The College of Coastal Georgia named veteran University of Georgia administrator Meg Amstutz as interim president when Greg Aloia announced his retirement in June. “Meg brings a great depth of experience in both academics and administration in public higher education,” said University of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley in a press release announcing the appointment. That was no overstatement. Meg was serving as associate provost for academic programs at UGA and has worked in the office of the President for 16 years as assistant to the president for 10 years and chief of staff for six years. She was kind enough to take some time to meet with us as she starts preparing for the upcoming school year and share her vision for the Mariners.
Meg’s hometown is Chattanooga, Tennessee, but she obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and completed her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in English and American Literature at Washington University in St. Louis. She served in various administrative roles at the Missouri Humanities Council prior to her tenure at University of Georgia. When the opportunity arose for her to return to the South in a position at UGA, she says she jumped on it eagerly.
Meg was familiar with Brunswick and the Golden Isles from coming here for conferences. Her first visit was eight years ago and she recalls being struck by the beauty of it here. When she returned four years ago, she was amazed to see the growth that had taken place at the college and the new residence halls. She says the community should be very proud of their planning and providing space for the college to grow and expand to meet their needs and create such a beautiful campus.
Meg is impressed to see the college striving to serve the community by providing majors that meet the needs of the area. She is also pleased to see strong community support for the college. She says, “There is such great energy and possibility!” And when we talk about possibility, Meg says the college is focused on growing enrollment that’s manageable. She says that CCGA is on a good trajectory for slow, steady growth. Two percent growth per year is the magic number for manageable growth and that’s where they’d like to see CCGA.
When we asked Meg how her new role at CCGA is different from her prior positions, she explains that she came from institutions that were more research focused, whereas here the focus is on student instruction and success. The emphasis at CCGA is to create a supportive environment for students. Faculty development is centered on providing faculty who aren’t just there putting in time on a job, but who feel invested in the students.
Meg says the biggest challenge is fundraising, finding private support for scholarships, capital improvements, sports programs. Meg says, it’s really pretty simple, “If you’re going to continue to grow, you need to continue to increase endowment as well as enrollment.”
The bottom line is that Meg is thrilled to be here. “I am honored to have been asked to serve in this role, and I look forward to working with the college’s faculty, staff, and supporters to strengthen its offerings to students. The College of Coastal Georgia is a wonderful institution and this is truly an honor and a privilege.”
Meg invites everyone to come out to the campus to visit, to attend Mariners sporting events, and any cultural programs offered. She wants the community to get familiar with this fantastic higher learning institution right here in our backyard and remember not to overlook CCGA as a viable college choice in Georgia. Not only is it easily accessible, the college has been nationally identified as one of the Best Values in Education by the US Department of Education and was recently ranked #7 in the list of Top Public State and Regional Colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report. Meg says, “College of Coastal Georgia is a wonderful college with student-centered educators – in a place where the family loves to visit!”
We welcome Meg to the community and are excited to see a bright future developing for the Mariners. Learn more about the College of Coastal Georgia and its programs at ccga.edu.
