Ex CSU administrator to become interim president at another Georgia college

A former Columbus State University administrator has been hired as interim president of another institution in the University System of Georgia.

Stuart Rayfield, who was CSU’s Servant Leadership Program director before she became interim president of Bainbridge State College on June 1, 2016, will lead Gordon State College, starting Jan. 1, USG chancellor Steve Wrigley announced Friday.

Rayfield will fill in for Gordon State president Max Burns, who previously announced his retirement from the Barnesville school, effective Dec. 31.

“Dr. Rayfield has done an outstanding job leading Bainbridge State through a period of significant change over the past year and a half,” Wrigley said in a news release. “As we move forward with the consolidation of Bainbridge State College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, I am grateful to Dr. Rayfield for her willingness to shift her focus, qualifications and expertise to the deserving students, faculty and extended community at Gordon State College.”

At CSU, Rayfield was the Frank D. Brown Distinguished Chair in Servant Leadership for 10 years, associate professor and director of the Servant Leadership Program. She also was interim associate provost for undergraduate education in 2015. Her areas of responsibility included the Academic Center for Excellence, dual enrollment, Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, and co-leadership of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation reaffirmation.

Before she came to CSU, Rayfield was coordinator of special projects at Auburn University (2004-06) and an instructional designer for Columbus-based credit card and payments processor TSYS (2004-2006). She earned a doctorate in leadership, policy and organizations from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rhodes College.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Ex CSU administrator to become interim president at another Georgia college."