As a land-grant, sea-grant institution, the University of Georgia has a mission and legacy of ensuring broad access to quality education, applying research to inform public issues and concerns, and providing service and outreach that draws upon university expertise for the betterment of communities and society. The scope of the University’s outreach efforts is varied, with overall responsibility for oversight and coordination located in the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. The Fanning Institute is one of seven units reporting to the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

The genesis of the Fanning Institute dates back to 1982, when the Community Leadership Development Center was established with support from Georgia Power Company. In 1982, the name of the Institute was changed to the Fanning Institute for Leadership, in honor of Vice President and Professor Emeritus J.W. Fanning [], whom many consider to be the “father of leadership” in Georgia.

Just as the Fanning Institute for Leadership supported efforts in a single area, the University had for many years offered community and economic development support through separate units. In a rapidly changing and globalizing environment, the historic distinctions between leadership, community, and economic development over time became much less distinct, with overlapping opportunities and needs that, at times, exceeded what the units could separately provide. To address the need for capacity building and to further enhance relationships with key state agencies and organizations, on July l, 2005, four PSO groups were realigned into the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute. The groups that came together–the Fanning Institute for Leadership, Community and Regional Development, the Office of Economic Development Assistance, and the Initiative on Poverty and the Economy—became one cohesive organization representing the University’s full range of community and economic development services.

The alignment process involved input from faculty, staff, deans and other internal partners, as well as many external leaders. An implementation team surveyed each unit to identify its current scope and capacity, assessing strengths and weaknesses in linking communities to university resources; facilitating public participation; working with multi-sector and diverse groups; serving the underserved, providing research, assessment and feedback; educating and training; providing real-time technical assistance; and conducting regional and national programs and services.

Today, the realigned Fanning Institute provides:

• Stronger links to academic units, research, other outreach programs and services;
• Combined faculty and staff resources and pooled knowledge;
• Increased external funding opportunities;
• Ease of access for clients;
• Coordinated service delivery with a more distinct mission;
• The ability to tackle root causes and large scale problems;
• Increased research and assessment capacity; and
• The capacity to more readily identify and respond to emerging issues.