The Americus Civitan Club continued its support of South Georgia Technical College and the South Georgia Technical College Foundation recently by donating to the club’s endowed scholarship fund at South Georgia Technical College.
Keelan Barkley, President of the Americus Civitan Club presented South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford with the donation. “Thank you for what you mean to our college, the SGTC Foundation and most of all to our students,” said President Watford. “Your generous donation is helping students and families realize their dream of earning an education and finding meaningful employment. You are also giving back to our community by helping provide scholarships for skilled nurses.
“South Georgia Technical College has been providing outstanding workforce education to this community for 77 years,” continued President Watford, who added that South Georgia Technical College is continuing to grow thanks to the efforts of the Civitan Club and other community organizations. “Our enrollment is up 13 percent from last year and we foresee that trend continuing with the addition of new technical certificate of credit and degree offerings.”
South Georgia Technical College offers students the “complete college experience” with on-campus housing and nationally ranked academics, student activities, and intercollegiate athletics. The college provides over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs.
South Georgia Technical College has a 100% job placement rate for graduates, a 12 to 1 student-teacher ratio, and provides the use of textbooks at no cost to students. Thanks to the Americus Civitan Club and other local supporters, the SGTC Foundation was able to award 787 grants and scholarships to academically deserving and financially disadvantaged students this past year.
Dr. Watford shared with club members that SGTC’s new LPN to RN Bridge program began its first class this semester with 40 individuals enrolled. Over 120 individuals applied for the 40-slots. He also shared how it is now possible for students to enroll at SGTC for their Certified Nursing Assistant credentials, return and earn their Licensed Practical Nurse certificate, then enroll in the LPN to RN Bridge program and continue on to the University System of earn their BSN.
“There is a great need for nurses in rural Georgia and your donations are helping us meet that need,” said Dr. Watford. “We appreciate your club for what they mean to our community and we thank you for believing in us and for sharing the good news about the education we provide.”
The Americus Civitan Club is a group of citizens who volunteer in a wide range of charity projects. They conduct fundraisers and charity projects to help others in this community, with a special emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities.
Civitan International is an international organization of community service clubs with roughly 40,000 members across four continents. Club members volunteer to help others in their community, and fund the UAB Civitan International Research Center, a world-class medical facility dedicated to researching developmental disabilities and other cognitive disorders. For more information, visit www.civitan.org, or call 1-800-CIVITAN.
“I would like to add my thanks to the Americus Civitan Club for their support of our students,” said Su Ann Bird, South Georgia Technical College Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the SGTC Foundation. “This scholarship is very important to our nursing students. We appreciate your willingness to provide the funds that help these deserving students financially with tuition, uniforms, and state board exams.”
The Americus Civitan Club has been sponsoring individual scholarships at South Georgia Technical College since September 2003. Thirty-seven nursing students have already received Americus Civitan Club scholarships.
“Partnerships like this one and others are crucial to our success,” said Dr. Watford. “Your investment in an endowed scholarship will continue to give back to our students indefinitely. We appreciate what you are doing here and in our community. Thank you again for recognizing the value of the educational opportunities that we are able to provide to our students.”
For more information about donating to the SGTC Foundation or endowing a scholarship at South Georgia Technical College, contact Su Ann Bird, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu. Contributions may also be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA.
To learn more about the over 200 different associate degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit programs and the free books offer available at South Georgia Technical College, contact the admissions at 229-931-2394 in Americus or 229-271-4040 in Cordele.