#04-206
Aug. 25, 2004

GSW police chief recognized as 'the students' guardian'

AMERICUS--Georgia Southwestern State University's lead law enforcement officer is in the spotlight for his service to students. 

Public Safety Director Oris W. Bryant, Jr., known across campus simply as "Chief," is profiled in the August issue of "E-SOURCE for College Transitions," the electronic newsletter of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina. 

Bryant is highlighted as "the students' guardian," who invests extra effort in getting to know and help campus community members. He is involved in diverse aspects of campus life, from coordinating GSW cookouts to simply listening to students who need to talk. 

Bryant holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Management from Fort Valley State University. He holds Georgia Law Enforcement advanced training, Executive Certification. Bryant has served as president of the Georgia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and also five years as district vice president for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. He is an active supporter of student organizations on campus. He has received numerous individual student recognition awards and was voted "GSW Staff of The Year" in 2000. He began his employment with GSW in January 1995. 

The newsletter is published in connection with Georgia Southwestern serving as one of 12 "Founding Institutions" in a national project known as the "Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year." GSW is one of only two institutions in the Southeastern United States invited to participate. 

The project, jointly sponsored by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), will develop a model of excellence for the first college year. This model can be used by public colleges and universities to develop and refine their overall approach to educating new students. 

PHOTO AVAILABLE 

Chief Chef--GSW Public Safety Director Oris W. Bryant, Jr., often grills for campus events. 

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