UGA rival schools here as satellites

When the University of Georgia Bulldogs clobbered the Central Michigan University Chippewas on Saturday at Sanford Stadium, they were beating an instate rival —- of sorts.

CMU, a public university in Michigan, has satellite campuses at 11 Georgia locations, mostly in metro Atlanta. About 500 students will earn CMU graduate degrees in Georgia this year.

Troy University, a 2007 UGA football opponent and part of Alabama’s public university system, has 10 satellite campuses in Georgia, including one in Dunwoody.

Both schools arrived in UGA territory decades ago with sites near military bases such as Fort McPherson and Fort Benning. They’ve expanded to target working adults who want evening and weekend classes near their homes or jobs —- and a shot at boosting their careers or finding a better job.

“We offer convenience and flexibility,” said Lorna DeShay, associate director of marketing and sales for Central Michigan University.

“What we think we bring is choice,” said Dave White, director of the Southeast region for Troy University’s global campus. “We offer students an opportunity to mix and match online and in-class learning in ways that can fit into their busy lifestyles.”

Georgia students at Troy and CMU satellites don’t expect concerts, Greek rush or the other extras that attract 18-year-olds leaving home for dorm life. Still, the chance to watch their school play a football game is a big bonus.

Earlshawna Frye, 25, cheered for CMU to beat UGA.

She’s a third-grade teacher at DeKalb County’s Allgood Elementary School working on a master’s degree in education at CMU’s Northlake campus.

She heard about CMU from colleagues.

“They said it was the answer for working teachers,” said Frye.

CMU’s curriculum is heavy on courses in education and administration; Troy emphasizes business, criminal justice and education.

A low-profile state office called the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission regulates out-of-state colleges that hold classes in Georgia. The commission makes sure the facilities, administration, curriculum and faculty credentials meet state standards, said Bill Crews, its executive director.

The General Assembly created the agency in 1991 primarily to regulate private, for-profit institutions such as DeVry, Strayer and American InterContinental universities. It also oversees private specialty schools and new nonprofit private colleges in Georgia. Private colleges and universities created before 1955 are exempt.

Despite the wide range of colleges around metro Atlanta, out-of-state satellites have some appeal. If schools “meet the needs of students, the costs of attending them are reasonable, and they’re customer-driven, typically they’re successful,” said Crews.

Mansour Abubaker, 40, a hospitality worker who wants to become a teacher, considered Georgia State University. Instead he’s attending master’s level classes at CMU’s Northlake campus.

“It suits my schedule being a father of four little kids and working full time,” said Abubaker. “It’s the perfect fit.”

Not all out-of-state programs make the grade.

For four years, North Carolina Central University operated a satellite program at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia. That program was discontinued in June because of accreditation issues.

Miji Bell, a spokeswoman for the state-funded university, said officials have not yet determined whether it will reopen.

Recently Georgia’s university system ramped up competition for metro Atlanta students with the opening of the new four-year Georgia Gwinnett College. UGA, which has operated a Gwinnett University Center since 2002, is concentrating on graduate programs.

A master’s student in social work at UGA’s Gwinnett center taking 12 credit hours would pay about $3,175 per semester in tuition and fees —- about $265 a credit hour; CMU costs $425 and Troy about $290 per credit hour at the graduate level, depending on the location.

Potential students should consider many things when evaluating where to study, said Bob Boehmer, the assistant provost in charge of UGA’s extended campuses. A UGA student has access to the university system’s resources, he said, and a graduate “is part of this very strong network of about 240,000 UGA alums in this area.”

UGA alums also have more opportunities to root for their alma mater on the gridiron than those from out-of state colleges.

For Central Michigan grad Marsha Thomas, 58, Saturday’s game was a rare opportunity that created some intrafamily friction.

Thomas, who attended CMU’s main campus in Mount Pleasant, Mich., administers the university’s Northlake site. She recently packed her son Robert off to start his freshman year at UGA.

Just thinking about her beloved Chippewas, she started to hum, then broke into song: “… Onward with banners bold, to our colors we’ll be true. Fight for maroon and gold, down the field for CMU. ….”