James_Nov-Dec_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 37
education as an important college of
the University System of Georgia.
Shorter University and President
Dr. Donald Dowless continue with its
wide range of academics, including
business, education, nursing, and
athletics among others.
Georgia Tech Design Lab worked
with the Rome Floyd Land Bank
to provide suggestions in several
neighborhoods for infill and affordable housing, pocket parks and green
spaces. This kind of forward-looking
planning was used to redevelop a
large portion of South Rome neighborhood and area.
Renowned Berry College
While the city hosts charettes for
individual blocks and neighborhoods
for redevelopment, Berry College
is also looking to the future and its
participation in the community, state,
nation and world.
Enter the new president: Dr.
Sandeep Mazumder, selected because of his knowledge, experience,
character and other attributes. His
vision for the college and its continuing role in the community includes
academics, work force partnerships,
participation in the community and
raising the college’s excellent national profile.
A new building and a new health
sciences curriculum for physician associates (PAs) was just dedicated in
August and builds upon the nursing
program. “It’s a first-class privilege
to be a part of the first class of PA students,” said Matthew Syverson. “Berry was the only one I considered— it’s
the perfect place for a PA program.
Rome is such a hub of health care
resources for learning. It is a huge
privilege to be a part of it. The core
value of Berry is to minister, so Berry
aligns with how education should be
taught for health care professionals.”
Significantly, Life Sciences is
embedded in the very nature of Berry.
With 27,000 acres of farmland, forestry and the main campus including the
Ford Buildings— named for automotive pioneer Henry Ford (and his wife
Clara)--and the Mountain Campus,
each has roles in academics, athletics
and residence halls.
The LifeWorks programming is
in the DNA of the college, its soil and
mortar. Numerous students work on
campus in many support roles— for example, mowing lawns, administrative
and solid support in the president’s
office. The students also have an excellent track record in the community,
with 42,000 volunteer hours logged
last year. Nonprofits appreciate their
hands on ability and their work ethic—
a hallmark of the college.
Mazumder is also proud that
the college was instrumental in the
establishment of the aptly named
Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. Berry provided the acreage of
land and partnership— both of which
made the difference of feasibility as
it was being dreamed. The design of
the clubhouse and locating it around
the natural elements of trees and
wetlands, instead of clear cutting and
flattening the ridge on which it is located, positively differentiates it from
every other tennis facility.
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