Backed by more than 80 years of experience working directly with state and local governments, Vinson Institute faculty and staff are ready to respond when governments need customized assistance to help inform decisions and improve operations, and training and development to build leaders at all levels.
When Technical College System of Georgia administrators were charged with developing a statewide strategic plan within a short time frame, the Institute stepped up with the expertise needed to guide a process that could transform ideas into action.
Five teams of Institute faculty facilitated sessions in August 2010 for groups of 20–30 administrators, faculty, and students at each of the system’s 26 institutions with the goal of generating ideas for two funding scenarios. Planning sessions then enabled the presidents and board members to create a top-12 list of items for which specific goals, objectives, and performance measures could be set.
Meeting the complex information needs of state elected leaders is the goal of the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators. A recognized event on the state’s political calendar since 1958, the Biennial provides new and veteran lawmakers with valuable time for learning, networking, and exploring critical state issues prior to the upcoming legislative session.
At the request of the General Assembly, the Vinson Institute once again organized the resources and expertise needed to carry out the 27th Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, held at UGA’s Georgia Center for Continuing Education on December 12–14, 2010. In addition to equipping new legislators with the skills required to hit the ground running, the agenda included sessions on the economy, the tri-state water issue, tax reform, health care, ethics regulation, and Georgia’s ports. Nathan Deal, then governor-elect, closed the program with a preview of his legislative agenda.
Local governments of all sizes recognize how important it is to operate at maximum efficiency as they manage service delivery obligations within tough economic constraints. Organizational reviews for Brunswick and Rome provided leaders with information summarizing their cities’ current situations and offering options for targeting efficiencies. In each instance, the Institute team used an established process that involved gathering and analyzing data from such sources as archival records and interviews, touring facilities, and examining information from Georgia cities of comparable size as well as national best practices literature.