Community Involvement

As expressed in our mission statement, Macon State is focused on its specific mission -- working toward the advancement of the Central Georgia region. Many employees of the college also make important contributions to their community with projects off campus. Here are examples of how a few of our talented faculty members have involved themselves in their community.

Dr. Manis

Andrew Manis

The author of five books, Dr. Manis is a frequent lecturer and has become one of Central Georgia's leading authorities on the history of race relations, especially in the South. His most recent book, Macon Black and White: An Unutterable Separation of the American Century, published in 2004 by Mercer University Press and the Tubman African American Museum, earned him the 2005 Georgia Author of the Year (History Division) award, and he was a semifinalist for the 2005 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. Manis’ previous book, a biography of Birmingham civil rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth, won a number of prizes, including the 2000 Lillian Smith Book Award. In addition, he has written many magazine articles about religion and religions in the South.

He's conducted more than 40 lectures, sermons or interviews on race relations in Macon, made presentations at colleges and universities throughout the South and has appeared on national radio broadcasts.

He is a member of the steering committee for the Center for Racial Understanding in Macon and Bibb County, is involved in the South Atlantic Humanities Center's Thanksgiving Project to document people's experiences of Thanksgiving Day, assists the Georgia Humanities Council in charitable giving programs and was named one of the 2006 recipients of the council's Governor's Awards in the Humanities. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the Macon State branch of Habitat for Humanity.

An ordained minister, Manis received his bachelor's degree from Samford University, and his Master's of Divinity and Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been at Macon State College since 2000 and previously served as editor for religion and Southern Studies with Mercer University Press; was associate professor of religion at Averett College in Virginia; was a fellow in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania; and an assistant professor of theology at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Greg George and 'Trip' Shinn

Dr. George

Dr. Shinn

Two members of Macon State's School of Business are co-founders of the Center for Economic Analysis, which is designed to support, strengthen and develop business and industry in Central Georgia. The faculty members are Dr. Greg George and Dr. Earl "Trip" Shinn. Another co-founder was former Macon State professor, Dr. Aleksander “Sasha” Tomic.

They wanted to provide specific, community-centered economic analysis to the Middle Georgia region in order to provide more applicable analysis to aid local decision makers. So, they decided the proper role for the center would be to provide on-demand applied research aid to Middle Georgia governments, businesses and community groups. The center has the advantage of being a local entity with a vested interest in the community. Quarterly economic updates monitor the performance of the local economy and provide forecasts for subsequent periods. Also, a local leading indicator is being developed which will give community partners an indication of the economy's condition. The Center hopes to enter into partnerships to provide economic and fiscal impact analysis and conduct cost-benefit analyses, survey-based research, etc. Though affiliated with the Macon State School of Business faculty, the CEA will also be able to engage in marketing and management consulting for local businesses.

Dr. George, assistant professor of economics, has been at Macon State since 2001 and previously served as an instructor at the University of South Carolina. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of South Carolina. In addition to his interest in economics, he has published articles and made presentations on regulatory change.

Dr. Shinn, associate professor of economics, has been at Macon State since 2000 and served previously in positions at the University of Virginia and the University of Montevallo. He earned his bachelor's and doctorate degrees at the University of South Carolina and his master's at Montana State University. He's written numerous articles and made numerous presentations on business management and decision making.

Jim Leonard

The holder of 23 professional information technology certifications, Dr. Leonard has been the primary developer of an Internet broadcasting and streaming video project with First Presbyterian Day School in Macon. The project creates live broadcasts distributed over the Internet of school academic and athletic events.

Macon State, ACS Inc. and Cox Communications are partners in the 3-year-old project, which produced 51 live broadcasts in 2005. The partners provide technical expertise and other types of infrastructure support that enable the project to operate successfully (site home). The "FPD Broadcast Team" consists of FPD high school students, who manage and produce all parts of the broadcast, including on-the-air play-by-play, production, video switching, graphic overlays, camera work, and the computer technology to make the broadcasts happen.

Dr. Leonard uses results of this project in his IT classes at Macon State, and the project provides opportunities for MSC students to work with him in a number of areas, both technical and non-technical. During 2005, he also worked with the technical staffs at six other area high schools and three state universities, helping them with Internet video technology.

Dr. Leonard, a Macon State faculty member since 2002, has more than 10 years experience in streaming video and related technologies, spending much of that time writing software and working with video processing algorithms. He earned his bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University, his master's from the University of South Florida and received his Ph.D. from the Florida Institute of Technology with his major area in Computer Science. He has held other academic positions at South University and at Columbus State University. In 1995, he received the Innovator in Higher Education Award from the Microsoft Corporation.