Minority and international students’ scholarly efforts recognized

DAHLONEGA – The North Georgia College & State University Office of Multicultural Services hosted a banquet in November honoring minority and international students who excelled academically in the 2002-2003 academic year. University employees Ann Tallant and Rodney Pennamon called out the names of the 51 recipients and Phil Buckhiester, vice president for Academic Affairs, presented the awards.

The banquet speaker, Tavares Stephens, is an English teacher at Morrow High School in Morrow, Ga. Stephens reminded the students that their time in college is part of a journey of greater significance, yet how they craft this time will have an impact in their future.

NGCSU President Nathaniel Hansford gave the closing remarks, motivating the students to “pay it forward,” by sharing their success and talents with others in an effort to make a difference.

“This event allows us to carve out a special evening once a year to recognize the academic achievement of minority students and to encourage them to continue to work hard all the way through graduation from NGCSU,” said Carmen Mas, director of Academic Support Programs. “A strong grade point average helps students to be more competitive for scholarships, jobs, and graduate school.”

NGCSU stages commissioning and commencement on Friday

DAHLONEGA – At the fall semester commencement ceremony on Dec. 19, North Georgia College and State University will graduate 250 students, including 198 undergraduates plus 52 students receiving graduate degrees. The first group of about 15 students receiving double majors in Early Childhood and Special Education will graduate.  The event takes place at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Hall gymnasium.

Professor Frank Fearon, the 2003 Distinguished Professor, selected by the Alumni Council of the NGCSU Alumni Association, will be the commencement speaker. Fearon, who teaches in the Physical Therapy graduate program, originally came to North Georgia in 1991 from the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. The vice president of the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia, Fearon lives in Cumming.

At the 4 p.m. officer commissioning ceremony on Friday in the auditorium of the Health & Natural Sciences Building, 10 cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. The speaker is Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Smith, commanding general of the U.S. Army Safety Center at Ft. Rucker, Ala.  

The public is welcome at both events, although seating at commencement might be limited.

Dream fulfilled for retirement home resident

FULFILLING DREAMS: NGCSU students Tommy Vela (l) and Linda Grogan (r) fulfilled Ella Mae Day's (front center) dream of a nice dinner out on the town in Atlanta. Lisa Adams, who works at the Gold City retirement home, helped with the event.

DAHLONEGA – On Thursday, Nov. 13, four North Georgia College & State University nursing students are fulfilling a dream of an elderly citizen in Gold City, a senior citizen retirement facility in Dahlonega.

Her dream is to “get dressed-up and have a nice dinner” in Buckhead. With the help of a non-profit organization, Second Wind Dreams, the students have arranged for a limousine to arrive at Gold City at 6 p.m. to pick up the lucky lady and drive her to dinner at the Fish Market in Buckhead.

The purpose of Second Wind Dreams is to enhance senior citizens’ quality of life and improving the perception of aging. Local businesses donated funds to help make the trip possible. For more information, contact Dr. Jill Hayes, NGCSU nursing department head at jhayes@ngcsu.edu or call at 706-864-1934. Tiffany LeCroy, the nursing student group leader, may also be contacted at 404-350-7768.

Largest donation in NGCSU history helps students

Cathryn Mitchell and President Nathaniel Hansford unveil the portrait of Roy Bottoms.

DAHLONEGA – An oil portrait of the late Roy E. Bottoms was unveiled at North Georgia College & State University to commemorate the generosity of Bottoms' bequest of nearly $2.5 million, the largest individual gift ever made to NGCSU.

The 1935 North Georgia graduate died in 1994, and his estate was distributed over several years to the NGCSU Foundation.

The gift created the Roy E. Bottoms Scholarship Fund, which through investments is now valued at $3.2 million. Bottoms' will called for the endowment to be used for scholarship and loan support for North Georgia students. Currently 24 students are supported by the fund, many of whom were present for the unveiling.

NGCSU President Nathaniel Hansford expressed his appreciation to the family and urged students to focus their lives in service to others as Roy Bottoms did. Catherine and Joe Mitchell of Avondale Estates, sister and brother-in-law of Bottoms, represented the family at the unveiling.

In 1933 Bottoms came to North Georgia College, where his brother William Ralph Bottoms also attended. He later lived in Rome, Ga., where he worked for more than 30 years for Equifax Inc. He was involved with the North Georgia alumni chapter in Rome and very active with reunions of his college classmates. The portrait was produced by Carol Dorn and will hang in the lobby of Barnes Hall on campus.

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University's current fall semester enrollment is 4,517, an increase of 8.1 percent over fall 2002, when enrollment was 4,178. The average composite SAT score – a combination of verbal and math scores – for first-time freshmen at NGCSU is 1,074. Additional information is available on the University System of Georgia’s Web site listed at the bottom of this USG news release:

University system enrollment explodes to highest level in 71-years
High enrollment growth accompanied by increasing SAT scores

Atlanta, Ga. – (November 19)  –  If the University System of Georgia was selling a product, Wall Street analysts would be shouting "buy, buy, buy" on news released today by System officials that the Fall 2003 semester enrollment at the 34 public institutions hit an all-time record high of 247,020 students.  

Today's report continues a three-year upward trend, as 14,000 new students swelled the ranks of those already enrolled.  That is almost like adding another Georgia Southern University to the System.

This dramatic increase comes on the heels of a 7.1% increase from fall 2001 to fall 2002.  Overall, the University System of Georgia's enrollment has increased by 20 percent – a full one-fifth – since the fall 2000 semester.  The number of first-time freshmen increased by 6.7 percent to 37,036 students.  This is the largest freshman enrollment in a decade.  

All of the University System's record enrollment increases suggest that comprehensive efforts toward "Creating a More Educated Georgia" are paying notable dividends in providing increased access to higher education.  

However, despite the increases, the University System's allocation from the state reflects the lowest percentage of the overall state budget since 1967 – 19 years before the average fall 2003 freshman was born.  In the face of looming budget cuts, today's announcement reflects the increasing demand for education faced by the University System of Georgia.

"We were anticipating that our final numbers would reflect yet another record for student enrollment in the University System of Georgia," said Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith, "and we more than met our projections.  The demand on the System continues to increase each year, as Georgians respond to our message about the need for increasing educational attainment. It is clear that appreciation for the value of higher education is on the rise in Georgia."

As important as the overall enrollment increase is the fact that all sectors of the University System grew, with headcount enrollment increasing by:  

· 2.2 percent at the System's four research universities  

· 5.1 percent in the System's two regional universities

· 7.3 percent in the 13 state universities  

· 5.2 percent in the two state colleges

Of particular note, enrollment in the System's 13 two-year colleges rose by 10.9 percent over fall 2002.  In addition to this increase, data show that during the three years from fall 2000 to fall 2003, two-year college enrollment skyrocketed by more than one-third – or 36.1 percent.

The University System's burgeoning enrollment also is accompanied by increases in the SAT score of incoming freshmen.  In a separate report, the University System's Office of Strategic Research and Analysis, an upward trend in System-wide SAT scores continued.

The average composite SAT score – a combination of verbal and math scores – for first-time freshmen rose to 1,036 this fall, a six-point increase over last year's average score of 1,030.  The average was 1,026 in 2001 and 1,021 in 2000.  Overall, the average composite SAT score for University System freshmen shows a 15 point increase over this three-year period. In 2002, the average math score was 516, while the average verbal score was 514.  For the fall 2003 semester, the average for both math and verbal is 518.

Georgia Tech enjoys the highest average SAT score, at 1,325, followed by the University of Georgia at 1,209.  Overall, a total of 12 University System of Georgia institutions reported average composite SAT scores of over 1,000, including: Armstrong Atlantic State University, Clayton College & State University, Georgia College & State University, Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, North Georgia College & State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, State University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University.

"The increase in SAT scores reflects the University System's on-going commitment to raising standards," noted Chancellor Meredith.  "Our campuses are continuing to attract Georgia's best and brightest students even as we raise the bar of expectations for academic performance. It is undeniable; our partnerships and our policies are yielding dividends."

Further exploration of the enrollment data shows that more than two-thirds, or 66.5%, of all University System students are enrolled full-time.  Full-time enrollment varies by institution type, with the lowest numbers at two-year institutions and the highest – up to 92.6% – at the Medical College of Georgia.  Perhaps reflecting the economic burden faced by many college students, 10 University System institutions recorded more than 50% part-time enrollment.

Also significant, African-American enrollment in the University System increased by 7.9 percent from fall 2002 to fall 2003, for a total of 57,098 students.  Overall, African-American students represent 23.1 percent of the total USG enrollment this fall, an increase of 22.7% from last year.  Looking at gender, however, only 31.9 percent of African-American students in System institutions are males, which means that two-thirds of African-American students are females -- an even greater disproportion than in 2002. Through its African-American Male Initiative (AAMI), University System officials are committed to raising the aspirations of this particular population and educational attainment levels in the state.

In terms of gender, the percentage of female students increased by 6.9 percent from fall 2002 to fall 2003 – continuing to reflect a national trend in higher education.  Females now account for 58.6 percent of all University System students. In addition, the 6.9 headcount percentage increase for females outpaced the 4.7 percent increase for males.

The number of non-traditional undergraduates – loosely defined as those over 25 years of age at first matriculation – increased by 9.2% from fall 2002 to fall 2003.  The University System of Georgia has made increasing non-traditional enrollment a key element in its strategic plan.  Today's report suggests that these efforts are beginning to produce measurable results.

The full University System of Georgia Fall 2003 Semester Enrollment Report is available on the USG website at: http://www.usg.edu/admin/sra/students/enroll/fy2004/

NGCSU Symphonic Band Concert Nov. 24 & 25

DAHLONEGA – The North Georgia College & State University Symphonic Band will appear in concert on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p. m. and Nov. 25 at 12:30 p.m. on the Dahlonega campus in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The Symphonic Band will perform under the direction of NGCSU Coordinator of Music Joe Chapman. Special guest conductor will be Andy David, a new NGCSU faculty member who serves as the director of the ROTC Golden Eagle Band.

The concert will open with John Philip Sousa’s arrangement of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” followed by “Chorale” and “Alleluia.” Other selections include Gustav Holst’s “March” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Sea Songs.”

The NGCSU Percussion Ensemble will perform a variety of crowd-pleasing selections.

The concert will conclude with a rousing patriotic march, Edwin Franco Goldman’s “The Chimes of Liberty.”

For more information, contact the NGCSU Fine Arts Department, 706-864-1423.

Higher education adds value to salaries and economic impact of Lumpkin County

DAHLONEGA – Graduates of North Georgia College & State University and other University System of Georgia institutions generated more than $4.4 million in wages for Lumpkin County in 1998, according to a new study of the economic impact of higher education on Georgia. Nearly $2 million of this total is directly attributable to the graduate's college degrees. The study, commissioned by the USG's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program, puts a dollar value on public higher education in Georgia.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta conducted the "Value of University System of Georgia Education" study, based on the earnings of almost 90,000 University System students who graduated from University System institutions between 1993 and 1997. The study shows that the increased earnings resulting from their higher education degrees added nearly $1.25 billion to the state's economy during 1998, the most recent year for which information was available.

"A public university degree in Georgia pays off for the graduates and for the economy of the state as a whole," said NGCSU President Nathaniel Hansford. "Last year Kiplinger's magazine named North Georgia College & State University one of the top 100 best values in public education in the nation, and this validates the worth of our undergraduate and graduate degrees."

The USG's ICAPP study shows that a college degree is worth an average of $14,000 a year more than a high-school graduate's expected earnings. In fact, over the course of a working career the average graduate of a USG college or university may expect to earn almost $1 million more than a high-school-educated worker.

Regarding the state of Georgia's "investment" in higher education, University System Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith was quoted in a news release saying:

"As our funding partners struggle with grave budget issues, I would encourage them not to harm this generator of economic growth. Georgia so far has resisted the trend we see in many states to reduce substantially the state's investment in higher education. Our economy has benefited from that decision, and as this study has shown, those benefits will continue to increase in the decades to come."

The top programs of study based on total economic impact are business administration, nursing, teacher education, liberal arts and sciences, accounting, computer and information sciences, education administration, law, and business, all of which are programs offered at NGCSU, with the exception of law (a pre-law concentration is offered).

The earnings of nearly 2,100 graduates of North Georgia with 1998 Georgia salaries above $10,000 were studied, and their salaries totaled $66,779,215. The researchers determined that the portion of that total attributable to their college degrees was $25,254,200. The average wage for those graduates was $32,167, with the "education value" of that salary - the difference made by higher education - $12,165. These figures were only for 1998 earnings. The total impact of their higher education during their lifetimes could be as much as 40 times these figures.

Statewide, the study shows, a bachelor's degree alone increases earning power by an average of 34 percent over a high school diploma.

The researchers, Georgia Tech's Bill Drummond and Jan Youtie, also found that the areas of specialties where there are significant shortages of labor in Georgia include elementary and kindergarten teachers as well as registered nurses. NGCSU offers majors of study in those fields and experiences capacity enrollments for those and other "in-demand" academic majors.

Full copies of "The Value of University System of Georgia Education" may be downloaded from the ICAPP Web site at: www.icapp.org/publications.htm

This page last modified on: Friday, 05 November 2004 16:43:14 -0500 by University Relations    

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