SoCPS February News Brief

Welcome to the February news brief for the School of Continuing & Professional Studies. As a unit in Academic Affairs at Georgia College & State University, we strive for excellence and quality in the programs and services we provide. The Directors and their teams lean into collaborative opportunities by extending a bridge of resources, educational programs, audio and video services, enrichment opportunities, lifelong learning experiences, and wrap-around services to Georgia communities and beyond.

As we begin our planning for potential programs in FY25, we invite you to join us on this bridge in collaboration for the future of Georgia. Share with us your ideas, needs, and dreams for events, camps, and educational programs that will make an impact in our community.

Contact me to explore how we can further serve Georgia College & State University, our community, and beyond.

Angela Criscoe

The Office of Afterschool Achievement welcomes two new GCSU student employees to Chappell Hall-Alexis Schneider and Amelia Daws.

Director Sequena Moon Stanton, collaborated with the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects to successfully submit the 21st CCLC GaDOE proposal on 1/30/24 for continued funding to support Lakeview Academy for the next 5 years (FY25-FY30). The intent to apply can be viewed at www.gcsu.edu/afterschoolachievement.

Six Afterschool Achievement staff members will attend the Beyond School Hours conference in New Orleans on February 14-17 for professional development.

The High Achievers Program

The GC High Achievers Program is seeking to partner with the College of Business & Technology, the College of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Health Sciences to support GCSU Service learning students and to provide supplemental programs to high school youth during afterschool. If you are interested in partnering, please contact Program Coordinator Kenneth Daniels at 478.445.8509.

Program Coordinator, Kenneth Daniels, solicited the support of the following guests to participate in the HAP speaker series: Nancy Finney, Business Outreach Coordinator for the College of Business and Technology, and Kadian Leslie, Director of Grants and Sponsored Projects.

The HAP also collaborated with the following GCSU departments and community businesses to provide activities for the High Achievers Program: GCSU Academic Outreach, GCSU African-American Initiate for Males, GCSU Communications Department, Provision Counseling and Tree Top Training.

More of the HAP activities this month can be viewed on the newsletter tab in the High Achievers Newsletter. To sign up as a guest speaker for the High Achievers Program, please email Program Coordinator, Mr. Kenneth Daniels at kenneth.daniels@gcsu.edu or contact Mr. Daniels at 478.445.8509.

The YES Program at Lakeview Academy and Oak Hill Middle School

Director Sequena Moon Stanton, LVA Site Coordinator Dimitra Veal, and OHMS Administrator Alicia Johnson participated in the BCSD parent university events on 1/30/24 and 1/31/24 to provide an overview of the BCSD promotion/retention policy, grading policy, and afterschool opportunities to help students exceed.

More about YES at LVA can be viewed in the LVA newsletter, and more about YES at OHMS can be viewed in the OHMS newsletter.

Sequena.Stanton@gcsu.edu

We are back this spring with a busy schedule visiting local schools and hosting field trips on GCSU's campus. We welcomed JMA, Jeffersonville Elementary, and Georgia Cyber Academy. We are back in action with our regular weekly/monthly programs with the Life Enrichment Center, High Achievers Program, Homeschool and Perry Middle school. We have also offered a few Adopt-A-Stream trainings and monitoring sessions.

Feature photo: Our box turtle friend who we met while at chemical training.

Follow us on Instagram @gcacademicoutreach and Facebook @GCCATS

Ruth.Eilers@gcsu.edu

We have reached 70 students this school year through the Read United tutoring program.

Students meet with their tutor each week to strengthen their literacy skills and reading fluency.

These tutoring sessions take place daily at Lakeview Primary and Midway Hills Primary.

ADPi sorority had a sock collection campaign for us in January to help students in need in the Baldwin County Schools. Socks are items most needed and their contribution will serve over 60 students!

We thank you ahead of time for your support!

Janet.Cavin@gcsu.edu

Interest in the Solar Technology & Green Energy Entrepreneurship program continues to be strong. Cohort 2 began February 3 at capacity and we have a waitlist for the next two cohorts. Thank you to Drs. Mahabaduge and Creel for collaborating with us on this important program for our community.

Thank you to the office of Grants and Sponsored Projects for giving us the opportunity to help coordinate the conference on January 26 for the USG Regents Advisory Council on Research.

And many thanks go to the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Learning for allowing us to assist with the logistics of the Volunteer Reader Training held on January 20.

It's always a pleasure to collaborate with our University colleagues.

We are in the home stretch of summer camp planning! More details to come soon!

Angie.Woodham@gcsu.edu

Learn more about how Georgia College & State University's Employer Education Partnerships program can help you acquire, retain, and upskill your workforce to gain a competitive advantage.

For more information contact:

Sheryl Melton, Workforce Development Program Coordinator

sheryl.melton@gcsu.edu

478-445-5278

Georgia College & State University’s Department of Historic Museums earned a prestigious state-wide award Friday, Jan. 19, for Andalusia: The Home of Flannery O’Connor.

The Georgia Association of Museums (GAM) presented its 2024 Special Project Award to Georgia College’s Andalusia Interpretive Center—a 5,300 square-foot, $3.5 million building completed in March 2023. The center competed against the largest and most well-funded museums in the state for GAM’s highest-tier Special Project category.

GAM President Marcy Breffle and Award Committee Co-Chairs Melissa Swindell and Karin Dalton presented the award to Matt Davis, director of Historic Museums at Georgia College, and Cassie Munnell, curator at Andalusia.

“The department of Historic Museums is pleased to receive this award,” Davis said. “It is truly gratifying to be recognized by your peers in the industry, and we are honored that our work at the new Andalusia Interpretive Center has been recognized in this way.”

More than 200 museum professionals from across the state convened in Athens for the GAM annual meeting, which started Jan. 17. The theme of the 2024 conference was “Finding the Right Frequency: Museums and Communities in Harmony.” Participants attended a variety of sessions and workshops ranging from developing education programs to designing exhibits.

“We are pleased to present the Special Project Award to a very deserving recipient,” Breffle said. “Our members represent a good cross section of museums and cultural organizations in Georgia’s communities, both large and small.”

During the years Flannery O’Connor lived at Andalusia, she completed two novels and 32 short stories centered around the American Southern gothic genre.

In August 2017, the site was gifted to Georgia College, O’Connor’s alma mater. Today, Andalusia collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits items that illustrate the history of the site in the time period when Flannery O’Connor lived on the property, 1951-1964.

Andalusia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2019, it was also listed as a “Distinctive Destination” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2022, Andalusia was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

Tours at Andalusia begin at the interpretive center, which houses a permanent exhibit space, climate-controlled collections, storage and curatorial workspaces and guest amenities, such as a gift shop and restrooms. Tours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays.

In photo from left: Andalusia Curator Cassie Munnell, Director of Historic Museums Matt Davis, Executive Director for the School of Continuing & Professional Studies Angela Criscoe, GAM President Marcy Breffle and GAM President-Elect Rebecca Bush.

Matt.Davis@gcsu.edu

Congratulations to Keith Bergeron, Director of Production Services, for being a recipient of the "I Caught You Caring" award. His nomination came with the following remarks:

"He takes exceptional pride in his work. Keith was always willing to assist wherever and however he could to ensure things operated smoothly."

Need help from production services? Start here for our support.

Keith.Bergeron@gcsu.edu

Participate in upcoming events!

GCSU Alumni Lifelong Learning Series is a collaboration between the Office of Alumni Relations and the School of Continuing & Professional Studies. Our goal is to share the talent and knowledge of our alumni and encourage lifelong learning in an ever-changing world.

REGISTER for our next FREE GCSU ALLS lunch and learn event.

Mental Wellbeing with Dr. Emily Bailey, Class of 2014.

February 13th

12:00 p.m.

ZOOM

Join us at the 6th annual Leading Change Women’s Leadership Conference as we Flourish Forward and explore how this idea of leadership can shape lives, organizations, and communities for a brighter, more purposeful future.

March 29, 2024

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Peabody Auditorium, Georgia College & State University

To sponsor this program or register for the event, visit the Women's Leadership Conference.

A collaboration among the Women's Center & LGBTQ+ Programs, Alumni Association, J. Whitney Bunting College of Business, The Office of Inclusive Excellence, Office of Community Engagement & Service, and the School of Continuing & Professional Studies.

Employers seeking an opportunity to grow their workforce can participate in The Workforce Readiness Program. The MBC Workforce Readiness Program is a collaborative effort to support our local businesses in recruiting, retaining, and building our community's workforce to be Georgia's Best. This program is designed to train high school students in workforce etiquette and connect them to mentors and business leaders who will help prepare them for jobs in our community.

Contact Angela Criscoe at angela.criscoe@gcsu.edu or Kara Lassiter at klassiter@milledgevillega.com for more information.

Angela.Criscoe@gcsu.edu

Our mission is to enrich the economic, cultural, personal, and professional lives of Georgians through high-quality educational programs and comprehensive conference and academic support services.

We invite you to reach out with your ideas and suggestions as we continue to elevate our school, the university, our community partners, and families.