Professor Sethna named among influential Georgians

New York, March 2 (UNI) An Indian-American professor, who is also president of the University of West Georgia in Carrolton, has been named in the list of ''100 Most Influential Georgians''.

Professor Beheruz N Sethna, who has headed the university for the past 12 years, has made it to the list for the second time. The recognition was given to him by monthly magazine Georgia Trend.

''Under Mr Sethna's leadership, West Georgia has moved from college to university, with 22 per cent of its 10,200 students in the graduate school. But at the same time, West Georgia has established a national reputation for undergraduate research,'' the magazine observed.

Mr Sethna, 57, in a statement, attributed the honour to his family. ''The credit should go to my wonderful faculty and staff colleagues, my students and supporters at the university,'' he said.

''Personally, this is a tribute to the role of my family in my life.'' The Chamber of Commerce had named Mr Sethna as the Carroll County Citizen of the Year, 1999. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia also commended him four years ago.

In 2004, a science institute honoured him for crafting one of the three most innovative course submissions in America. And the previous year, Mr Sethna was course instructor and research adviser for a student team that received the top research prize in the nation.

Mr Sethna, is a former Fulbright scholar and has produced some 50 scholarly papers.

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