The University of West Georgia announced the appointment of Dr. Robert Heaberlin as senior director and chief administrative officer of Off-Campus Programs.
Based at the UWG Newnan center, Heaberlin will be responsible for spearheading the growth and success of UWG Newnan as it moves to its historic downtown location in 2015. He will also be responsible for UWG’s Douglasville sites and other off-campus locations.
A long-time Coweta County resident, Heaberlin is a nationally-recognized educator and retired principal. He was named the Distinguished Educator of the Year from the Association for Middle Level Education and was subsequently honored in 2013 by the Georgia House of Representatives.
Heaberlin has also been named a National Middle Level Principal of the Year and was one of 15 principals selected nationally to serve on the No Child Left Behind Task Force. He was the founding principal at Lee Middle School in Coweta County and served as principal at Temple High School in Carroll County. He is presently the executive director of the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals. He also teaches part-time in UWG’s Educational Leadership program.
Heaberlin holds a doctorate degree from the University of Georgia in Educational Leadership and degrees from the University of West Georgia, Ohio University and Francis Marion College. In 2012, he was awarded the UWG Alumni Association Spotlight Award.
“We are thrilled to have an accomplished leader of this caliber join us at this critical moment in UWG Newnan’s history as we move forward to a new era of positive growth and service. Our partnership with Newnan and Coweta County is a clear priority, and Dr. Heaberlin is ideally suited to become part of our team in continuing the incredible momentum,” said UWG President Kyle Marrero.
As chief administrative officer, Heaberlin’s primary role will be to increase accessibility to higher education and college completion for citizens in Coweta and surrounding areas, as well as to collaborate with other UWG leadership to enhance academic programs to meet area workforce needs. He will also work to strengthen partnerships with area schools, businesses and technical institutions.
Heaberlin joins Cathy Wright in leadership at UWG Newnan. As director of the Newnan center, Wright will continue to coordinate administrative support services for UWG faculty teaching at Newnan and will expand non-credit and community programming at the new facility.
UWG’s Newnan center will relocate from its Solar Circle location to the renovated downtown Newnan Hospital in 2015. UWG Newnan currently offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nursing, business and education.
