Valdosta State University President Dr. Ronald Zaccari continues finding unique ways to provide university services while being the chief advocate for more funding on a variety of university issues.

In the past week, Zaccari outlined a proposal to construct a multi-level parking facility for the campus, and announced that the university would privatize its food services while maintaining VSU food employees’ jobs and standings in the transfer. Last week, during his spring convocation, Zaccari announced additional building projects for the university throughout 2006. He advocates pay increases for VSU faculty and personnel so their pay is comparable to other salaries in the Georgia university system.

Since his arrival at VSU, Zaccari has been a dynamic force seeking creative and innovative solutions to VSU’s growing enrollment and the university’s intricate relationship with Valdosta. He consistently reaches out to community leaders with both specific and broad proposals for the advancement of VSU while often tailoring his plans to accommodate the needs of the city and county.

Many of his plans, such as a proposal to build a stadium for VSU’s championship football team as well as earlier plans for comparable faculty-staff pay increases, have been stymied by lack of state funding or a sagging economy. While many call for action on pay raises rather than more studies, perhaps Zaccari keeps the possibility of VSU pay raises alive by having the ammunition of more studies to present to the state university system’s Board of Regents.

Zaccari views VSU, not as an autonomous entity inside a city, but rather as an integral part of Valdosta. What seems to be the success of Zaccari’s consistent message is that he remembers the Valdosta in VSU while persistently reminding others of the university within Valdosta.