AMERICUS — Continuing its commitment to advance education, the AT&T Foundation presented Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) with a check recently on its campus to support the University’s Gateways to Completion project. The grant funds will help faculty and staff at GSW reduce failure rates in “gateway” courses which have high rates of failure.
The Gateways to Completion process of continuous improvement, under the guidance of the John Gardner Institute, will help GSW create and subsequently implement an evidence-based plan for improving student learning, success and completion in courses that have historically resulted in high DFWI (grade of D, F, Withdrawal or Incomplete) rates especially for low-income, first-generation and historically underrepresented students as defined by race and ethnicity. The courses involved in the plan include college algebra, English composition II and essentials of biology 1.
“Georgia Southwestern State University is proud to be working with the John Gardner Institute to apply the Gateways to Completion program,” said GSW Interim President Charles Patterson. “We are very grateful to AT&T, Bill Leahy and Courtney Brinson for their continued support of Georgia Southwestern. This contribution by AT&T is a direct investment in the University’s faculty and the development of curriculum that support teaching, learning and student success.”
“Programs like Gateways to Completion are a testament to the strong commitment to education from Georgia’s elected leaders like Lt. Gov. Cagle, and they effectively prepare Georgia’s students for success in today’s careers that require continually evolving skill sets,” said Bill Leahy, president of AT&T Georgia. “AT&T is proud to support Gateways to Completion at Georgia Southwestern State University, and the efforts being made to engage staff, faculty and students in the job of helping students find success in the classroom and build strong foundations for their futures.”

In support of public higher education in Georgia, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle was on hand during the presentation ceremony today on the GSW campus.

“It is always a pleasure to host Lt. Gov. Cagle on the beautiful campus of Georgia Southwestern State University,” Patterson added. “He has been a champion for education in the state of Georgia.”

Georgia Southwestern’s Gateways to Completion plan will officially begin June 14, 2017, and will be completed by June 30, 2018. The goal of the project is to reduce DFWI rates by 10 percent.