Last November, the board of regents of the University System of Georgia announced a proposal to merge Darton State College with historically Black Albany State University. Darton State enrolls about 5,600 students, mostly in two-year, associate’s degree programs. Blacks make up 45 percent of the student body. Now after a year of academic restructuring, staff changes, and approval by the appropriate accrediting agency, the board of regents has voted to make the consolidation official as of January 1.
Hank Huckaby, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said “the new Albany State University represents a long-term investment to better serve students, faculty and staff through public higher education focused on the needs and opportunities for today and well into the future.”
Arthur Dunning, president of Albany State University, who will lead the new merged institution, said in a statement, “I find something wonderfully energizing about change. Change forces us out of our comfort zones, which isn’t always easy. It challenges us to be more adaptable and allows us to achieve bigger and better dreams. We become our best selves through development and change.”
