VSU President Richard Carvajal delivered donuts to students during the first week of classes. Photo by Paul Leavy, VSU
It didn’t take long for Valdosta State University President Richard A. Carvajal to become an integral part of Blazer Nation and the community he now serves.
During the first few weeks and months—in between delivering donuts and impromptu chats around campus with students—Carvajal convened a series of listening sessions, both on and off campus.
“When I first arrived I had a lot of informal conversations with students, faculty, staff, and friends of the university,” said Carvajal, who became Valdosta State’s 10th president on Jan. 1, 2017. “This was a time to listen and gather information about what it means to plant our flag. And by that I mean, what is Valdosta State’s regional mission?”
Though he is new to Valdosta State, Carvajal is familiar with living and working in South Georgia. He served as president of Bainbridge State College from 2011 to 2015 and then was tapped by the University System of Georgia to serve as interim president of Darton State College, where he helped the institution move through a consolidation with Albany State University.
“Having spent time in Bainbridge and Albany, I understand the challenges facing South Georgia,” Carvajal said. “I love this place. This is my home, and I want it to be forever my home.”
While the listening sessions were fully engaged, Carvajal began to notice a reoccurring theme focused on VSU’s need to have a shared vision.
“We continued to hear that people want Valdosta State to be a leader in advancing the region’s progress and prosperity in the areas of economic development, education, and healthcare,” Carvajal said. “As the region’s flagship institution, we must help our region to prosper.”
Carvajal said Valdosta State not only has the responsibility but also the resources to assist.
VSU President Richard Carvajal enjoys impromptu chats with students. Photo by Paul Leavy, VSU
“We have smart people here, and we want them to focus on research and activities that answer some of the big questions that challenge our region,” Carvajal said. “There are many who have been doing this, but we think we can now help in a more intentional and focused way.”
As a comprehensive university, Valdosta State’s faculty can provide research and expertise in addressing challenges that impact South Georgia.
“Clearly we have other institutions of higher education within the region that we work with,” he said. “We understand that we have great partners throughout South Georgia that are already focused on economic development. Now we want to expand that work and provide resources.”
Valdosta State recently adopted a vision that identifies the university as a catalyst for regional comprehensive progress.
“We pulled a group of about 50 people together, who were representatives from across the institution, to develop our vision statement,” Carvajal said. “They met for several months and officially adopted a vision for the institution that will solidify us as connecting the health of the region that we serve with the health of the university.”
Valdosta State’s new vision incorporates its responsibility not only in the area of academics but also in economic and community development, healthcare, education, and the arts.
During his formal investiture ceremony on Oct. 27, Carvajal announced to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the community that it is time for Valdosta State to embrace its responsibility to serve the region.
“VSU has a new vision…one in which our success is fully linked to the success of the region we serve,” he said. “Go ahead and announce that no longer do they have to wonder when we will stand up as one and plant our flag as South Georgia’s preeminent university. Yes, when we say that VSU will be a catalyst for regional comprehensive progress, we mean it.”
With the vision statement adopted, Carvajal said the next step involves developing a five-year strategic plan that will help the university live up to its vision.
Joining Forces for Regional Growth
Valdosta State’s commitment to redefine its regional mission coincides with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to better connect with rural Georgia.
To assist in these efforts, the Georgia Chamber has established a Rural Prosperity Council that will work to identify unique challenges and define solutions that negatively impact rural communities.
Council members will examine issues and make recommendations in four key areas: rural incentives, defense communities, talent and leadership development, and homegrown entrepreneurship.
Carvajal has been selected as chairman of the Rural Prosperity Council’s talent and leadership development subcommittee.
“The Georgia Chamber’s work is highly connected and intertwined with the work we are doing at VSU,” Carvajal said. “The time is now to move from talking to action.”
Carvajal said the talent and leadership development subcommittee will address several issues, including changes in workforce demographics, talent recruitment, and making communities millennial friendly.
“We have some real demographic challenges in South Georgia, a greying of the population,” he said. “This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean a reduced workforce.”
According to the Georgia Chamber 2030 report, multiple counties in South Georgia will have 50 percent of their population at 55 years or older within the next decade. Also, two-thirds of the counties will lose population.
“This means many of our counties will not have the workforce it once had,” Carvajal said. “We have millennials that are graduating from our colleges and universities, and they immediately want to move to bigger cities. This is what becomes known as a talent drain, which also creates a leadership drain.”
With a shrinking workforce, it will become more challenging for current industries and businesses to remain competitive in South Georgia.
During VSU President Richard Carvajal’ formal investiture ceremony on Oct. 27, 2017, he outlined the university’s responsibility to serve the region. Photo by Paul Leavy, VSU
“We need to get ahead of this,” Carvajal said. “We can’t wait and bury our heads in the sand and pretend that our quality of life will be enough. We have a great quality of life and that is why I call this home, but that won’t always be enough to help businesses and industries remain successful.”
Regarding the issue of preparing a highly trained and employable workforce, Carvajal said the subcommittee will look at the curriculum and programs currently offered at higher education institutions in South Georgia.
“We need to see if we have a mix of programs at our institutions that will serve rural Georgia now and in the future,” Carvajal said. “Are programs starting at the high school level and going through post-secondary tailored to the needs of businesses and industries? And, how do we create a mechanism where it is flexible enough to continue to do so?”
The committee will also look at how the millennial population will impact South Georgia’s workforce.
Carvajal said the important question is, “How do we make communities in rural Georgia attractive for millennials?”
“What we hope will come out of our work is a set of recommendations for municipalities and counties to think about how to make their communities more millennial friendly,” Carvajal said. “We need to create a place where they want to come back after graduating college or don’t want to leave if they graduate from here. It is really about creating a place they want to call home.”