GNTC celebrated continued growth, veteran outreach in 2024
In 2024, Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) entered into partnerships that boost educational opportunities for northwest Georgia residents and earned recognition for its outreach to veterans.
To help remedy a shortage of area healthcare professionals, Atrium Health Floyd and GNTC signed a new agreement on May 8 to increase enrollment in three of GNTC’s healthcare programs and increase the number of Respiratory Therapists, Radiologic Technologists and Certified Nursing Assistants in northwest Georgia.
According to the fund agreement, Atrium Health Floyd committed funding to be disbursed over five years to increase total enrollment in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Radiologic Technology and Respiratory Care programs at GNTC’s Floyd County Campus in Rome.
GNTC will place additional Radiologic Technology students, Respiratory Care students and all Floyd County Campus CNA students enrolled in the programs in Atrium Health Floyd preceptorship slots each year, contingent upon the availability of slots and in addition to other clinical rotations needed to complete their academic program; a preceptorship is highly focused, clinical training in which a student receives individual mentorship in a specific clinical setting.
The agreement is also helping to fund instructor positions and laboratory upgrades at GNTC.
“The Atrium Health Floyd agreement has allowed us to supplement the salary for a full-time CNA instructor,” said Jennifer Loudermilk, associate vice president of Academic Affairs at GNTC. “Additionally, we have increased our Radiologic Technology intake and hired an adjunct instructor to assist with extra clinical rotations.”
The partnership also earmarked funds to renovate an existing Radiologic Technology lab and purchase additional equipment.
Northwest Georgia Connect
Dalton State College, Georgia Highlands College and GNTC established Northwest Georgia Connect, a new articulation agreement to further educational opportunities for currently enrolled and future students at these institutions, as well as to support economic and workforce development in the communities they serve.
Leaders from the three colleges signed the Northwest Georgia Connect articulation agreement on Dec. 9. The partnership allows students to enroll at GNTC, complete one of the articulated Associate of Applied Science degrees and be eligible to enroll in one of the corresponding Bachelor of Science degrees at Dalton State or Georgia Highlands.
“The new agreement demonstrates a commitment to enhancing workforce development and expanding educational opportunities for Georgia Northwestern Technical College students,” Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president, said. “By Dalton State and Georgia Highlands fostering seamless transfer pathways and collaborating with GNTC, this agreement aims to provide our graduates additional opportunities for higher education, further enhancing their skills and knowledge to better serve the workforce needs of northwest Georgia.”
Northwest Georgia Connect has created new pathways for GNTC students to continue their education in the areas of Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Engineering Technology, Health and Wellness, Health Science, Information Technology, Organizational Leadership and Respiratory Therapy at Dalton State or Georgia Highlands.
Upon completion of an associate degree in a participating program at GNTC, a graduate’s transcript will be sent free of charge to Dalton State and/or Georgia Highlands upon request. Dalton State and Georgia Highlands will waive application fees for applicants who have completed an eligible associate degree program at GNTC.
The Dec. 9 signing represented the programs in the first phase. The second phase will allow more programs, including business-related programs, to be added as faculty and academic leaders continue discussions. While there is no immediate timeline, more programs may be added by the end of the spring 2025 semester so that students graduating from GNTC have additional options for the fall 2025 semester.
Military Friendly School Gold Designation
On March 29, GNTC announced it had received the 2024-25 Military Friendly® School Gold designation. The gold designation means GNTC is rated within 10% of the 10th-ranked organization for the category of small community college.
GNTC received the Silver designation for 2023-24.
“Being named as a Military Friendly® School for the second year in a row is an incredible honor,” said Josh Hickman, GNTC Student Life specialist. “Making the list as a Military Friendly® School really showcases the dedication of GNTC’s leadership, faculty and staff and highlights the efforts made to provide our military-connected students the absolute best experience.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-25 survey with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.
Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
“Over the past year, GNTC has served over 275 military students, including service members, veterans, spouses and dependents, making up approximately 3.15% of our student population,” said Legare Price, associate vice president of Student Success at GNTC. “At GNTC, our military students not only receive a quality education that prepares them for the workforce, but we also offer military benefits that include dedicated staff and support services, federal financial aid benefits, credit for military training, specialized student policies and more.”
Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 12,241 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,031 students and an additional enrollment of 4,210 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start.
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