June 15, 2005

Spurred by the impending expansion of personnel and operations at Fort Benning, Columbus State University is preparing to establish a more permanent and prominent presence on post.

CSU is hiring a full-time director of CSUs Fort Benning operations as well as an office manager to help bring the offerings of a major regional university closer to the residents and staff at the installation. Officials hope the new staff also will serve an important role in assessing future academic and service needs for the Fort Benning community.

We are looking to create much more of a presence for Columbus State University at Fort Benning in a more direct and more convenient way, said CSU President Frank Brown. Fort Benning is such a valuable asset in our community, and has been for so long. Its value and impact are going to grow dramatically in the coming months and we are doing what we can to prepare for that growth

With input from former Fort Benning Commanding General Carmen Cavezza, now on staff at CSU as director of the Cunningham Center for Leadership Development, CSU is interested in working with Fort Benning to:

Draft a plan to assist the Fort Benning Army Continuing Education Office with market research that can be shared by all military academic providers.

Find ways to provide support services for active duty soldiers, their families and our veterans.

Expand Continuing Education offerings to provide additional classes to spouses and children of military personnel.

Use the new Cunningham Center for Leadership Development to conduct leadership and other training instruction at Fort Benning.

The new CSU Fort Benning director will be important to the development of these, and other, initiatives while working directly with Enrollment Services and Academic Affairs to support the academic needs for the Fort Benning community.

Office staff will be able to help with admissions, financial aid and registration processes and classes. In addition, the director will develop and implement a marketing and strategic plan which encompasses recruitment and assessment for academic class offerings for the active duty military and their dependents.

We believe CSU is strategically positioned to serve the military families in a unique fashion, Brown said. Although we will seek out ways to provide flexibility, our main goal is to provide a well-rounded academic experience in which the soldiers and their families may participate in clubs, organizations, athletics and cultural events that may not be offered by the other institutions currently serving Fort Benning. We believe this will support the Armys overall goal to create leaders and additional support for the military families.

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For more information, contact Kathy Carlisle, director of CSU Enrollment Services at 568-2035