To our colleagues and partners,

We have officially kicked off another fall semester at Georgia Highlands College. I am excited to share in this report some incredible updates and a list of institutional goals moving forward. Thank you in advance for taking time to review this report – and, as always, GHC appreciates your continued support for our students, our access mission, and everything we do. 

Wyoming: Over the summer, I attended part of the yearly field course trip to Wyoming with our students. The first trip was in 1997. Students have been attending for over 20 years, and now I know why! It is an amazing experience to learn with hands-on applications for everything you are studying. Plus, you make some new lifelong friends. I know I did!

Dual Enrollment: Our team at Georgia Highlands College worked with the University System of Georgia to make a systemwide change: test scores are NO LONGER required for dual enrollment classes. Last fall, we had under 200 dual enrollment students. This fall we have over 400. All thanks to this change. Additionally, the University System saw a 47% increase in all dual enrollment systemwide. Thanks to GHC!

GHC@Night: Students may now attend Georgia Highlands College for one night a week and earn their business degree. The new GHC@Night program launched this fall. Classes meet Tuesday nights from 6 – 8:45pm. Learn more about the program at night.highlands.edu

Salesforce: Increasingly all processes have gone digital, and it’s important for us at GHC to update our communication methods to meet students where they are. We have been working with the University System of Georgia on implementing a strong CRM plan utilizing Salesforce. This customer relationship management technology is going to be a gamechanger for our college. Eventually, we will even be able to grow our plan to incorporate alumni, college partners, and more. 

Chancellor’s Visit: We were happy to host Chancellor Sonny Perdue for a visit to Georgia Highlands College recently where he met with students, faculty and staff, then toured our facilities. Before heading over to GHC, Chancellor Perdue was the keynote speaker at the Cartersville Chamber Luncheon where he spoke about GHC’s role as a talent producer for our region, noting that according to Steppingblocks, over 85% of GHC graduates go on to start a career in the Northwest Georgia region.

Tuition Paid. Career Guaranteed. White Coat Ceremony: We celebrated our healthcare students with a “white coat” ceremony alongside Atrium Health Floyd. Our new multi-year agreement will increase the number of nursing student positions at the college and grow the number of nurses entering the workforce in Northwest Georgia through a top-tier education within our new Atrium Health Floyd School of Health Sciences.

Steppingblocks & Georgia Degrees Pay: Data is at the center of everything we do at Georgia Highlands College, and the University System of Georgia is equipping everyone with the tools necessary for students and families to make strategic financial college decisions based on affordability, efficiency, and degree attainment. You can learn more about Steppingblocks online, as well as everything on cost, return on investment, and future earnings on Georgia Degrees Pay. 

The First (of Many to Come) Highlands Scholarship Gala: I want to personally invite you to attend the Highlands Scholarship Gala on September 29. We will have a 80s cover band – Guardians of the Jukebox – a 360 photobooth, food catered by The Season Events… and most importantly, we will have incredible student testimonials. We will continue this event each year, but you have to come to the first! Learn more about tickets and sponsorships by visiting Highlands Scholarship Gala at inauguration.highlands.edu

President’s Summit: Leadership throughout all areas of the college recently joined together during a summit to talk about building a strategic direction for the college where everyone’s voice is heard and we continue to base our strategies on data. From this summit, we put together strategic initiatives around five key areas: Student Success, Priority-Based Funding, Professional Development, Collaboration & Sustainability, and the Campaign (GHC Foundation).

Student Success: Our faculty and staff are dedicated to working with students in our community through community-based events, within our high schools and through dual enrollment, while they attend college with us, and then continuously as alumni of our college and as they raise the next generation of students. Our Institutional Goal for Student Success is to increase the percentage of students retained by 3% from fall 2023 to fall 2024.

Priority-Based Funding: At the summit, we talked a lot about how to continue tying our goals to a plan that is measurable. It is important to remain good stewards of our funds and to track the progress of each strategy we place resources into.

Professional Development: So many of our faculty and staff choose to work at Georgia Highlands College because of our access mission and the difference we make in the lives of our students and their families. We evaluate the work experience at GHC through the annual Organizational Climate Survey. It’s important that everyone is involved and knows they are a integral part of our team. Our Institutional Goal for this area is to continue increasing transparency around college-wide planning and decision-making that is systematic and fair while enhancing the work experience at GHC. 

Collaboration & Sustainability: Building partnerships in our community helps us create programs that are important for our area that lead to careers. These partnerships give students more reasons to complete at GHC. We will continue to work on additional options, like our GHC@Night program, tied to career-targeted degrees that provide students with the pathways they need to complete their college degree at GHC. Our Institutional Goal for Collaboration & Sustainability is to increase credit hour production by 3% for fall 2024.

The Campaign (GHC Foundation): For many at the summit, it was important for GHC to continue developing a “culture of philanthropy.” Our ability to raise additional funds for scholarships goes a long way in helping students who live in our region, who will go to college and complete at GHC, and then start a career and raise a family right here – so the funds our Foundation raises directly impacts the people in our community! Our Institutional Goal for this area is to generate at least $500,000 in internal and external funding by fall 2024.

We have a great year ahead of us. I have so many more updates I can’t wait to share with you. Georgia Highlands College continues to serve as a pillar in our communities for economic growth, workforce development, and most importantly… OPPORTUNITY.

For some of our students, our access mission means saving some money and graduating with a college degree without any debt that leads to a career right where they live. They choose to come to GHC when they could choose to go to any college they want.

For others, our access mission means the only path to a college degree and to a career that gives them purpose.

In both cases, we change lives and make a real difference for the students in our community and their families.

Each year, we start the fall semester with all faculty and staff coming together for a kickoff! Below are the faces of those people who are committed to making a difference each and every day. I want to say THANK YOU to our faculty and staff for all they do.

See more pictures from our Charger Kickoff and first weeks of classes on Flickr.

Thank you for supporting who we are and what we do at GHC. Please reach out to me anytime with ideas or ways we can continue to serve our community as the access college for the University System of Georgia in our region.

Sincerely,

Mike

President Mike Hobbs

Georgia Highlands College