Press Release

University Class Focuses on Hot Atlanta Issue

ATLANTA – This semester at Oglethorpe University politics students will learn why or why not many citizens want to carve out new municipalities in the Atlanta metropolitan area. In this class both points of view will be examined through independent student research and volunteer work with civic associations and state and local government agencies.

Professor Joseph Knippenberg will be using more than textbooks in his class titled, Community Issues Forum: Efficiency, Justice and Community in Local Governance. Each student is required to stay current with local political events through reading the Dunwoody Crier, the Neighbor Newspapers and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In the past few years, three new cities have been established by legislation and voter referendum in Fulton County: Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek. Three others, Dunwoody and Tucker in DeKalb County and Vinings in Cobb County, have started discussions, with legislation on Dunwoody likely to be brought before the Georgia State Legislature this term.

“Our goal is to immerse ourselves in the debate, both to sample what civic life is in a major metropolitan area and to get a handle on a very hotly contested issue in Atlanta and its environs,” said Dr. Knippenberg.

This class is part of Oglethorpe’s Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program which challenges students to develop their leadership abilities by addressing actual community problems. Through a balance of academic courses, workshops and various on- and off-campus experiences, the program prepares graduates to meet the challenges of responsible citizenship in local, national and international communities.

The program takes full advantage of the extraordinary resources of the Atlanta metropolitan area and earns the students a special certificate and recognition at graduation. The Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program covers fields of study not usually found at other institutions. In fact, few selective universities are able to combine a rigorous liberal arts education with the resources and opportunities of a world-class city as Oglethorpe does with this program.