South Georgia College Welcomes
Impressive Enrollment Growth
By
Dr. Jim Cottingham
Vice President for Student Affairs
South Georgia College 

In a culture that values service, keeping score, and comparing successes few items are discussed on college campuses more than the figures that track student enrollment.  My father observed years ago that during years when the news is positive, college officials are quick to tell anyone who will listen how our talented leadership generated the desired results.  When the numbers are not so positive these same officials become experts on the local, regional, and national developments that steer students in other directions. 

With an unprecedented 20% growth in student enrollment this year, South Georgia College’s good news is unrivaled among our peers in the University System.  While the college has enhanced its efforts to reach and serve prospective students and their families, observers can generate numerous internal and external explanations for this impressive growth.  For whatever the reasons, we celebrate this news because we know that expanded educational opportunities can affect lives in profound and positive ways.  Since tuition dollars and FTE from all sites come to SGC, we recognize that this growth can help position South Georgia College for even greater service in the future. 

Here’s how the numbers look as compared to last year.  On the Douglas Campus we welcomed an increase of 137 students, bringing the enrollment figure to 1218 students.  The South Georgia College Entry Program in Valdosta added 112 students, pushing this number to 417.  Thirty additional students in the SGC nursing program at Waycross College brought that tally to 97, while 10 additional early enrollment students at Coffee High and Jeff Davis High brought this total to 24.  All this brings the Fall 2007 enrollment at South Georgia College to 1756, as compared to 1463 this time last year. 

Included in the numbers for the Douglas Campus this semester are 298 SGC students residing in Tiger Village, the beautiful new residence hall that opened in August 2007, and Shannon Hall, the structure that has served the college well since the early 1970s.  These 298 students represent an increase of 118 residents from last Fall Semester’s total of 180.  Through a cooperative agreement with neighboring East Central Technical College we have housed a student from there each year.    

Campus housing enables SGC to contribute to the economic development of the region by offering short-term housing for collegiate interns from some of the area’s leading employers, including Wal-Mart Distribution Center, PCC, and Pilgrim’s Pride.  These are some of the reasons that the SGC Foundation and the Development Authority were proactive in forging public-private partnerships to finance Tiger Village.   

As many of us who have the privilege of working as educators can attest, watching these enrollment numbers becomes very personal because the numbers represent individuals.  A highlight of the May 2007 SGC graduation for me was when a newly minted SGC alumna stepped over in her cap and gown and simply said, "Thank you."   Having watched her progression over the previous years I know how much her educational achievements mean to her and her family.  As a healthcare provider, her career may someday have her working along side a 2005 SGC graduate who recently learned that he was admitted to med school at the Medical College of Georgia.  Through a coincidence that would be more likely to happen here than elsewhere, the nursing grad was enrolled at SGC at the same time as the mother of the future physician, with whom she shared classes and college activities.   

These three people along with their classmates are vivid reminders these are not just enrollment figures we are talking about.  These numbers represent remarkable potential for positive influence in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. 

As Georgia’s population growth continues to lead the region, leadership of the University System of Georgia is gearing up for an additional 100,000 students by the year 2020.  With hard work and renewed commitments we are working hard to ensure that many of these students will Discover a Degree of Difference at South Georgia College.