|
|
||
| University Relations | ||
|
|
||
June 2006 News
|
North Georgia grads head for professional schools DAHLONEGA – Although North Georgia College & State University has long enjoyed an excellent reputation for its graduates being accepted to medical colleges, the 2005-2006 academic year has seen an extraordinary number of North Georgia students heading for graduate programs in medical fields.
“It’s been a banner year,” said Dr. Ralph Hitt, a member of the biology faculty. “We have excellent students, with three out of four of our applicants accepted to UGA’s School of Veterinary Medicine, exemplifying the quality of our graduates.” Throughout the Health & Natural Sciences Building, signs of congratulations herald the achievements of 21 students who are entering graduate programs in medicine, physical therapy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other related professional fields. “We have a very good record of getting our students not only into medical schools, but into dental, pharmacy and other professional graduate programs,” said Dr. Terry Schwaner, department head and the interim Harry B. Forester Endowed Scholar Chair in Biology. Schwaner explained that the number of North Georgia graduates entering post-baccalaureate programs actually might be even higher, because many alumni wait a year or two to apply or re-apply to medical schools.
Graduating senior Nick Giovinco of Peachtree City, Ga., who’s entering the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, credits North Georgia’s competitive classes with his high score on the Medical College Admissions Test required by almost all U.S. medical schools. “I didn’t have to fill in any gaps in my chemistry and biology, and I attribute that completely to the program here,” Giovinco explained. Lauralyn Marshall of Pelham, Ga., agreed that she felt prepared for the Graduate Record Examinations, thanks to her North Georgia classes. She is entering the UGA School of Veterinary Medicine in the fall. Elizabeth Broman of Gainesville, Ga., who’s going to the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, is among the students who arrived on campus not yet knowing they wanted a pre-med major. It was her freshman biology class that made the difference. “When we did a session on physiology, I was surprised I loved it so much,” Broman explained.
At MCG in Augusta, Ga., Broman will room with Laura K. “Katie” Williamson, another 2006 NGCSU graduate. Williamson, of Suwanee, Ga., plans to study pediatric oncology at the medical college. Among other academic awards and scholarships during her undergraduate education, Williamson was a top-ranked member of the Lady Saints basketball team for four years. “The professors at North Georgia get to know us and encourage us on a personal level to do our best,” Williamson said. “If we want to go to medical school, they do everything they can to help us get there – or to make a ‘Plan B’ if that doesn’t work out.” Dr. Dan Thompson, head of the Department of Chemistry, said that graduates in his program, about two dozen this spring, often head for graduate programs leading to the Ph.D. degree in chemistry. Thompson said: "Currently, about 40 percent of our students choose to pursue advanced degrees. We have been extremely successful in placing them in nationally ranked graduate programs. Another 30 percent typically move into entry-level positions in the chemical or related industries. Alumni in both groups indicate that they have been provided with the background that allows them to successfully compete with students from anywhere." Even if biology and chemistry students don’t aim for graduate professional programs, faculty members work with them to help them understand the value of graduate degrees. “When students leave here with a bachelor’s degree in biology or chemistry, they can get a job, but they less often find a career,” said Schwaner. “In a career, you continue to grow, your salary increases, you don’t stay at an entry level for long.” “Chemistry is the key to biology,” emphasized Schwaner, who acknowledges the two departments work closely together in educating their students. He explained that a lot of students at North Georgia are the first generation of their families to go to college. “Many enter thinking they want to be a doctor, a dentist or a veterinarian. They often don’t have a clue about the value of other graduate programs. We work to lead students in other directions if they don’t reach their goals for acceptance to health-related professional schools.” Dr. Stephanie Songer, who graduated from North Georgia in 1991, then received her doctorate in neuroscience from Emory before joining the NGCSU faculty, said: “Most students coming in know they want to go to medical school. Then they find out the amount of biology and chemistry they have to study, and the cream of the crop of students rises to the top, and they stay with the program.” The challenge then, is to find alternatives for students who begin a pre-med program but can’t complete it. Often, work in research is an option, since North Georgia provides undergraduates with opportunities to participate in faculty research. Other options include internships with pharmaceutical companies, the Center for Disease Control, the National Science Foundation and other organizations that send representatives to campus to recruit students. North Georgia faculty members have developed longstanding relationships with faculty in various medical, veterinary and other graduate programs around the state and beyond. Those relationships and the close ties between NGCSU students and faculty help open doors for those aiming for graduate school.
Name Hometown Graduate School Bhana, Kimesh Dahlonega, Ga. University of Georgia School of Pharmacy Broman, Elizabeth Gainesville, Ga. Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine Bush, Jamie Hinesville, Ga. Baylor Physical Therapy Eskew, Allison Dahlonega, Ga. North Georgia College & State University Physical Therapy Giovinco, Nicholas Peachtree City, Ga. New York College of Podiatric Medicine Gurley, Ryan Jefferson, Ga. University of Georgia School of Pharmacy Hansen, Ashley Dahlonega, Ga. North Georgia College & State University Physical Therapy Johnson, Julie Buford, Ga. Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University Marshall, Lauralyn Pelham, Ga. University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine McGill, Stephanie Susie Cleveland, Ga. Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine Owen, Brandi Baldwin, Ga. Dedical College of Georgia School of Dentistry Patel, Nirav Dawsonville, Ga. The University of East Anglia, England Phillips, Carrie Blue Ridge, Ga. Medical College of Georgia Physician Assistant School Pinson, Brandon Gainesville, Ga. University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine Ryan, Brandon Dawsonville, Ga. Univ.of Ala.at Birmingham Surgical Physician Assist. Prog. Stowe, Jennifer Pendergrass, Ga. Medical College of Georgia Medical Illustration Thomas, Amanda Cleveland, Ga. North Georgia College & State University Physical Therapy White, Adam Dahlonega, Ga. MCG/Mercer University School of Medicine Williams, Jayme Blairsville, Ga. North Georgia College & State University Physical Therapy Williamson, Katie Suwanee, Ga. Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine Wyatt, Rik Peachtree City, Ga. University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
National honor society awards help North Georgia students continue education DAHLONEGA – Two North Georgia College & State University students have won scholarship awards presented by Phi Kappa Phi, the world’s largest university honor society that recognizes academic accomplishment in all fields of study.
Laura K. “Katie” Williamson, a May 13 biology graduate, received one of the honor society’s 60 Fellowship Awards for 2006. This award provides her with a $5000 scholarship for her first year of graduate or professional study. Williamson has been admitted to the Medical College of Georgia for study leading to an M.D. degree and will start in August. For several summers, she has worked as a camp counselor at Camp Happy Days in Summerville, S. C., a camp for children with cancer. The personal trials with cancer that she has experienced in her family also influenced her to pursue oncology. June Irene Koehler, a North Georgia junior in art marketing and piano performance, won one of the honor society’s 38 Study Abroad Grants for 2006. This award provides a student with a $1000 scholarship to defray travel expenses. Koehler will pursue a study-abroad experience in Spain this summer. After a two-day visit to Madrid, she will spend two weeks in Nerja for Spanish-language immersion in the Escuela de Idiomas training program. Koehler will then spend four weeks in Santander, during which time she will study at the Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo, where she will take upper-level courses in Spanish grammar and Spanish history and culture. She is getting an academic minor in Spanish. Mark Spraker, outgoing president of NGCSU’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and associate professor of physics, said that North Georgia’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter is proud that NGCSU students won two of the honor society’s coveted scholarship awards this year. “These scholarship awards demonstrate that NGCSU educates quality students who can compete very successfully against their counterparts at other universities nationwide. The awards reflect Katie’s and June’s great accomplishments, and they also speak well for the dedicated faculty that has helped Katie, June, and our other students to reach the highest heights of achievement.” |
|
North Georgia center awards $60,000 to Appalachian area schools DAHLONEGA – High schools from around the northeast Georgia region will be able to build new programs and expand activities designed to guide students through high school and pursue college, thanks to an allocation of $60,000 from the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education at North Georgia College & State University. The GACHE Advisory Board awarded grant money to seven high schools in April. Receiving funding are Calhoun High School, Dade County High School, Franklin County High School, Gordon Central High School, LaFayette High School, Lumpkin County High School and Murray County High School. Some schools’ grant programs started this month and all will be fully implemented in August at the start of the new school year. “The goal of these activities is to decrease the high school drop-out rate and increase the college-going rate of high school students in Georgia’s Appalachian region,” said Shirley Davis, director of the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education. “Increasing the college-going rate will ultimately improve the quality of lives and the economic levels of our Appalachian citizens.” The Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education opened in January and is the newest organization in the nine-state Appalachian Higher Education Network, developed in 2000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission and designed to raise the levels of educational attainment in the region. GACHE and the School of Education at North Georgia will showcase the participating high schools and their activities on Oct. 19 at the university in Dahlonega. The daylong event will include sharing best practices and lessons learned from research regarding what has worked in each high school to mitigate high dropout rates and encourage students to apply to college. Davis, citing Time magazine’s April 17 cover story “Dropout Nation,” said that one in three students leave school before graduating from high school. Davis said: “The crisis is real and it is now. These schools have developed programs to address the crisis. Through the years, projects funded through the Appalachian Regional Commission have correlated with a 28-to-64 percent increase in the college-attendance rate in the eight other states in the Appalachian Higher Education Network. We at the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education believe we can do as well and that we must.”
Many of the high schools awarded grants will provide formal advising and mentoring training for teachers who commit to guide students throughout their educational careers. Other schools will have seniors present a final project regarding post-secondary education and career information to 8th graders before graduating and return to present to the new 9th graders in the fall. Other activities include painting high school restrooms with college and university logos and having every teacher in a school display his or her alma mater’s logo and colors in the classrooms. Monthly parent meetings will assist families with the college application process and financial aid, as well as give them a clearer understanding of the college-life experience. Other funding from the $177,000 GACHE initiative also will allow the Community Out Reach for Education Team – the center’s panel of education experts from the university and Lumpkin County community – in furthering student exposure to college by producing events such as local college campus visits for both parents and students; college student speakers in high schools; career learning labs where students will be assisted in writing resumes and test preparation; and “power lunches” with business professionals and college personnel. The projects will end with a “reality fair” for students, which will illustrate the value of a college education including, among other benefits, the future financial pay-off. Schools that did not receive grant money will receive travel funds for a team to attend the October showcase. Other area high schools that have been successful in increasing their college-going rate for graduates will be invited to share their successes as well. The activities will be conducted during the 2006-2007 school year. Many grant projects are planned for continuation into the 2007-2008 school year. “We hope to target middle school students and literacy intervention projects and look at the high school curriculum and scheduling among other activities,” said Davis. The GACHE’s numerous partners include the Appalachian Regional Commission, more than 20 higher education institutions serving North Georgia, Regional Education Service Agencies, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Department of Adult & Technical Education and a number of community-based organizations. For more information, contact the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE) at North Georgia College & State University at 706-864-1995 or gache@ngcsu.edu. Visit online at www.ngcsu.edu/resource/ASC/gache.htm. |
|
Students named to President's List at NGCSU DAHLONEGA – For their academic performances during spring semester 2006, the following students were named to the North Georgia College & State University President’s List. Students achieving a 4.0 grade point average and carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester are placed on the President’s List.
|
|
Students named to Dean's List at NGCSU DAHLONEGA – For their academic performances during spring semester 2006, the following students were named to the Dean’s List at North Georgia College & State University. Students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average or better carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester are placed on the Dean’s List.
|
|
NGCSU confers 594 degrees during spring
graduation DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University conferred just under 600 bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and several associate’s degrees in nursing, during the May 2006 commencement. North Georgia College & State University is a public, co-educational, comprehensive university, as well as the Military College of Georgia – one of only six senior military colleges in the nation. North Georgia offers the only minor in leadership among public universities in the state. The university, founded in 1873 in Dahlonega, enrolls almost 5,000 students and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 50 academic and professional fields.
|
|
University System chief visits North Georgia DAHLONEGA – Chancellor Erroll Davis Jr., the University System of Georgia’s new top executive overseeing the state’s 35 public institutions of higher education, visited the North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega on June 8. North Georgia was the 28th stop on his statewide tour of the system’s institutions of higher learning, which he started shortly after he took office in February.
Davis spent most of his hour with faculty, staff and the few students in the audience answering questions and sharing his perspective on issues related to sustaining and improving the quality of the Georgia higher education system. “We are amazingly relevant,” he told the audience. “We impact everyone’s life in the state, whether it’s through the education of your children, whether it’s through providing technology for businesses, whether it’s providing public policy guidance to government, we impact everyone’s life and we should understand how to put that in front of people in a manner that suggests ‘this is a wonderful thing you’re doing and I’m willing to pay more for that.’” The chancellor explained: “My job is essentially to make you better, to enable you, to empower you, to get you the resources that you need, but as I suggested, you play a role in that. As a state public institution we have to always demonstrate our value to the taxpayers of the state and I think again that we will do that.” Information on Chancellor Davis is available at www.usg.edu/chancellor. |
|
USG chancellor to visit NGCSU
DAHLONEGA – Erroll B. Davis Jr., chancellor of the University System of Georgia, will make his first official visit to North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega on Thursday, June 8. After meeting with NGCSU President David Potter, Davis will be introduced to faculty, staff and students in the Hoag Auditorium, located in the Student Center, at 11 a.m. for a 45-minute session. After lunch with representatives of the Dahlonega/Lumpkin County community, the chancellor will meet with North Georgia cabinet members and deans. At 1:45, Davis will have a 15-minute meeting with representatives of area news media in the Pennington Military Leadership Center on campus. Davis assumed his duties leading the University System of Georgia’s 35 colleges and universities on Feb. 6, 2006. He began his tour of the University System’s campuses on Feb. 10. In all, he visited five campuses during his first month of service. Davis visited six campuses in March, 12 campuses in April, four campuses in May, and will visit eight campuses as well as the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in June to conclude his tour of the system’s institutions. North Georgia marks the chancellor’s 28th campus visit.
|
DAHLONEGA – The Art Appreciation Show at North Georgia College & State University, May 11 thru Aug 25, is an exhibition of artwork by six of the university’s art faculty members.
On display are prints, pastels, photographs, paintings, pottery,
and weavings by Paul Dunlap, Jim Fambrough, Matt Henderson, Jo-Marie Karst,
Noelle Petersen, and Tommye Scanlin. |
|
This page last modified on: Monday, 02 October 2006 01:52:28 -0400 by University Relations |
:: Disclaimer :: Accessibility |
For a list of
the students, see the 
