FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
Phi Theta Kappa to Host “Pledge to Completion” Signing at South Georgia
College
Statistics show the surest way for anyone to land a job in their chosen
field is to finish college and earn a degree or certificate.
And that's exactly what students at South Georgia College are promising to
do -- signing a mass pledge to complete their degrees before leaving the
two-year college for transfer to a four-year institution or to enter the job
market.
On Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Engram Union lobby,
students will be invited to drop by the PTK table to sign the completion
pledge, part of a national community college movement. They will also have
the opportunity to sign the pledge in their classes. The event is being
hosted by the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Phi Theta Kappa Honor
Society members are serving as the student arm of The Community College
Completion Corps, a national education initiative.
In April 2010 leaders of six national organizations representing the
nation's 1,200 community colleges signed The Call to Action, a pledge to
increase student completion rates by 50 percent over the next decade. Phi
Theta Kappa Honor Society was the only student organization asked to
participate.
In October 2010 the first White House Summit on Community Colleges was
hosted by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden and a community
college professor. President Obama, philanthropist Melinda Gates and a host
of speakers praised community colleges for serving almost half of the
nation's college students and playing a pivotal role in educating the
workforce.
The president has called for community colleges to produce an additional
five million degrees and certificates in the next 10 years, part of his goal
to restore the United States as the world's leader in college graduates.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the
largest honor society in higher education with 1,250 chapters on college
campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of
Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S.
territorial possessions. More than two million students have been inducted
since its founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted
annually.
The South Georgia College Kappa Sigma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa currently
has a membership of approximately 50 honor students. The organization
participates in an annual scholarship showcase and essay contests for its
members. Members take part in service learning opportunities such as a Hugs
for Hope Happy Mail campaign for sick children and Relay for Life. Phi Theta
Kappa members have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and
apply for scholarships in order to further their education beyond the
two-year college.
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About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is an accredited 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. With over 20 majors and transfer
opportunities, South Georgia College provides the finest education possible
to the citizens of its service area.
