The HOPE Scholarship Study Commission worked for several months during 2003 to develop recommendations relevant to the critical decisions about funding the program to be debated during the next legislative session. The Vinson Institute provided extensive staff support to the commission. Meeting notes and the final report can be found at More.

Government and community leaders require current, nonbiased information that they can use to make sound, accurate policy and administrative decisions. Whether it be in the area of fiscal resources or natural resources, social services or general management, Institute faculty and staff continue to provide officials with a wide range of research and technical assistance outreach that helps inform decision making.

For example, the year 2003 saw the integration of the university’s Office of Information Technology and Outreach Services (ITOS) into the Vinson Institute. The inclusion of this nationally recognized leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) innovation expands the Institute’s capacity to provide sophisticated technological services to support government and community activities. Specific ITOS activities included work regarding tax parcel mapping for local governments, Web applications for the United Nations, new mapping standards for the National Hydrography Dataset, urban boundaries, reapportionment for state and local government entities, and mapping for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Institute faculty continued to be called on for expertise related to the legal and operational ramifications of annexation and consolidation. The Sandy Springs Fiscal Impact Study grew out of the Institute’s long-standing involvement in the efforts of the citizens of Fulton County to address the need for new governance options in North Fulton County. The 2003 study examined whether an incorporated Sandy Springs could be fiscally viable as well as the fiscal impacts on Fulton County municipalities and on the county itself. In addition, faculty conducted studies that enabled local officials to improve delivery of fire and emergency medical services in a multijurisdictional area comprising the City of Thomson and McDuffie, Warren, and Glascock Counties and to consolidate police services for the cities of Dublin and East Dublin and Laurens County.

Other examples of technical assistance provided by the Institute in 2003 include tax equity studies, program evaluations for state and local government units, Web-based applications for government services, and conflict resolution/mediation. Human resources management specialists conducted numerous employee compensation/classification system studies, executive searches, and promotion systems examinations to help governments and public safety units develop and maintain model personnel systems.

In 2003, the Institute significantly expanded its outreach to entities facing multilevel policy decisions related to Georgia’s children and families. Vinson Institute faculty and staff provided coordination and facilitation for the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, a collaborative effort between the Georgia Department of Human Resources' Division of Family and Children Services and the Family Connection Partnerships.

In another project, an Institute study for the Administrative Office of the Courts identified models by which court systems can garner more resources for courts serving children and their families. The Institute also staffed five meetings of the Georgia Senate Study Committee on Child Welfare during the 2003 legislative session and developed a planning framework for the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Opportunities Initiative, which provides transition services to foster care youth as they move into an independent living setting.

The Institute's National Center for the Study of Counties was created to expand the research and policy-making resources available to county officials. In 2003, the center’s advisory board was finalized, and a special session brought together academics and practitioners to explore future research topics. National surveys carried out during the year asked respondents for feedback on open space initiatives and concerns related to an aging workforce.

Environmental policy faculty and staff from the Institute provided a range of research and technical assistance during the year, especially to those members of the General Assembly charged with planning the state’s future water resource management. Also, the second year of the Trout Stream Buffer Project was completed, and a report was issued to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Another Institute division continued with development of an easy-to-use, Internet-based mapping tool for the identification of archaeological, historical, and environmentally sensitive sites that may be affected by transportation and other large-scale development projects.

The Publications Program continued to assist decision makers by making much of the research and technical assistance of the Institute available for general distribution and by providing other materials.

As legislators debated the flag issue during the 2003 General Assembly, an Institute faculty member provided critical testimony to help lawmakers understand the history of Georgia’s state flags. Upon passage of a new flag design, the Institute provided the official specifications to the Office of the Secretary of State and developed a color poster on the history of the state flag.