Georgia Highlands College
Center for STEM Learning
Presenters:
Gregory D. Ford, Ph.D.
Sharryse Henderson, M.S.
Jillian Petro
------------------------------Acknowledgement:
Tim Floyd, Laura Ralston, Erin Kingston,
Camille Pace, & Jayme Wheeler
Mission Statement
Georgia Highlands College, a state college of the
University System of Georgia under the governance of
the Board of Regents, was founded in 1970 to provide
educational opportunities for the physical, intellectual,
and cultural development of a diverse population
through pre-baccalaureate associate degree transfer
programs, career associate degree programs, and
targeted baccalaureate degree programs that meet the
economic development needs of the region.
Main Campus and Instructional Sites
Our main campus, six instructional sites serve the
students throughout Northwest Georgia:
Student Demographics: 2016-17
GHC Quick Facts: 2016-2017
Student Enrollment, Fall 2016
Total Enrollment
Enrollment by Campus
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
Residency
Class
Full-Time/Part-Time
Average SAT Scores
First-Time Freshmen
Average ACT Scores
First-Time Freshmen
Cartersville
Douglasville
Floyd
Heritage Hall
Marietta
Paulding
eCore/eClassroom/Online
Unreported Facility-CIR
Male
Female
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Black(Non-Hispanic)
Hispanic
Multiracial
White (Non-Hispanic)
Unknown
Georgia
Out of State
International
Freshmen
Sophomore
Transient
Dual Enrollment
Other
Full-Time
Part-Time
Math
Verbal
English
Math
6013
1913
432
1078
106
908
444
1063
70
2199 36.6%
3814 63.4%
14
0.2%
93
1.6%
1034 17.2%
754 12.5%
189
3.1%
3905 65.0%
24
0.4%
5809 96.6%
143
2.4%
61
1.0%
3498 58.2%
2118 35.2%
13
0.2%
356
5.9%
28
0.5%
3225 53.6%
2789 46.4%
449.3
461.1
18.7
18.6
Full-Time Faculty
Part-Time Faculty
Gender
Male
Female
African American
Caucasian (White)
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaskan Native
52
71
10
107
5
0
1
GHC
Additional Fact Book Data
Race/Ethnicity
123
162
42.3%
57.7%
8.1%
87.0%
4.1%
0.0%
0.8%
Additional GHC Statistics
Student to Faculty Ratio, Fall 2016
Graduates for Academic Year 2015-2016
Associate’s Degree 1-Year Retention Rate
First-time, Full-time Freshmen
Fall 2015
Tuition Cost for Academic Year 2016-2017
(tuition per semester hour)
Transfers to Other USG Institutions 2015-2016
2015 Cohort
2016 Enrolled or Graduated
Retention Rate
In-State
Out-of-State
21:1
654
1020
712
69.8%
$90.87
$344.00
804
(latest information available from USG)
GHC is one of only two colleges in Georgia listed in a
2015 national database as the “best value” and “best
return on investment” in the state.
USG STEM Initiative Goals
In order to address these challenges in Georgia, the USG
STEM initiative works aggressively with USG institutions and
K-12 partners to increase:
• The number of K-12 students who are prepared for and
are interested in majoring in STEM disciplines in college
• The success and completion rates of college students
majoring in STEM disciplines
• The number of qualified K-12 STEM teachers.
Georgia Highlands College Center for STEM
Learning –Vision Statement
Georgia Highlands College Center for STEM
Learning –Mission Statement
GHC – CSL Goals for 2016-17
 To inspire students to consider STEM pathways
 To support retention efforts to increase the number of
STEM graduates
 To develop new co-curricular materials, instructional
approaches, and technology-based learning
environments that can promote equity and enhance
STEM learning
 To strengthen collaborative STEM partnerships with
key community partners.
Goal 1. To inspire students to consider STEM pathways
We offered classes at three satellite facilities to better
serve MOWR students:
• Bartow County College and Career
Academy – CHEM 1211K/1212K
• Floyd County College and Career Academy – BIOL 2017/2018
• Polk County College and Career Academy – CHEM 1211K/1212K
Goal 2. To support recruitment and retention efforts
to increase the number of STEM graduates
We are targeting local school in all
five of our service areas working
with our professional advisors.
We have created marketing
products to drive home the
message of “STEM READY”
Marketing folders are being
distributed to school councilors at
the GHC Counselor Workshop
Goal 2. To support recruitment and retention efforts
to increase the number of STEM graduates
Developed program maps
with common STEM first
semester experience.
We have put a focus on
Chemistry as a common
first-year Area D science
sequence.
Goal 2. To support recruitment and retention efforts
to increase the number of STEM graduates
Success in Chemistry Courses at GHC
Percentage of Students that Receive an A, B, or C in STEM Core Courses
Chemistry 1151
40.20%
67.80%
72.70%
74.60%
56.00%
63.50%
Chemistry 1152
76.50%
94.40%
95.20%
89.50%
75.70%
91.50%
Chemistry 1211
55.30%
45.40%
40.80%
58.90%
55.40%
62.00%
Chemistry 1212
85.60%
72.20%
52.90%
75.90%
75.40%
70.30%
…a success story, all data is good data
Goal 3. To develop co-curricular materials to enhance
STEM Learning
Introducing the Georgia
Highlands College Center for
STEM Learning Website
(Prototype)
Goal 4. To strengthen collaborative STEM
partnerships with key community partners - KSU
Supporting transfer
students to increase
success for all.
Thirty-seven percent of students
transfer between institutions
before completing a degree. We
have explored the diverse
challenges faced by institutions
with large populations of transfer
students; the institutional,
pedagogical, and dispositional
barriers to student success that
lead to only 48% of them
completing their bachelor’s
degree within 4 years.
Moving beyond the articulation
agreement to build meaningful
transfer consortia that support
students across institutional
divides.
Kennesaw State University is a
comprehensive university of 35,000
students in northwest Georgia offering
Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees.
Georgia Highlands College is a state
college of almost 6,000 students in
northwest Georgia offering 4 Bachelor’s
degrees, 33 Associates degrees, and a
range of specialize career certificates.
Chattahoochee Technical College is a
multi-campus member of the Technical
College System of Georgia serving 14,000
students offering 70 certificates, diplomas,
and Associates degrees
Presenters:
Scott Reese, Ph.D.
Asst. Dean for Curriculum, College of
Science and Mathematics, KSU
Adrian Epps, Ph.D.
Assoc. Dean for External Affairs, College of
Science and Mathematics, KSU
Gregory Ford, Ph.D.
Dean, Division of Natural Science and
Physical Education, GHC
Mark Anderson, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Science and
Mathematics, KSU
Next Steps
Goal 4. To strengthen collaborative STEM
partnerships with key community partners
Our Newest Project is in collaboration with Cartersville High
School and 100 Black Men of Northwest Georgia
Georgia Highlands College Robotics is a comprehensive STEM
program created to motivate and expose students to STEM
opportunities and careers. The program consists FIRST robotics,
coding, STEM activities and field trips.
The
FIRST
LEGO™
League
Program (FLL) is considered the
“little league” of the FIRST Robotics
Competition, and extends the FIRST
concept of inspiring and celebrating
science and technology to children
aged 9 through 14.
Contact Us
Gregory D. Ford, Ph.D., PI
[email protected]
Sharryse Henderson, M.S., Director
[email protected]