Gordon’s Raynie selected for Executive Leadership Institute

Dr. Stephen A Raynie, Gordon State College professor of English has been nominated and selected to be in the ’22-’23 University System of Georgia Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) beginning in November of 2022 through May of 2023.
Raynie served as president of the Georgia Organization for Student Success (GOSS) and currently serves as head of the department of applied sciences.
Launched in 2009, the ELI is a 120-hour development program led by leading leadership experts. Participants partake in various components including group learning sessions, job shadowing and cross mentoring. Faculty and staff members are chosen from the 26 USG institutions to represent leaders who are ready for advanced and cabinet-level leadership positions in the near future. Presidents at each USG institution nominate participants to represent their colleges or universities.
“Dr. Raynie has exemplified invaluable professional leadership qualities at Gordon State College and we’re thrilled he will represent Highlander Nation in the 2022-2023 ELI cohort,” said GSC President Dr. Kirk A. Nooks. “His participation will strengthen the instrumental leadership culture we have at Gordon.”
In 2001, Raynie joined the faculty at GSC. He specializes in the Restoration period, 18th-century British literature, and English language arts pedagogy. Raynie’s research focus for the past seven years has been in student success. Other fields of expertise include composition, British literature surveys, and Renaissance British literature.
Raynie completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois. He earned his Master of Arts in English and teaching at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a doctorate in English literature at Louisiana State University.
“My top focus as a leader is student success. Serving students and helping them become successful is what drives me and I have a deep passion for it,” Raynie said. “I am honored and humbled to have been chosen. I intend to put what I learn to work making Gordon State an even better place for students than it already is.”
Founded in 1852, GSC is a member of the University System of Georgia. The college has a distinctive legacy of excellent scholarship and service. GSC offers 11 four-year degrees and 16 associate-level degrees, which includes multiple baccalaureate pathways for students. With an enrollment of over 3,000 students, GSC offers an intimate academic setting in state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories. In this setting, students receive individualized attention that only a small college with dedicated faculty and staff can provide.