Our Shared Values
In 2021, Georgia Highlands College launched a new strategic plan. The process for developing a new strategic plan started in 2018. Through a process led by the Strategic Planning Council at GHC, two important questions were asked: Who are we now? Where do we go next? Backed by data and information from surveys, focus groups, workshops, and forums, the strategic priorities for GHC starting in 2021 and going through 2026 are access and opportunity, inclusivity and engagement, student success, and efficiency and effectiveness. These priorities were aligned with GHC’s mission and with the college’s five “shared values” around that mission. Those values are access, caring, inclusivity, engagement, and excellence. In the following special section, read more about how Georgia Highlands College is working increase the college’s continued efforts of these shared values and strategic priorities.
ACCESS
We provide access to high quality, affordable educational opportunities within the diverse communities we serve. Through intellectual, cultural, physical, and social developmental opportunities, we facilitate the growth and wellness of our students, employees, and our communities.
College expands access to meet needs of student population As Georgia Highlands College works to meet the growing needs of a highly mobile student population, providing greater access to resources is paramount to academic success. The Division of Enrollment Management and the GHC Library System are two areas where the college has expanded access to students.
Enrollment Management
Through GHC’s Division of Enrollment Management, students can gain access to more information and resources than ever before thanks to orchestrated efforts across the division which includes Admissions and Advising. To help students learn about the resources they have available from the moment they begin at GHC, Enrollment Management has worked to reorganize the orientation process. “At GHC, orientation is not a one-time event,” Executive Director of Enrollment Management Jennifer Hicks said. “In an effort to engage students from the time of acceptance through to the first day of class, the Enrollment Management team, along with other orientation stakeholders, has invested in a multi-step approach to transitioning our students to college.”
20 | Spring/Summer 2022
Upon acceptance, students complete a self-paced, pre-orientation module to learn about GHC and how to be successful. They also complete an in-take survey that advisors use to build a customized class schedule for each student. Once pre-orientation is complete, students sign up and attend a virtual orientation. This event is held virtually so all student types can access the opportunity to connect with GHC faculty and staff at a time that is convenient for them. The final major step in the process is our Welcome to Campus Orientation. “These events are held the week before classes begin at each site and offer students the opportunity to meet with faculty from each school, participate in various breakout sessions that interest them – how to be successful in the classroom, getting involved on campus, paying for college, etc. – and take a campus tour,” Hicks said. The Welcome to Campus Orientation is designed to help students really feel like they are a GHC Charger and to get them excited about the upcoming semester. Between these activities and events, staff in the Enrollment Management Division are also sending various communication campaigns to our new students to help them take care of any outstanding requirements
