VOLUME 21 NUMBER 38
FREE
JANUARY 2, 2016
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties • www.facebook.com/ocgnews
King Center to present forum honoring work of MLK
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s part of the 2016 King Holiday Observance, The King Center is hosting ‘The Beloved Community Talk: The Race Factor & Rights vs. Responsibilities.’ The forum will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., in the center’s Yolanda D. King Theatre for the Performing Arts, at 449 Auburn Ave., Atlanta. The national King Holiday will be observed on Jan. 18. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center and youngest child of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, is encouraging the community to participate in the upcoming forum, saying it will “provide a space for having difficult, yet needed conversations, with attention to deconstructing systems and issues, not on attacking people.” In addition to Bernice King, scheduled panelists and presenters at the event include the Rev. Willie Bolden, a foot soldier who worked alongside Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement; Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist who now shares his reformed “Life After Hate;” Matthew Platt, assistant professor of Political Science at Atlanta’s Morehouse College; Tracie Berry-McGhee, therapist, motivational speaker, author and founder of SistaKeeper; B. Mitchell King, East Regional Manager for Georgia Power, a sponsor of the experience; Nancy Lee Grahn, actress and political activist; Aidan Thomas Hornaday, a teen speaker and musician on a mission to share the necessity and joy of giving with all ages; Brendan Lee, educator and activist for Baltimore youths; and Dave Soleil, nonviolence educator and founder of the Sudbury School of Atlanta. Seating is limited for “Beloved Community Talk.” Registration is $20 and includes lunch. To register, visit: www.bidpal.net/tkcbelovedcommunitytalk.
GPC, GSU merger to create state’s largest college Valerie J. Morgan
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he New Year will bring a new college ready to serve Georgia—one that will be the largest in the state. Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) is slated to merge its five campuses with Georgia State University (GSU) and become an academic unit with GSU. The official unveiling ceremony will be held on Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. at GPC’s Clarkston Campus. The consolidation of GSU and GPC will make it the state’s largest higher education institution, with more than 50,000 students. GPC has 20,000 students enrolled on its five campuses and online classes. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges approved the consolidation plans on Dec. 8 to create the combined institution. The approval represents the final step needed for the
University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby
Board of Regents to review and grant authorization for the merger of the two-year Georgia Perimeter with its 20,000 students. The board is scheduled to review the final consolidation plans at its Jan. 6 meeting. University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby said in a statement the merger is expected to enhance student success. “Georgia State is a recognized national leader in improving student success and will be able to apply its best practices to a broad student body from across the state,” said Huckaby. “Combining these attributes with Georgia Perimeter College’s leadership in provid-
Dr. Peter Lyons, GSU Mark Becker
ing access to students across the metro area presents a significant opportunity to improve student success. I thank the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges for its thoughtful assessment and approving, once again, a new University System institution.” The new Perimeter College will continue its mission of offering associate degrees, while the main campus of GSU will continue its mission as a research institution. Dr. Peter Lyons, GSU’s associate provost for institutional effectiveness and a professor of social work in
the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, will serve as the new vice provost and dean of the new Perimeter College. Lyons has spearheaded the university’s move to a single authoritative data system, redesigned the academic program review and administrative unit review processes and led the university through various accreditation-related initiatives. He was interim dean of the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions and developed and coordinated the consolidation plan for GPC and Georgia State. “Peter is passionate about Perimeter’s mission and looks forward to working with his colleagues to make this consolidation a stunning success,” said GSU President Mark Becker. With the merger, the number of institutions in the University System of Georgia will be reduced from 30 to 29.
DeKalb Tax Commissioner Claudia Lawson honored as she retires
By Valerie J. Morgan
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fter serving nearly four decades with DeKalb County, Claudia G. Lawson is retiring as the county’s tax commissioner. “I’m going to enjoy life. I will visit my family in Miami, travel and just take it easy,” said Lawson, who officially leaves her position on Dec. 31. Tears trickled down Lawson’s cheeks as her staff held a surprise reception for her on Dec. 29 at the Tax Commissioner’s Office. She was joined by her husband, twin daughters, son-in-law and granddaughter. The staff presented Lawson with an arrangement of red roses, a plaque honoring her service and a photo memory book capturing highlights of her career, which span 36 years with the county. “When I started my career with the county, we didn’t even have a CEO for the county. We didn’t get our first CEO until Manuel Maloof was elected (in 1984),” said Lawson. “Eugene Adams
was tax commissioner when I started.” Lawson began her career in the Tax Commissioner’s Office in the vehicle registrations division in 1979. She opened the first satellite office in 1986 at South DeKalb Mall, working her way up the ladder until she became the county’s first female and black tax commissioner in 2006 when Tax Commissioner Tom Scott died. She
was elected to the position in 2008 and re-elected for a second, four-year term in 2012. Lawson said she has seen a great transformation in the Tax Commissioner’s Office over the years and is proud to have been a part of it. “I remember when everything was See Lawson retiring page 9