Middle Georgia State University (MGA) is formally launching the Center for Middle Georgia Studies, an intellectual and creative enterprise designed to take on some of the region’s most difficult challenges, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 3.   

In addition to students, faculty, and staff, the public is invited to attend the special event that will take place at the center, located on the first floor of MGA’s Macon Campus Library. The event begins with coffee and pastries, followed by a short program. *   

 “We are excited to formally introduce the Center for Middle Georgia Studies, which will embark on groundbreaking research, offer customized training programs, and host engaging events to advance its mission of regional prosperity and vitality,” said Dr. Kristie Roberts-Lewis, the new entity’s executive director. “The center’s development fits in well with an essential part of MGA’s strategic plan, which is to lead innovation and economic opportunity."  

 MGA is using a $1.2 million grant from the Peyton Anderson Foundation to help fund the center, which aims to leverage the combined power of community assets and University faculty and staff expertise to address issues related to poverty, workforce demands, and healthcare, among other concerns. The center is also benefiting from a gift from the estate of Carolyn Wynn Smalley.    

Plans for a Center for Middle Georgia Studies had been in the works at MGA for a few years.   

“I’m pleased that the center has now come to fruition,” said Christopher Blake, Ph.D, MGA’s president. “The Center for Middle Georgia Studies is working with a broad range of partners, extending the University’s impact throughout the region by connecting knowledge with community.”   

MGA has made significant progress since the center concept was initially announced in the summer of 2023.  The University renovated space in the Macon Campus library to house the center and launched a search for an executive director. Roberts-Lewis, most recently senior program manager at the United Negro College Fund Institute for Capacity Building, joined MGA as the center’s inaugural executive director this past spring.  

To ensure its work aligns with the needs of the community, the center draws upon key community assets and resources, including the strategic plans of OneMacon, Forward Macon, and the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.    

Learn more about the Center for Middle Georgia Studies at https://www.mga.edu/center-for-middle-georgia-studies.    

*For more information about the September 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony, contact Dr. Kristie Roberts-Lewis at [email protected]. A Macon Campus map and directions are at https://www.mga.edu/about/maps.php