FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgc.edu

SGC to phase out Department of Continuing Education

As a result of unprecedented reductions in state funding, South Georgia College has announced that it will phase out the Department of Continuing Education as of October 18, 2009.

SGC has lost 10.09 percent of its state allocation over the last year, and is bracing for a loss of as much as eight percent more. As a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia, SGC is an open access institution, and its mission is to offer an entry point to higher education and provide quality academic instruction within the confines of its budget.

Continuing Education houses three full-time employees who oversee facilities, Elderhostel, professional development/personal enrichment courses and the SGC Aquatics Center. “Continuing Education is an entrepreneurial program. However, for many years, it has operated at a loss. The College has absorbed these costs but now due to these extreme cuts, this practice can no longer occur,” says Dr. Carl McDonald, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The department will be phased out over the course of the next 60 days, and duties will be shifted to other departments as necessary. College administration is currently reviewing contracts and determining which other areas will take over the duties which remain. SGC will communicate further information regarding remaining programs with the community as it becomes available.

Despite this course of action, the financial situation at SGC remains stable, mainly due to the college’s increasing enrollment. However, SGC must also operate as efficiently as possible and put its resources into those areas that most directly affect student learning. “The deficit in the Continuing Education department was simply too great to continue,” says Dr. Carson. “It is regrettable to take this step, but the economic climate is such that we have to focus almost entirely on our core academic mission and reduce costs wherever we can.”
 

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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.