Agnes Scott College

The mission of Agnes Scott College is to educate women to think deeply, live honorably, and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. As a result, the College provides its students with an educational environment that supports the development of leadership skills and community service experiences that will help them become effective contributors to society and world citizenship. As an institution in the City of Decatur, Agnes Scott seeks to ensure that its campus development adds to the quality of life in surrounding communities.

Brenau University

Brenau University is seen as the cultural hub of the Gainesville region. The University makes its facilities available to the community for a wide range of arts events and exhibits. Examples include theater productions, Gainesville Ballet presentations, on-campus concerts by the Brenau choir, high school performing groups, and art shows featuring works by many well-known visual artists. Regional cultural organizations that use Brenau as their home base include: the Gainesville Chorale, Gainesville Symphony, Gainesville Ballet Company, Gainesville Theater Alliance, Wages Vintage Clothing Museum, and Gainesville Children’s Theater (Wonderquest). The Gainesville History Center presently is under construction on the Brenau campus, and the North Georgia History Center will be built on land donated by Brenau. Brenau also is viewed by many as an asset in helping the Gainesville/Hall County community recruit new businesses to the area.

Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University recognized long ago the need to foster and encourage quality growth in the region and state, and its interest and involvement in quality growth and quality of life issues span several decades. Ten years ago, the Environmental Justice Center (EJC) was relocated to campus. The EJC recently completed a study that demonstrated the links between polluted air, sprawl, and asthma in children who live inside the City of Atlanta. The University also has partnered with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to sponsor programs focused on the housing needs of elderly citizens.
Clark Atlanta has several initiatives in the area of transportation, including projects with the Federal Highway Administration, highway safety projects conducted by engineering department faculty, and collaborative projects between the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy and agencies such as MARTA. In the past two years, the University held transportation education forums that brought together various federal agencies and researchers to collaborate on quality of life transportation issues.

Clayton State University

Clayton College & State University’s mission is to prepare students to succeed in the workplace of the 21st century and to provide services and continuing education that will improve the quality of life in the state. Clayton State is involved in quality growth in three fundamental ways. First, the campus serves as a lynchpin site in the development of the Route 54 corridor in Clayton County through the award-winning Gateway Village development (which houses University students) and through the construction of the new Georgia State Archives building and new regional National Archives facility. These projects, coupled with related development that is planned (including a hotel/conference center), will help transform the community surrounding Clayton State. In addition, Clayton State serves as an arts center for the Atlanta region by virtue of Spivey Hall, which is recognized as one of the finest concert venues in the nation. Finally, the University provides a wealth of resources to the surrounding community through both the academic expertise of its faculty and a variety of work force development programs that can be applied to quality-growth issues, and through the service of its students in community-based internships and on-the-job learning experiences.

Columbia Theological Seminary

Columbia Theological Seminary is an educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a community of theological inquiry and formation for ministry in the service of the Church of Jesus Christ. Outreach programs to the broader community stress the importance of developing strong civic communities and seek to identify the appropriate role of religion and faith-based values in contributing to an improved quality of life for all. The Seminary’s partnership with other institutions in the “Faith and the City” program emphasizes the role of ministers in providing public leadership.

Emory University

Emory University seeks to foster a community that sustains ecological systems and educates for environmental awareness, local action, and global thinking. In doing so, the University adheres to the following fundamental principles: 1) incorporate environmental concerns as a significant priority in University decision making, 2) seek alternative practices and procedures to minimize negative impacts on the environment, 3) conserve natural resources and restore environmental quality, 4) protect the biodiversity of the region and serve as a living library and habitat for local species, and 5) consider the social and economic impacts of Emory’s environmental policies and foster a participatory process in developing these policies.
As a learning institution, Emory recognizes that planning for sustainability will be an evolving practice. It seeks to be a campus where: 1) part of the University’s mission is to be an environmental leader in all aspects of University functioning, including buildings, operations, planning, and purchasing; 2) we live responsibly as part of a forested ecosystem; 3) all students, faculty, and employees are provided opportunities to become environmentally literate and where environmental leadership is seen as a continuous, participatory process of learning; 4) environmental studies are available through strong undergraduate programs, graduate-level and professional specializations in environmental issues, and diverse opportunities for environmental learning across the curriculum; 5) environmentally-oriented faculty and student research is encouraged and supported; 6) environmental efforts encourage cross-university ties and multi-unit collaboration; 7) University leadership and expertise contribute to local and regional environmental efforts, fostering links with other regional institutions; and 8) environmental understanding and concern contribute to a dynamic sense of campus cohesion and community.

Georgia Institute of Technology

The mission of Georgia Tech is to provide Georgia with the scientific and technological knowledge base, innovation, and work force it needs to shape a prosperous future and sustainable quality of life for its citizens. Within this mission is included the goal of expanding local, regional, and global outreach to ensure that Georgia Tech’s education and research benefit society at large. When partnered with social and environmental responsibility, economic development is the key to fostering a sustainable society.
Georgia Tech is emerging as a leader in the development of technology policies that link economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The University considers the incorporation of sustainability and ethics into the curriculum of all degree programs essential to the education of future technology developers and leaders. Some degree programs have direct connectivity to smart growth issues, such as the city and regional planning program. Further, quality growth and sustainability are central to the mission of several research centers on campus: the Advanced Wood Products Laboratory (AWPL), Air Resources and Engineering Center, Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), Center for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS), Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD), Construction Resource Center (CRC), Environmental Resources Center, Georgia Transportation Institute, Georgia Water Resource Institute, IMAGINE Group, Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development (ISTD), and University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education.

Georgia State University

Georgia State University’s various schools and colleges contain the faculty expertise necessary to fully implement a multidisciplinary approach to issues of regional quality growth. A five-year goal of the University’s Strategic Plan 2000-2005 is the creation of an urban initiative that will bring together the relevant strengths existing across departments, schools, and colleges. These strengths include emphases on urban sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, legal issues, politics, public policy, urban policy studies, historic preservation, real estate, community and clinical psychology, African-American and ethnic studies, immigration, nursing, criminal justice, social work, and labor and public history. Together, these areas house a critical mass of faculty with strong reputations and extensive experience both in basic research – which produces clearer understandings of urban structures and dynamics, planning and zoning issues, land use, and community development – and applied research that lends itself to policy and programmatic analysis and reform.

Interdenominational Theological Center

The Interdenominational Theological Center is a Christian, ecumenical, graduate professional school of theology. The faculty and administration create a spiritual environment in which critical thinking, investigation, reflection, evaluation, communication, decision making, and responsible action are fostered. They challenge all students to become involved in problems that affect the human spirit; to become active on behalf of both the academic community and the community beyond the campus; to develop an appreciation for the disciplines that contribute to theological thinking; to incorporate contemporary technological resources in an ethically responsible fashion; and to maintain continuous development of the intellect, spirit, and skills required for spiritual growth.

Kennesaw State University

Promotion of quality growth in the region is part of the mission of Kennesaw State University. Chartered in 1963, KSU serves as a highly valued resource for the region’s educational, economic, social, and cultural advancement. The institution’s collaborative relationships with other University System of Georgia institutions, state agencies, local schools and technical institutes, and business and industry ensure the sharing of physical, human, information, and other resources to expand and enhance programs and services available to the citizens of Georgia.
KSU has significant resources that promote quality growth in the region. These resources include a diverse faculty with research interests that foster quality growth in the region; a number of centers and institutes that focus on a variety of issues related to quality growth; an array of community outreach programs; partnerships with regional and state agencies; and a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that provide a well-educated and highly-skilled work force to meet local, regional, and state needs. The University also plays a vital role in promoting and supporting regional interests in the visual, performing, and cultural arts.

Mercer University-Atlanta

Mercer University is strongly committed to community quality growth and is active in the revitalization of areas near its Macon campus. In Macon, the Mercer Center for Community Development (MCCD) provides coordinating leadership for a partnership of agencies and foundations working on a comprehensive redevelopment project to remodel and rebuild housing, revitalize the community, and bring supporting programs to improve learning at inner-city schools. Faculty, staff, and students are providing expertise and services in law, community medicine, education, social organization, and community building. The University provides incentive programs for employees to purchase homes in the area. Mercer and the MCCD received the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration for leadership of this project.
In Atlanta, Mercer has faculty expertise in health affairs through the schools of pharmacy and nursing, both of which are dedicated to educating practitioners and focus on community health elements of quality growth in the area. The School of Business Center for Business Research and Development has experience working with local governments in creating development plans.

Morehouse College

Morehouse College’s interest in quality growth of the Atlanta region is manifested in the long-standing and continuing involvement of its faculty and staff with major regional organizations and various community development initiatives. Members of the Morehouse faculty from the disciplines of biology, chemistry, economics, sociology, and urban studies have conducted applied research on a number of quality growth topics. Morehouse faculty and staff have considerable experience in providing technical assistance to neighborhood development organizations.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine is dedicated to ensuring that community growth occurs within the context of a healthy environment. It does this by working to ensure that all populations have access to affordable, effective, culturally competent health care.

Oglethorpe University

As a traditional, residential campus located on a 100-acre wooded plot of land in the heart of metropolitan Atlanta, Oglethorpe University has an active concern for intelligent urban development. The University works in partnership with neighborhood associations to preserve its campus and local environment, and provides students with a far-ranging core curriculum that features community service and ethical decision-making. Specifically, programs in urban leadership and urban ecology address issues of growth in the context of political and environmental responsibility.

Southern Polytechnic State University

Southern Polytechnic State University has a strong interest in regional quality growth as evidenced by its involvement with local communities and its efforts to provide faculty and student expertise to help advance good design/planning and sustainable environments. Some of the projects in which the University is involved include: 1) a collaborative effort between the City of Marietta and architecture students in comprehensive vision and conceptual studies, 2) engagement of fifth-year architecture students in local urban design challenges, 3) involvement of civil engineering technology faculty in water quality research in Paulding County, and 4) involvement of construction faculty in researching the recycling of waste carpet into building materials.
As a resource, the University offers the School of Architecture, Civil Engineering Technology, and Construction with three complementary disciplines focused on the built environment. The full-time faculty of the school includes 24 industry-experienced professionals, 12 of whom hold Ph.D.’s and have significant research experience. The greater institution also has faculty resources in the field, in such areas as biology, chemistry, and physics that help support quality growth.

Spelman College

Spelman College, founded in 1881, has a strong commitment to regional quality growth. The founders of the College described their work as “building for 100 years hence.” Today, Spelman is still building for the future and sees itself not only as an integral part of the future of this region but also as a player in shaping that future. In terms of quality growth, Spelman has demonstrated significant leadership in these areas: community/neighborhood development, housing options, arts and cultural opportunities, historic preservation, public safety, and the involvement, input, and equitable treatment of citizens.

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is one of the state’s premier public institutions for comprehensive education, research, and outreach at the university level and has a number of programs relating to “smart growth.” The new College of Environment and Design coalesces the established expertise of UGA’s School of Environmental Design with the internationally-renowned scientific capabilities of the Institute of Ecology. The region’s capacity for science-based environmental design is further enhanced by faculty from the Warnell School of Forest Resources, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, the Terry College of Business, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the School of Law, and the College of Education. Many public service and outreach units such as the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the River Basin Science and Policy Center have programs dedicated to growth management topics and contribute to the education of government officials and the general public. UGA students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in a range of fields related to quality growth issues (such as landscape architecture or environmental health), and can enroll in certificate programs in environmental ethics, water resources, and conservation ecology and sustainable development.

University of West Georgia

The State University of West Georgia, a charter member of the University System of Georgia, is a selectively-focused, comprehensive institution providing undergraduate and graduate public higher education in arts and sciences, business, and education, primarily to the people of West Georgia. The University is the only institution of higher learning in the immediate area, and makes its resources and facilities available to the community by engaging in various outreach initiatives that help improve the quality of life in the Carrollton region. The University’s leadership also has been involved in the collaborative Carroll Tomorrow Project since its initiation.