Zaccari Named Distinquished Citizen of the Year

VALDOSTA - The Executive Board of the Alapaha Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America has selected Ronald M. Zaccari, former president of Valdosta State University as their 2008 Distinguished Citizen of the Year.

Zaccari became VSU’s seventh president on Jan. 7, 2002, and under his leadership, the university’s enrollment increased almost 14 percent - from 9,900 students in 2002 to a projected 11,279 students in fall 2007. Additionally, the university received numerous state and national awards including five Best Practice Awards from the University System of Georgia; two Best Practice Awards from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Christa McAuliffe Award in 2004.

Under Zaccari’s leadership the university revised its master plan and began an aggressive campus transformation that included additional degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level; major partnerships with local governmental entities, school systems, and the medical community; and a total projected $263 million in capital construction projects.

United States Congressman Jack Kingston, will serve as the keynote speaker during the award ceremony scheduled for Aug. 21, at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center. For more information, contact the Alapaha Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America at 229-242-2325.