The College of Coastal Georgia inaugurated its fourth President on Friday afternoon on the Brunswick campus.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll Davis, Regent James Bishop, trustees, faculty, students and friends of the college welcomed Dr. Valerie Hepburn, as its new president and the college's new name.

“Today was not about the Inauguration of a college president, it was about the Inauguration of the new College of Coastal Georgia,” said Hepburn. “We welcomed our first baccalaureate student on campus this fall. It is an exciting time on campus as we chart our course for a new day.”

Hepburn became the fourth president of the College of Coastal Georgia in February 2009. She had served as the interim president for eight months.

Hepburn holds a faculty appointment as professor of public policy. She previously served as a faculty member in Health Policy and Management at the University of Georgia, College of Public Health and the College's academic dean. Hepburn holds adjunct faculty appointments in pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia and at the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University, where she served as Associate Director and faculty member for four years. In 2006, Hepburn was awarded with a Packer Policy Fellowship by the Australian Government, and she spent six months in Australia conducting research in comparative health policy.

Prior to her academic service, Hepburn spent more than 20 years in senior leadership positions with state health, financing and regulatory agencies. She continues to work with public officials on health planning, education and resource allocation issues. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia, a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from Agnes Scott College.

The College of Coastal Georgia is Georgia’s newest state college. Building upon a near half century of service, the College is poised to become a significant and successful force to educate, enrich, engage, and economically enhance the Coastal region and the state overall.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia established this institution in 1961. It opened in 1964, with Brunswick and Glynn County citizens providing a $1 million bond issue for construction of buildings and purchase of land. Most of the facilities on the college’s 193-acre campus were built during the 1970s. From the late 1980s until 2009, the college offered both associate programs in higher education and postsecondary technical and adult programs. The Regents authorized a satellite location to serve Camden County residents in 1992 and classes began in 1993. A new permanent facility, the Camden Center, opened in 2004.

Armed with a new mission and vision, the college has embarked on a decade long strategic growth initiative. From its current semester enrollment peak of over 3,000 students, the college plans academic and infrastructure expansions to accommodate some 10,000 students in the future.

Degrees in business, nursing and education have commenced and new graduates will enhance southeast Georgia’s reputation as an outstanding place to live, work and grow. Additional degree programs, innovative service initiatives, student life and residential options and a fresh spirit of civic engagement are on the horizon.