Dr. Bonita Jacobs named president of North Georgia College & State University
5/9/2011 7:41:33 PM
(May 10, 2011) - Dr. Bonita Jacobs,
executive director of the National Institute for the
Study of Transfer Students at the University of North Texas since 2009, was
named today as president of North Georgia College & State University by the
University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents.
“Dr. Jacobs’ wealth of experience
as both an executive and professor is key to the development of students and
leaders,” said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, Jr. “We are excited about the
continued development of North Georgia under her guidance.”
Regent Richard L. Tucker, chair of the Special Regents’ Committee for the
presidential search at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega,
added that, “Dr. Jacobs’ focus on helping students adjust to the college
experience and preparation for the future is a perfect fit for North Georgia,
which specializes in leadership training and producing leaders.”
Jacobs
will be the first woman to serve as president at North Georgia, and she will
succeed Dr. David Potter, who has served as president of North Georgia since
January 2005. In September 2010, Potter announced his plans to retire, and a
national search was launched to identify his successor. Jacobs will officially
begin on July 1, and will begin transitional work with administrators at North
Georgia in the meantime.
“I am
very excited to have been selected as the next president of North Georgia
College & State University. The university has so many outstanding
characteristics, including its senior military college status, that it’s no
surprise it’s a state-designated leadership institution. I look forward to
building on the university’s extraordinarily rich heritage, and I am quite
eager to transition to the beautiful North Georgia mountains,” said Jacobs.
In addition to her role with the
National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, Jacobs is a tenured professor in counseling and higher education. From
1998 to 2009, she served as vice president for student development at the
University of North Texas, which is located in Denton, Texas, and is the
state’s fourth-largest institution.
Jacobs
currently serves as an executive board member on the Commission on
International Programs for the Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities.
She
previously served as interim vice chancellor for student development and dean
of students at Western Carolina University and in numerous positions at Stephen
F. Austin State University in Texas.
Jacobs is
the former editor of The
Journal of College Orientation and
Transition and has served on
three other editorial boards. Her publications include The College Transfer Student in
America: The Forgotten Student and Starting From Scratch, a first-year experience textbook, and numerous
chapters, journal articles and reviews. She has received more than $3 million
in grant funding to support her work and is a frequent keynote speaker and
consultant on transfer student issues.
She has
received numerous awards and citations, including the Ted K. Miller Achievement
of Excellence in Assessment from the Council for the Advancement of Standards, the
John Jones Award from the National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators (NASPA), and a NASPA "Best Practice Award" in 2010 for
her study abroad work in Chile. The American College Personnel Association
(ACPA) selected her as a "Diamond Honoree" recipient for 2010-2011.
Jacobs
earned both a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and history and a master’s degree in
counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University. She earned her doctorate in
educational administration from Texas A&M University.