Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) and Georgia’s other 26 technical colleges will convert from a quarter to semester system beginning with the fall semester in August 2011. The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) State Board voted unanimously in March 2010 to approve the switch to semesters.

The conversion to semesters will align Georgia Northwestern’s academic calendar with the state’s K-12 school systems and the University System of Georgia, furthering the goal of seamless education for Georgia students. With the move to semesters, Georgia Northwestern will join the 80 percent of public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. that follow a semester calendar.

“The decision to change to a semester academic calendar was made for the benefit of our students,” said GNTC President Craig McDaniel. “Our system will now be in line with other systems of higher education and the K-12 system.”

“We’re building a world-class educational system for workforce development, and a major part of this mission is to provide seamless education where calendars and curriculum align and lifelong learning is easily attainable for students of all ages and circumstances,” stated TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson.

Jackson cites many benefits for the students, including additional instructional time, more in-depth coverage of course content, ease of transfer to other institutions, and calendar alignment that better supports dual and joint enrollment opportunities for high school students.

TCSG staff and many of Georgia Northwestern’s administrators have been at work throughout the last year planning and addressing all necessary curriculum, scheduling, financial aid, IT, and operational aspects of the conversion. A comprehensive curriculum review and adaptation has also been underway at the state level for over a year to ensure the most relevant program content. Dr. Cathy Vann, associate vice president for academic affairs at GNTC, has been named to oversee the conversion at the college. Vann has put together committees consisting of various staff that will be looking at all operational aspects of the conversion.

“The key principle is to create and support an environment that advances our college mission of workforce development and to continue to accelerate our progress in academic programs and most importantly student success,” Vann said. “We have established committees that will continue to plan, prepare, and inform our returning students for success.”

Vann added that GNTC will bring special attention to a number of priorities, which include developing policies and processes to support the conversion to semesters, increasing the effectiveness of student advising, expanding the effectiveness of student financial aid assistance, and providing greater support for faculty and staff development.

Beginning in July 2010 and continuing through summer 2011, GNTC faculty and staff will conduct advisement sessions for all affected students to create an individual academic plan to complete their course of study under semesters.

“Program advisors will provide one-on-one advisement where each student will have their own advising plan to successfully complete their program of study,” said Vann. “We also have admission counselors who will be informing new students of the transition when they apply to the college. It is our goal to convert to semesters with no disruption to the academic progress of our students, which embodies President McDaniel’s mission to ‘put students first.’”

The conversion will not affect state or federal financial aid, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship and Grant programs. Annual tuition under the new semester system will be roughly equivalent to the annual cost under the quarter system; however tuition will be paid three times a year instead of four times a year. Class sizes are not expected to increase on the semester system, nor will a student’s GPA be affected.

A comprehensive new website, www.TCSGSemester411.com, features a series of entertaining video messages about the conversion, plus FAQs, the new academic calendar, and a host of other information for students. The website can also be accessed from GNTC’s homepage at www.gntc.edu under the “Other Resources” link.

Georgia Northwestern is currently planning an internal campaign for fall 2010 to inform current students about the change to semesters.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College serves Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Polk, and Walker counties in Georgia with campuses located in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, and Walker counties. Approximately 25,000 people benefit from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs, making it the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fifth largest technical college in Georgia.

Technical College System of Georgia Quarter to Semester Conversion

Beginning in August 2011, the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) will convert from the quarter to the semester system, a change made in the best interests of our students.

The TCSG’s conversion to semesters will further the goal of seamless education for Georgia students. All three of Georgia’s major educational systems – K-12, the University System of Georgia, and the Technical College System of Georgia – will now have aligned academic calendars.

In making the change to semesters, Georgia’s technical colleges will join the 80 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. that follow a semester calendar.

The semester schedule offers many benefits to students – additional instructional time, more in-depth coverage of course content, ease of transfer to other institutions, and calendar alignment that better supports dual and joint enrollment opportunities for high school students.

A comprehensive new website, www.TCSGSemester411.com, features a series of entertaining video messages about the conversion, plus FAQs, the new academic calendar, and a host of other information for students.

The move to semesters is supported by the State Board that oversees the Technical College System of Georgia, the Governor’s Office and legislative delegation, as well as key stakeholders like the Commission on Colleges.

The Technical College System of Georgia’s change to semesters supports and continues the mission to build a world-class system for workforce education. With extended, more in-depth instructional time for each program offering, TCSG colleges will produce a strong student, immediately ready for today’s workforce and the future.

Both students and their future employers will benefit from more in-depth coverage of course content and extended learning opportunities through longer clinicals and internships.

The Technical College System of Georgia has made a commitment to all students affected by the change that they will be successfully transitioned with as minimal disruption to their coursework as possible during the changeover.

Technical college students affected by the transition – students who began their course of study before fall 2011 – will receive one-on-one advisement sessions to create their personal crosswalk to the semester system and an individual academic plan to complete their program under semesters.

The annual cost of tuition under the new semester system will be roughly equivalent to the annual cost under the quarter system. Student access to state or federal financial aid, including Georgia’s HOPE Grant or Scholarship Program, will not be negatively affected by the change.

Statewide working groups composed of TCSG system staff and local college representatives have been at work throughout the last year to address all necessary curriculum, scheduling, financial aid, IT, and operational aspects of the conversion.