Members of the Bainbridge College community attended the 5th annual Regents’ Awards for Excellence in Education Celebration that took place in Atlanta on March 28.

Attended by 800 persons, the gala at the Marriott Atlanta Marquis featured presentation of special awards, entertainment by USG students and the silent auction.

Each USG institution was asked to provide a table of items for the auction. Proceeds from the fund-raiser will be distributed among USG institutions for student scholarships. BC is to receive at least $2,000.

Guests at the BC dinner table included former Decatur County resident and longtime BC supporter Dr. Charles Hatcher of Atlanta and his daughter, Andrea Slappey; BC Ambassadors Chair Willis Berry and his wife, Karen, and BC Early County Site Director Joan Simpson and her husband, Don.

Through their generosity, Bainbridge College students, staff, faculty and friends at both locations provided a variety of items to fill BC’s six-foot long table at the auction.

Donated items, such as wooden kitchen utensils made by student Caleb Adkins, filled three large containers. Each gift set featured the BC Cookbook, which the Ambassadors sell to raise scholarships for BC students in health-related fields.

The BC table featured “Georgia on My Mind, a celebration of local and state products,” “Cookin’ in the Great Outdoors” and “Belize and Beyond” that focused on international cooking to emphasize BC’s relationship with educational institutions in Belize.

The gala included performances by the University Chorale of Fort Valley State University and by the Concert Dance Company of the University of Georgia (UGA), in addition to the awards presentation.

“We are gathering to celebrate excellence in education—excellence in our students, excellence in our faculty and excellence in the alumni of University System institutions,” said USG Foundation Chair James A. Bishop. “But this event also is about creating needed resources for student scholarships. … We must remain steadfast in our commitment to meet our financial goals to provide scholarships and support to all USG institutions.”

The event’s proceeds fund President’s Choice Scholarships at all 35 USG institutions. Presidents choose the recipient or recipients based on academic merit. Two recipients of USG awards—Nicole Williams, President’s Choice Scholar from Atlanta Metropolitan College, and Tanya Rafferty, a Regents’ Foundation Scholar from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College—spoke as representatives of all USG scholarship recipients.

Gov. Sonny Perdue received the Elridge McMillan Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to higher education in Georgia. Outstanding USG faculty and alumni were honored for their significant contributions to public higher education in Georgia. Every campus in the University System was asked to nominate faculty and alumni.

Faculty honored were Charles H. Atwood, UGA chemistry professor; Matthew Laposata, Kennesaw State University associate professor of environmental science; Carol Barnum, Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) professor of information design/technical communication; Christy Price, Dalton State psychology professor, and Balasubramaniam Ramesh, Georgia State University Board of Advisors professor of computer information systems.

Alumni honored were Lois Taylor Ellison of the Medical College of Georgia; Bertie Mae Garrett of Middle Georgia College; Mike Garrett of SPSU and of Georgia College and State University, and M. Troy Woods of Columbus State University.