UGA Leaders Convene at Pricey Resort

Maybe they had a Groupon.

A week after the governor ordered more budget cuts and warned state agencies to “plan for the worst,” senior leaders at the headed to a luxury resort in the mountains for their fall planning session.

A university spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that UGA President Michael Adams and his entire senior administrative team are holding an annual retreat at the $150-a-night Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa in Young Harris, Ga. Travel expenses for the three-day trip will be covered by funds from the various departmental budgets. Meals will be covered by UGA’s central budget.

“It’s an annual planning session to discuss overarching university issues from admissions to strategic planning goals,” according to a statement released by Wendy Jones, executive assistant to the vice president for public affairs.

Jones said all the university’s senior vice presidents, vice presidents and associate provosts were invited, along with Adams' chief of staff and assistants, and the university’s 16 deans. In an email, Jones said she did not have a “total budget amount” for the trip, and it’s not clear if the campus leaders were getting a special group or state rate for the resort, which offers golfing, horseback riding, a nightclub and spa amenities.

With unemployment reaching double-digits in the state, Gov. Deal asked UGA and other state agencies last week to cut budgets by another 2 percent, the latest in a string of cuts that have slashed state college budgets by 25 percent in the last three years.

UGA has responded to the cuts in part by hiking and allowing enrollment to balloon to 35,000 students.

Related Topics: Brasstown Bald Resort and Spa, President's retreat, and UGA