Colleagues remember Arnett Mace’s contributions
September 14, 2009 by MIMI ENSLEY
Filed under News
Arnett Mace has been converted.
Though Mace, the University’s senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, spent some of his career at the University of Florida, he won’t even utter the school’s name. When his professional experience comes up, Mace smiles and barely mentions “that institution in the state south of us that we don’t talk about.”
Colleagues say he’s rarely without his bulldog lapel pin and other University paraphernalia.
“I think his wardrobe is now very thoroughly red and black,” said Tom Jackson, vice president for public affairs. “When you think of Arnett Mace, you’ll think of the University of Georgia.” But now somebody else will have to take over – the University plans to announce a new provost this month to fill the position Mace will vacate in January.
Mace began his time at the University in 1991 as the dean of the Warnell School of Forest Resources – now known as the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He served as the interim provost in 2002 and stepped up to the permanent position the next year.
“It’s been a rewarding experience,” Mace said. “There are some days that are difficult, but on the whole, it has been a very happy time in my life, a very rewarding time in my life.”
As provost, Mace is second in command to University President Michael Adams.
“All things academic come together at the provost level,” Jackson said.
Four vice presidents report directly to the provost – the vice presidents for instruction, student affairs, research, and public service and outreach.
“[The provost position] assures that the three-legged mission of the University does not operate as three silos,” Jackson said. “But instead works across organizational lines to achieve a synergy.”
Over the years, Mace has supported numerous programs affecting all areas of the University, said David Lee, vice president for research. Lee highlighted initiatives such as the MCG/UGA Medical School Partnership, the College of Public Health, the Faculty of Engineering and the Odum School of Ecology as examples of the provost’s commitment to the school.
“Those will prove to be transformative programs for UGA, programs that we badly needed, certainly to help grow our research enterprise, but also for instruction and service opportunities,” Lee said. “And I think [Mace's] leadership in helping launch those programs will be long remembered.”
And students can also thank Mace for many of the new student-centered buildings on campus, including the Tate expansion, the Club Sports Complex and the fraternity houses on River Road – all of which required the provost’s stamp of approval, said Rodney Bennett, vice president for student affairs.
“He bought into the vision that we had [for students],” Bennett said. “If he had not bought into that, then it would not have gone forward.”
Lee offered a similar sentiment concerning Mace’s commitment to students, especially relating to the provost’s work implementing the new general education curriculum.
“He’s made sure that we have strong leadership on the instruction and educational side,” Lee said. “I think he’s made sure that the deans don’t forget that we’re fundamentally an institution that’s here to educate the young people of Georgia.”
But making these decisions is not an easy task.
“I think you could argue that being provost is the toughest job at the University,” Lee said. “It’s been especially difficult in a time of what seems like never-ending budget crises.”
Mace acknowledged the challenges of the budget situation, but he also said the provost had to make difficult decisions about the distribution of the University’s resources and personnel.
Now, Mace is looking forward to leaving these challenges behind for a little while and taking a small vacation with his wife.
“We’re going to find some place that is warm, with some sand and some surf and a golf course – or two,” Mace said.
And then it’s right back to work.
Mace will return to the University on a part-time basis to continue to provide leadership to the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership program. He will also work on some fundraising projects.
“In this role, you meet a lot of people and develop a lot of relationships,” he said. “So, hopefully I can assist the University in doing some fundraising, which is something I’ve always enjoyed.”
Mace said he has also enjoyed seeing the University succeed throughout the years – and he said he would like to see it continue to grow, specifically through the addition of more engineering degrees and more interdisciplinary work across campus.
But he said he was confident in the University’s ability to do great things.
“In this position, you have to take your personal or professional satisfactions in seeing other people achieve,” Mace said. “And the people of this University have achieved very, very much.”
