UWG Newnan Center's Director Retires
“You’ve come a long way, baby,” is not a slogan usually associated with brigadier generals and university centers, but it is an apt description of the University of West Georgia’s Newnan Center and its retiring director, Robin Tornow.
After 11 years as the center’s director, retired Brigadier General Tornow will depart on July 31 to pursue other endeavors. He leaves behind a vibrant campus center that began in 1988 with two classes and 15 students in the Newnan High School.
Known for UWG’s reasonable tuition and the center’s low fees, the Newnan campus opened on 14 acres in the Shenandoah Industrial Park in 1990 as a collaborative effort between UWG, the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce, the Coweta County Board of Education and other community groups and leaders.
Under Tornow’s leadership, the UWG satellite campus has grown exponentially from an average enrollment of 200 students into a multiple degree program with 115 scheduled courses and 2,100 students enrolled this year.
The Newnan Center has served the community well and the community has responded in kind, said Tornow.
“The programs are going well,” said Tornow, who recently celebrated his 65th birthday. “Classes are going well. The center’s grown about two percent a year. It’s about time to leave.”
Tornow can easily recite his “to do” retirement list with spending more time with his grandchildren, his church and his community volunteer efforts as the top three.
Colleagues of Tornow credit the “General,” a nickname they affectionately call him, with the energy and discipline that helped the Newnan Center grow into a successful higher education institution.
“Rob has worked tirelessly to bring all of this about,” said Dr. Don Wagner, dean of the Honors College and director of Special Programs. “His extraordinary administrative skills, his remarkable ability to work with university personnel and community leaders and his commitment to higher education all have made the Newnan Center what it is today.”
The center’s masters degree programs in education and public administration, a bachelor’s degree in nursing and core curriculum and continuing education classes have attracted a wide range of traditional and nontraditional students. An MBA degree program is the latest addition to the school and begins this fall.
Dennis Gould, Tornow’s right hand man and instructional technology support specialist at the center, said the Newnan Center fulfills a vital need for the community.
“The center’s growth has been phenomenal,” said Gould. “It’s great for students with families and jobs and those getting back to school. As long as the university gives us classes, we’ll fill them up.”
For more information about the UWG Newnan Center, call 770-254-7280.
