As Middle Georgia State enters its first calendar year as a university and welcomes its first graduate students, President Christopher Blake updates the community on the State of the University.
 
Key takeaways:
 
A Vision Realized
 
·         Middle Georgia State outpaced its expectation of enrolling approximately a dozen graduate students in its first semester offering master's degrees by more than 300 percent. This spring, 49 students have enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Technology and Master of Science in Nursing programs.

·         This has been a record fundraising year for the Middle Georgia State University Foundation, including an increase in faculty and staff giving.
 
Enrollment
 
·         Enrollment headcount for spring 2016 is flat— which is actually encouraging news, as MGA enrollment had been in decline for several years.

·         Credit hour production for spring is up by 2 percent over 2015 - MGA's first increase in five years.
 
Strategic Plan
 
·         Of the 47 initiatives included in Middle Georgia State's Strategic Plan for this academic year, 25 are either complete or underway. The University has drafted a template for scoring progress on the Strategic Plan, which will allow the institution to report progress quarterly beginning this March.
 
Value
 
·         In 2015-16, the number of graduates receiving bachelor’s degrees so far has increased by 20 percent over 2014-15.

·         Middle Georgia State is currently the most affordable state university in Georgia. Tuition and fees at the next least expensive institution is 39 percent higher than the cost of attending MGA.

·         An analysis of 2014-15 graduates shows that 45 percent of them earned their credential with zero student debt. Among those who did borrow, average debt is less than $25,000, nearly 17 percent less than among their peers nationally.
 
Fiscal Outlook
 
·         Middle Georgia State estimates its budget for the 2017-18 academic year - the one that will be determined by this semester’s enrollment - would only require cuts of about $250,000, compared to a $3.6 million cut in state appropriations weathered this fiscal year and the $1.9 million cut slated for 2016-17.

·         For the moment, the University community can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate the hard work that got the institution here. Continued success will depend on selective strategic investment in the institution.
 
What's Ahead
 
·         As a University, the importance and urgency of academic master planning cannot be overstated.

·         Middle Georgia State will conduct community wide conversations about diversity and inclusion.

·         The MGA Foundation completed a feasibility study and plans to launch a multi-million dollar initiative to match the University's strategic goals.