By Alabama Public Radio
Atlanta, GA – The Southeastern Conference has announced its intention to form an academic consortium among its 12 member schools. Officials say the consortium will eventually allow schools to feed off each other's strengths in the classroom or laboratory through resource sharing, similar to how the entire conference receives dividends if one of its members lands a Sugar Bowl bid. University of Georgia Provost Arnett Mace says the consortium will initially focus on four joint initiatives: library and periodical sharing, study abroad programs, academic leadership and minority recruitment.