President David Potter announces transition plans
9/9/2010 11:30:34 AM
(Sept. 9, 2010) – Dr. David L. Potter, president of North Georgia College & State University since January 2005, announced today during the university's annual faculty-staff convocation ceremony that he plans to transition out of the presidency this year to return to scholarship. 
“Dr. Potter has been a wonderful president for North Georgia and a significant contributor to the Board of Regents’ strategic efforts for the entire University System,” said Dr. Susan Herbst, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the University System of Georgia (USG). As one example, she noted Potter’s leadership of a system-wide task force to review philanthropic giving at all 35 USG institutions and recommendations to help increase private giving.
During his tenure at North Georgia, Potter has guided a strategic planning process that supports continued efforts to provide students with an educational experience that prepares them for life and leadership in a global community. With his leadership, North Georgia has taken steps to internationalize the curriculum, developed partnerships with universities around the globe and added strategic language courses.
Also, he has led efforts to create educational and community collaborations that help meet the region’s needs for higher education and economic development.
“The presidency of North Georgia is a wonderful job,” Potter said to faculty and staff gathered at the convocation. “I hope you will all join in this opportunity to help the committee define the kind of leadership this university needs and deserves for its next stage of development. In the meantime, let’s work together to sustain our momentum and meet the challenges of the year ahead. Let’s present to our 17th president the gift of a vibrant institution to lead into a brighter future.”
Since the beginning of Potter’s presidency, the university has seen record growth in student enrollment and its Corps of Cadets. Total enrollment for fall 2010 is 5,996, marking an 8.5 percent increase over the previous year. The university’s Corps of Cadets, with nearly 800 cadets, is at its strongest point in the university’s history.
North Georgia is one of six senior military colleges in the United States and is uniquely designated as the Military College of Georgia and as a state leadership institution for civilian and cadet students.
Prior to his presidency at North Georgia, Potter served as president of Delta State University, in Cleveland, Miss., from 1999 to 2003 and then as the commissioner of Higher Education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
Potter received a Ph.D. and master’s degree in social science from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Amherst College. He held a number of teaching and administrative positions at George Mason University from 1987 to 1999, including provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, vice president for executive affairs, executive assistant to the president, and adjunct faculty in the department of sociology and anthropology.
He also gained extensive administrative experience at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, serving in a number of posts between 1981 and 1986 for that state coordinating agency for higher education. He served as the state council’s assistant director for academic programs, assistant to the director for legislative programs and coordinator of academic programs.
Potter has held administrative and teaching posts at Syracuse University, Denison University, and Silliman University. Additionally, he has served on various commissions and committees for higher education organizations, including the Executive Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness for the American Council of Education.
Herbst said that a national search will be conducted for Potter’s successor. Details on the search process, which will include the campus and the local community, will be announced at a future date. The Board of Regents will make the final decision on North Georgia’s next president.
Link to President Potter's convocation address.