AMERICUS — South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) has begun its third year as a participant in the “Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Reform Network,” announced SGTC  Acting President Janice Davis.
SGTC was one of 13 institutions selected into the “Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Reform Network” in 2013, and South Georgia Tech has retained its membership for year two and three. ATD is the nation’s most comprehensive non-governmental reform network for student success in higher education history. During its initial year, the college collected and analyzed data and then submitted a four-year work plan to identify and implement evidence-based strategies designed to close achievement gaps and increase student retention, persistence, and completion rates for students.
“Student success is a top priority at South Georgia Technical College and Achieving the Dream has and still is providing South Georgia Technical College with valuable assistance in analyzing data and helping our college make more informed decisions about students learning outcomes and program needs,” stated Acting President Davis. “South Georgia Tech and our students are better today thanks to our association with Achieving the Dream.”
The college collects and reviews data on the strategies implemented over the past two years to see what areas are showing the most improvement and what areas might benefit from added interventions. SGTC’s “Achieving the Dream” Leadership and Data Coaches visited the college to review the data and strategies in December and meet with the college’s core and data teams.
Dr. Larry A. Calderon, a former community college president in Florida and California, serves as the ATD leadership coach for SGTC and Dr. Donna M. Jovanovich, director of Institutional Effectiveness for John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Virginia, is the college’s ATD Data Coach.
SGTC Vice President for Academic Affairs John Watford, Ed.D., serves as the college’s Achieving the Dream Core Team Leader. The other members of the SGTC Core Leadership team in addition to Acting President Davis and Watford include  Vice President for Student Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness Karen Werling, Assistant Vice President of Administrative Services Lea Coe, Vice President of Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird, and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers.
The members of SGTC’s Data Team include: SGTC Director of Information Technology Wray Skipper, Registrar Julie Partain, Academic Affairs Dean Vanessa Wall, David Finley, Ed.D., Raymond Holt, and Andrea Oates, Ed.D., Special Populations Coordinator LaKenya Johnson, Assistant Vice President of Student Navigation Deborah Jones, Ed.D., Instructors Michele Seay, Katrice Taylor, Andrea Ingram, and admissions coordinator Kari Bodrey.
The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network includes over 200 institutions and more than 100 coaches and advisors, and 15 state policy teams – working throughout 34 states and the District of Columbia. ATD is helping 3.8 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams.