university's reputation for educational excellence.
As a result, Georgia College has broadened its student recruitment base, seen steady improvement in
student qualifications, retention and graduation rates, and has emerged as one of the top comprehensive
universities in the South in a number of prominent national rankings.
Dr. Leland has made "learning beyond the classroom" a hallmark of the university's undergraduate
experience, which is reflected by significant increases in student participation in study abroad
programs, undergraduate research, and service learning. She also has focused attention on building
stronger links between academic and student affairs through a robust residential college initiative.
In her role as President, Dr. Leland also has brought the university significant national and
international attention for the innovative use of technology to enhance learning. She supported the
implementation of Georgia's first 7-12 Early College program, which benefits children in the local
community. She also has focused on building the infrastructure needed to improve alumni outreach and
donor support. Her strategic positioning process has identified academic program "pillars of
distinction" for future focus and investment as the institution prepares for its first major
fund-raising campaign.
Other accomplishments during President Leland's tenure include significant capital improvements.
She was the 2006 recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation,
recognizing her comprehensive approach to the adaptive re-use and rehabilitation of historic
buildings on campus. Under her tenure, the university established its natural history museum,
planetarium, and secured an historic home for the university's first free standing art gallery.
More recently, she led efforts to purchase the historic Campus Theatre in downtown Milledgeville.
Under her plan, the long abandoned art-deco building will be restored as a retail bookstore and
performance space for use by both the university and community. And, in 2007, the University
System of Georgia recognized Georgia College with its "Excellence in Public-Private Ventures
Award" for its West Campus student housing improvements.
Dr. Leland also spearheaded the creation of the new Center for Graduate and Professional Learning in
downtown Macon, Georgia. Opened in April 2007, the Center offers graduate degrees responsive to area workforce needs, as well as continuing education opportunities for working professionals. The project was recognized for its positive impact on the city, receiving the 2007 "Partner in Progress" award from NewTown Macon, an economic redevelopment agency.
Prior to leading Georgia College, Leland served as vice president of the Boca Raton Campus of
Florida Atlantic University. The campus serves 17,000 students and is home to seven academic
colleges, as well as the University's Division I intercollegiate athletic program. She also
served as associate provost, as executive director of university strategic planning, and as
director of the Women's Studies Center at Florida Atlantic.
During her tenure at Florida Atlantic, she received the President's Leadership Award for outstanding
contributions to the university. In 2002-2003, she was a protégé of the Millennium Leadership Initiative, a year-long program for future presidents and chancellors that is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges & Universities.
Dr. Leland is a graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a B.A. in English in 1971, a M.A. in
American Studies in 1973, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1979.
After completing her studies at Purdue, she held faculty positions at California State
University-Northridge, California State University-Chico, and at the University of California-Santa
Cruz. She returned to Purdue University in 1993 as co-director of its Doctoral Program in Philosophy
and Literature, and as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy. At Purdue, she also
served as the first full-time director of the Women's Resource Center. In addition, she co-directed
a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on the "Linguistic Turn in Continental
Philosophy" and led significant initiatives in the human relations area.
Dr. Leland's work at Purdue won her awards for excellence in teaching, and she was tenured and
promoted to the rank of associate professor of philosophy.
Currently, Dr. Leland serves as chair of the American Association of State Colleges & Universities'
policies and purposes committee and is also a member of its Presidential Taskforce on Global Competitiveness.
She is also an officer of the Southern University Conference, an organization of college and university
presidents from prominent Southern institutions who gather annually to deliberate on significant
academic and intellectual issues. And, she is president-elect of the Council of Public Liberal Arts
Colleges.
Dr. Leland has an extensive record of volunteer service. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in
India during the late 1970s. She currently serves on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors, as well as on a number of educational and philanthropic boards. These include the
Andalusia-Flannery O'Connor Foundation, the Oconee River Greenway Foundation, the Middle Georgia
United Way, the Page Foundation, and the Georgia Council on Economic Education. In 2006 and 2007, Georgia
Trend magazine included her on its prestigious list of 50 "notable Georgians."
In addition to her service to educational and philanthropic organizations, Dr. Leland volunteers as
a mentor to future presidents and chancellors through programs sponsored by the American Council on
Education, and by the American Association of State Colleges & Universities. She is also a mentor to
students at Georgia College through its Georgia Education Mentorship Programs, which pairs Georgia
College students with state leaders in a unique mentoring program. Her commitment to mentoring others also was evident at Florida Atlantic
University where she served as the director of an innovative higher education leadership program in
collaboration with several other South Florida institutions.
Dr. Leland holds the rank of professor of philosophy and is the author of numerous academic
publications and conference presentations. She is the mother of one son, Eric, and the grandmother
of Jonah Renee.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
