Cofer chosen for Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship

The Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships program has selected James E. Cofer ('71, M.B.A. '75) as a fellow for its 1995 USA Emerging Democracies Program. Cofer, the only fellow representing higher education in this year's program, was one of three professionals chosen through a national competition.

As vice chancellor for fiscal affairs and treasurer of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, Cofer is responsible for annual expenditures of $1.8 billion. In addition, he serves as the University System's liaison and principal negotiator with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, overseeing the planning activities for the 1996 Olympic Village. He is a member of the 1996 Olympic Games Operational Coordinating Committee.

At Mississippi State, Cofer serves on the College of Business and Industry's Senior Executive Advisory Council.

Earlier in his career, Cofer served as chief fiscal officer for the state of Mississippi and as budget director for governors Winter and Allain. He also was director of financial analysis and management information for the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.

The USA Emerging Democracies Program sends Americans on three-month missions to one or more of the emerging democracies of Europe, where the fellows advise as well as learn from their counterparts in fields considered critical to advancing political and economic reform. Cofer will spend his three-month fellowship this fall based in Budapest, Hungary, working with the Hungarian government in its transition from a communist state to a democracy.

During the first part of his visit, Cofer will meet with his Hungarian counterparts to discuss higher education policies, and later will lend his expertise in helping the Hungarian institutions of higher learning develop management techniques to effectively operate their system.

The Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships was established in 1953 as a tribute to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is a privately led, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.