VSU to renew contract with state court system

Chief Justice Norman Fletcher, of the Supreme Court of Georgia, and Chief Judge H. Arthur McLane, of the Southern Judicial Circuit, will attend a ceremony at Valdosta State University on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 1 p.m., in the University Center Visitor Information Plaza, to recognize the partnership between the university and the Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia (AOC).

Dr. David Gibson, associate professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, along with several VSU students, began working with the AOC last year to assist courts in South Georgia use Web technology to better deliver its services.

?The AOC wanted local people to interface with judges and court officials in the lower part of the state to build Web sites for them,? Gibson said. ?I saw this as an opportunity for myself and students to learn new technologies.?

Gibson begins each Web site with a visit to meet the judges and their staff, to make them aware of the service and then find the specific information they want on their site.

The AOC uses universities in specific geographical areas to make it easier for direct contact with the courts and court-related agencies.

?They [AOC] were looking for a partner to move this project forward into our region,? said Dr. Thomas Carnevale, department head for Mathematics and Computer. ?They [AOC] are trying to promote awareness and use of the Web at all levels of the judiciary system and have partnered with other universities [in Georgia].?