South Georgia Tech President speaks to Cordele Rotary Club

New South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford thanked Cordele and Crisp County for their support of South Georgia Technical College, its faculty and staff, and students, during his talk as the special guest speaker at the Cordele Rotary Club meeting recently.       “I am relatively new in my position as President of South Georgia Technical College,” said Dr. Watford, as he opened his talk, “but I feel as though each of you know me because I have been with the college for over 26 years and I served as the Vice President of Operations for the Crisp County Center and was a member of this club. I still live in Crisp County.”       Dr. Watford gave the club a brief overview of the history of South Georgia Technical College in Americus and in Crisp County and thanked the individuals who had played a significant role in encouraging South Georgia Tech into opening a campus in Cordele.       “Cordele and Crisp County are very important to South Georgia Technical College, but we are also very important to you for business and industry training and development, and for the overall good of this community,” explained Dr. Watford. “We are only as good as our workforce and South Georgia Technical College’s mission is workforce development. I am thankful for the support that we receive from this and the other communities in our service area.”       Dr. Watford highlighted that South Georgia Technical College is “Making it Happen,” in Academics, Athletics, and Activities. “We are a leader in the Technical College System of Georgia and throughout the nation. Our faculty, staff, and students are consistently ranked as leaders in academics, athletics, and activities. Ashley Rodgers, a Marketing Management student, was just selected as the top technical college student in the state and will be representing all technical colleges for the next year speaking to the Governor and the state legislature as well as other groups.”       In addition to the top student, South Georgia Technical College has an alumni playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA), a young female athlete that was selected as a NJCAA first team Division I All-American who will be playing for Wichita State in the fall, and a large number of students competing for national recognition in clubs and organizations such as SkillsUSA, Phi Beta Lambda, and the National Honor Society.       Dr. Watford also stressed how partnerships with leaders in business and industry strengthened the college and the education that students receive. “We have strong partnerships with industry recognized leaders such as Caterpillar, John Deere, Metro Power, Kauffman Tire, and others. These provide great job opportunities for our graduates and for strengthening our workforce.”       South Georgia Technical College is graded on three main things – enrollment, graduation, and placement, explained Watford. “We may not be the largest technical college in the state, but right now we are the most efficient. Based on the number of students that are enrolled, we have the highest percentage of retaining and graduating our students and with placing them in positions after graduation.”       Other items that Dr. Watford touched on included the financial advantages of attending a technical college. “There are currently nine different program areas at South Georgia Technical College that students receive extra grant funding for if they are HOPE Eligible. That makes it almost tuition free to attend South Georgia Technical College.”       In closing, Dr. Watford, thanked the Cordele Rotary Club again for their support and awarded several door prizes to the individuals who correctly answered questions he covered during the talk