FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 19, 2009
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
Exchange Club hears from SGC about enrollment, Plant
Their Feet
At the June 11 meeting of the Douglas Exchange Club, South
Georgia College President Dr. Virginia Carson updated the club regarding
several campus programs and the college’s pattern of continued growth over
the last several years. Director of Community and Foundation Relations Walda
Kight also outlined the numerous scholarships the college offers and
explained how citizens and organizations endow scholarships.
During her remarks about the college’s growth, Dr. Carson tracked SGC’s
steady enrollment increase that began over three years ago and has continued
at a healthy rate. Student applications for fall semester are up and the
college is projecting another five to seven percent enrollment growth for
the fall.
Dr. Carson also discussed SGC’s Plant Their Feet program, which is designed
to show elementary students the importance of completing an education and
encourage them to enroll in SGC when they graduate from high school. Plant
Their Feet excites elementary school students about attending college so
they will see the benefit in not only graduating from high school but
attending college. Based on the old saying, “Plant their feet where you want
them to grow,” the program is a partnership with the Coffee County School
System to track a select group of students as they progress through the
reminder of their middle and high school grade years. The 2006-2007 pilot
year brought 64 West Green Elementary fifth graders to SGC. The program
garnered widespread attention for its progressive approach to encouraging
students to stay in school.
The program has expanded each year to include fifth graders from other
elementary schools. In addition, SGC continues to track the original group
of West Green fifth graders, who will be entering the eighth grade in the
fall. The participants visit the SGC campus twice each year and take part in
a number of activities that align with the State of Georgia Standards for
the particular grade level of the students. Such activities include science
shows, canoeing, golf, a scavenger hunt, language arts activities, computer
exercises and a game based on “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”. The
program would like to expand future activities to include more interaction
with faculty, study skills, career planning and test preparation. The
college would also like to bring in successful alumni to speak with the
students about the importance of hard work and determination.
“In just a short period of time, we have seen how this program has energized
these students and has them already thinking about attending college. Plant
Their Feet is one of the most important programs we have, and we are very
thankful for the excellent working relationship we have with the Coffee
County School System. We look forward to the continued success of Plant
Their Feet in the future,” says Dr. Virginia Carson, SGC president.
Photo: SGC
Director of Community and Foundation Relations Walda Kight and SGC President
Dr. Virginia Carson stand with Exchange Club President Gayland Collins after
the June 11 Exchange Club meeting. The club made a donation to the college’s
Plant Their Feet program, which is designed to show elementary students the
importance of completing an education and encourage them to enroll in SGC
when they graduate from high school.
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About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System
of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives
students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close
collaboration with faculty.
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