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Campus Consolidations

Waycross College and South Georgia College

Print friendly Modified January 11, 2012

Profiles

Waycross College

  • Established 1970
  • Fall 2011 Enrollment: 964
  • 42.6% from Ware County
  • First-Year Retention: 53.9%
  • Three-Year Graduation: 20%
  • FY11 Degrees Conferred: 105
  • Total FY12 Budget: $8.6M

South Georgia College

  • Established 1906
  • Fall 2011 Enrollment: 2,270
  • 26.3% from Coffee County
  • First-Year Retention: 47.9%
  • Three-Year Graduation: 12.2%
  • FY11 Degrees Conferred: 251
  • Total FY12 Budget: $20.3M

Opportunities & Challenges

Opportunities

  • Creates an institution of over 3,000 students by combining the two smallest USG institutions, enabling economies of scale while maintaining college access for south Georgia students.
  • Aligns two institutions with very similar missions and program offerings in the region.
  • Increases opportunities to hire for key needs. Through economies of scale, there is the capacity for needed higher education enterprise professionals with appropriate expertise and experience levels.
  • Builds on existing collaboration between the two institutions.
  • Combines resources to enhance responsiveness to regional economic and community development needs.
  • SGC is already the 2nd most popular transfer destination for Waycross – being part of same institution streamlines this process for students. Availability of SGC residential facilities will further support future student needs.

Challenges

  • Blending of institutional cultures.