EDITORIAL: Building a strong foundation for a new Albany State University

We all knew this Albany State University and Darton State College merger was going to be a challenging proposition.

The merger of two institutions is challenging enough, but when one of the institutions has an historically black colleges and universities designation, it adds to the concerns, both from those who want the HBCU designation to remain and from those who think it should go away.

That point boiled over Friday when ASU students, angry that the new ASU’s mission statement didn’t include the HBCU term in it, held an on-campus protest, demanding an audience with Dr. Arthur Dunning, ASU president. Dunning met with the students and heard their grievances over the mission statement, which reads:

“Albany State University, a proud member institution of the University System of Georgia, elevates its community and region by offering a broad array of graduate, baccalaureate, associate, and certificate programs at its main campuses in Albany as well as at strategically-placed branch sites and online. Committed to excellence in teaching and learning, the University prepares students to be effective contributors to a globally diverse society, where knowledge and technology create opportunities for personal and professional success.

“ASU respects and builds on the historical roots of its institutional predecessors with its commitment to access and a strong liberal arts heritage that respects diversity in all its forms and gives all students the foundation they need to succeed. Through creative scholarship, research, and public service, the University’s faculty, staff, students, and administrators form strategic alliances internally and externally to promote community and economic development, resulting in an improved quality of life for the citizens of southwest Georgia and beyond.”

Clearly, there is no reference to the new ASU as an HBCU in the mission statement, but just as clearly a mission statement does not determine whether the new ASU is an HBCU. HBCU is a federal designation with federal funding attached to it, something not subject to a mission statement.

Dunning, in his meeting with students Friday, also noted the mission statement was one of four documents that will combine to represent the core values of the new ASU and that recommendations for what should be included could be submitted for the Consolidation Implementation Committee, comprising members from both ASU and Darton, to consider while it develops guiding principals, history of the institution and vision statements.

As president of ASU, Dr. Dunning has come under fire from those who are angry and afraid of the state’s decision to merge the university and college. He is not a traitor to ASU, nor is he a conqueror of Darton. What he is, we have found, is he is a man of character, someone who is looking forward to a new ASU and how it will serve Albany and Southwest Georgia — not next week or even next year, but decades from now. As president of ASU, he knows criticism comes with the job, but he also knows that if you take your eye off the ultimate goal, you won’t reach it. We continue to believe that he is the right person for this job.

The decisions being made as this merger progresses — and there are no indications that state officials have any plans to back off and scuttle a consolidation — must be methodical, inclusive and aimed toward the long-term service of the new ASU to the Southwest Georgia region. It is a remarkably complex, difficult job, one that will most assuredly have more short-term pain. The committee won’t get every detail exactly right, but, in the end, it will build a solid foundation — one that serves all segments of Southwest Georgia.

An institution can fail a community, but a community also can fail an institution. We can’t allow that to happen to the new ASU. Rather than focusing on perceived losses, we should strive for great gains that will benefit our children, their children and future generations who call this area home.

— The Albany Herald Editorial Board