Faculty and Staff are All-In for 'Student Success'

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Contributed by Carrie Viohl

I will admit that I rolled my eyes at the discovery that Southern Regional Technical College compels all students to take a class called “Student Success.” I am nearly 40. I am not fresh out of high school, and I have spent most of my adult life auto-didactically learning without the benefit of a Student Success class. I was pretty sure that I would be just fine without that class.

I’d once felt the same way about the required “Introduction to Computers” class that I had to take last semester. That, however, was before I met Ms. Adriane Thomas. Ms. Thomas is an already statuesque woman who becomes positively Amazonian when she slaps on a pair of stylish heels and runs her classroom with a resonant voice, an irresistible smile, and a no-nonsense approach to coursework that she understands might seem elementary to many of her students. On the first day of class, she charged my fellow students and me with a mission to take the lessons seriously, and to treat even the most familiar of tasks as a chance to learn more efficient ways to work with computers, since most of us will be using computers for most of our careers. Motivated, I took her good advice, and soon found myself blushingly admitting to myself that I did have room to improve in my mastery of programs like Word or PowerPoint, programs that I genuinely thought I knew inside and out! My very first college lesson was learned: There is always room for improvement.

When I learned that my friend and “bossman” here at the school, Cole Posey, was teaching Student Success during this summer semester, I decided it was as good a time as any to go ahead and get this class out of the way. In preparation for my first day of class with Mr. Posey, I read over the COLL1500 Syllabus. I was surprised to be impressed by the depth and breadth of topics that would be covered. While this was never going to be my most challenging class at SRTC, so far it has been a good chance for honest self-reflection and to sharpen some skills that I can now confess might have become dulled by two decades away from school. Subjects include time management, study and research skills, understanding personality styles, presentation pointers, and so forth.

One of the most interesting lessons so far was when Mr. Posey brought in Brittany McInvale, SRTC’s Director of Resource Development, to talk to the class about the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation’s amazing scholarship program. We were captivated to hear from our guest speaker that the Foundation awarded well over $100,000 in scholarships in the past year alone. Most incredibly, we learned that a huge chunk of that scholarship money comes directly from giving by the faculty and staff of SRTC. Over 80% of those employed here care enough about the students of SRTC to donate their own money to help defray the costs of attending college. While she walked the class through the easy scholarship application process, Brittany explained, “We are so proud of our students. The SRTC Foundation Board of Trustees’ mission has always been to foster a positive learning environment while easing financial burden. It is the pleasure of the SRTC Foundation to offer scholarships to our qualified students each semester and see their progression as they become a vital part of the community workforce.” Though I am sure it will not be the case, if I learn nothing else in this “Student Success” class than that the faculty, staff, and board of this school care that deeply about the students who attend here, it will have been time well spent. Even if it means that I will have to admit that I might have, once again, been wrong.

For more information about the NMT program, contact Michaela Underwood at (229) 217-4160, or email her: munderwood@southernregional.edu. SRTC offers over 148 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 27 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Ashburn, Cairo, Camilla, Moultrie, Thomasville, Tifton, and Sylvester for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu or call (888) 205-3449. Fall Semester 2017 begins August 22nd. Don’t wait, enroll today!


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