Summer 2003

Volume 6 Number 3
A publication of Macon State College

Executive Director Promises "Warm, Friendly" Campus

Mike Hale, executive director of the new campus, stands in front of the Academic Services Building. Photo by Danny Gilleland

By Sheron Smith

As executive director of the new Warner Robins Campus, Mike Hale’s top priority is to create the premier college environment in Houston County.

“Macon State had a reputation for being helpful to students at our former center in Warner Robins, and we are certainly going to duplicate that at the new campus,” said Hale, whom Macon State College President David A. Bell appointed the executive director this past spring. “It’s going to be a well-run, well-supported and accepting campus where students feel like they have a real home. When the word gets out that this is a warm, friendly campus, students will come. That’s how it works.”

Hale’s intense focus and goal-oriented approach are part of what led Bell to name him executive director. He joined Macon State in early 2002 as director of the Institute for Information Management, the College’s technology outreach arm, and as chief information officer. He is continuing in those roles while taking responsibility for the administration and development of the Warner Robins Campus.

“Mike Hale is an extraordinarily talented manager, and his military background and experience in state government, business, technology and higher education make him the perfect chief administrator for our new Warner Robins Campus,” Bell said. “He is completely immersed in Houston County and is dedicated to addressing the needs of our students, Robins Air Force Base and the business community. I have great confidence in Mike’s ability to help us build an enterprise here that will serve the national interest and have a significant impact on the future prosperity of Houston County and its citizens.”

A retired Army colonel as well as a former chief information officer for the states of Georgia and Florida, Hale has worked for five governors and been responsible for statewide plans, policies and oversight for information systems. His work in the private sector includes experience with several firms in the development of IT architecture and web operations.

Hale said he accepted the challenge of the executive director position because of his interest in leadership and building organizations from the ground up.

“I enjoy working with teams of people to help organizations be successful,” he said. “As far as the new campus, we’re going to help define Macon State’s vision for Houston County and Robins Air Force Base and become an enormously valuable asset for this community.”

To that end, Hale has invested himself in Houston County. He is an active member of the Warner Robins Rotary Club and also holds ex-officio seats on the board of directors of the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce and the Warner Robins Industry Now Group (WRING). He also advises the chamber on matters related to information technology and has developed a series of technology and management seminars for the business community.

Hale received a bachelor of science in engineering from United States Military Academy; a master of science in physics from the University of Virginia; and a master of science in business from Boston University. Since joining Macon State College, he has taught courses in information technology in addition to his administrative duties.

Early in his military career, Hale served as an infantry officer in Viet Nam and as an associate professor of physics at West Point, teaching atomic and nuclear physics. He was special assistant for management to the Comptroller of the Army, serving as coordinator for programs focused on productivity improvement, management analysis and reduction of fraud, waste and abuse. As a battalion commander in Berlin in the mid-1970s, Hale was charged with combat readiness and occupation operations within the American sector of the city.

City & State Magazine selected Hale “Most Valuable Public Official” in the field of information resource management in 1991. CIO magazine named him one of the top two public sector CIOs in the country for innovation and linking information systems to state policy goals.

Hale is married to Rita Garnett Hale, a former legislative aide to state Rep. Kathy Ashe of Atlanta. The Hales have three grown children.