Service Excellence Award – Outstanding Leader (Administrator Level)
University of North Georgia
Chancellor’s Service Excellence Recognition Program
2015
On behalf of the Division of Student Affairs and the University College of the University of North Georgia, I would like to
nominate Dr. Ric Kabat for the Service Excellence Award – Outstanding Leader (Administrator Level).
Dr. Kabat is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters and works primarily on the Gainesville Campus. In the
fall of 2015, his actions benefitted students both at Gainesville and at our Cumming Campus. He is to be commended
for his amazing work increasing the number of classes offered and the number of faculty hired to deal with a surging
enrollment.
In late July, shortly before school started in the Fall of 2015, it became apparent that many more students had chosen
the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville and Cumming Campuses than we were ready to serve. While this is a great
problem to have, it created some challenges. We did not want to greet a large incoming class with the words, “We are
so delighted to have you here,” and then to not have classes in which they could enroll - classes which support their
Plans of Study, move them along the core curriculum, and provide vital opportunities for engagement inside the
classroom. In short, we were going to need many more English 1101 classes, Philosophy classes, Political Science classes,
and those in countless other disciplines. The College of Arts and Letters’ existing faculty could not accommodate our
large incoming class and their demand for coursework.
We began to have “course availability meetings” during which we discussed what classes were being added to the
schedule, what classes our incoming students needed, and strategies to maximize offerings. For example, some classes
such as Philosophy 2200 may be counted in Area B or Area C – the student can choose which area to apply it. This
decision creates some flexibility for the student as they plan their schedules and check off the boxes of the Core
Curriculum.
This has implications for students beyond the current semester as well, because fulfilling the core curriculum early in a
student’s academic career contributes to the likelihood that that student will be retained. Dr. Kabat’s actions helped
create the conditions for students to be more likely to progress in their education at UNG. As his supervisor, Dean
Jespersen of the College of Arts and Letters, said, “Ric truly cared that the students have classes. He was genuinely
worried what impact a part-time schedule would have on those students who had chosen to attend UNG. His priorities,
in other words, were always in the right place.”
At each of these meetings, Dr. Kabat astounded us with the new classes he was able to add. Over the course of a few
weeks, approximately 10 sections of English 1101 were added, as well as sections of the aforementioned Philosophy
2200, and other classes as well. Ric tirelessly sought out new faculty members, as our current faculty could not possibly
add these types of numbers to their schedules. Dr. Kabat was determined to find qualified instructors and maintain an
appropriate class size, to avoid negatively impacting students’ educational experience.
I should also add that Ric did all of this with a smile on his face. He was unfailingly calm and personable, and seemed to
take this all in stride, when in reality it was a unique situation. Ric’s collegiality helped alleviate a stressful situation and
create a welcoming atmosphere for new students, and provided a great example of leadership for us, his coworkers. UNG better handled new students’ needs, translating into better helping the community we serve, due to Dr.
Kabat’s approach and dedication.