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The Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) program celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special reunion at Meigs Hall on April 11, 2025. The event gathered more than 50 fellows, past and current, to celebrate the impact of the GTF program over its three decades of existence. Established in 1995 by Governor Zell Miller, the program provides Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing and improving classroom instruction.
We’re kicking off our month of Graduate Assistantship spotlights with Renni Turpin, who currently serves as a graduate assistant in the UGA Fanning Institute for Leadership Development with Embark Georgia.
Embark Georgia supports students who have experienced foster care and/or homelessness to improve their access, retention, and success in postsecondary education.
Working with Embark Georgia has given Renni the opportunity to apply her academic knowledge and research expertise to assist this impactful program.
By Glenda Dowdy
For the Georgia College Advisers, the month of May is a time for reflection, and a wrap up period of the 2022-2023 school year. Every year one special event allows the advisers to celebrate the strides they have made with their students. This event is Decision Day.
by Abigail Poirier
On March 10 the Georgia College Advising Corps advisers had the opportunity to attend the Skills USA Expo and Competition at the Georgia World Congress Center. The Expo offered advisers the chance to learn more about technical college programs in Georgia and career options for their students. The event also brought together the top students in Georgia to compete in their respective technical programs.
by Emaleigh Fleeman
GCAC advisers are well versed in the various institution types, and make sure students are aware of all options before making post-secondary plans. Several advisers who serve in our partner schools have recently held events to ensure students are exposed to multiple institution types, and the unique opportunities they offer.
by Abby Poirier
Last week, the GCAC advisers attended the 2023 College Advising Corps Adviser Assembly titled Celebrating Our Impact and Embracing Our Future. Held every year, the event brings together over 1,000 college advisers, university program partners, alumni, and donors to connect with one another while attending keynote sessions, informative adviser-led workshops, and professional development-focused panel discussions all centered around promoting access and equity.
by Emaleigh Fleeman Since 2008, November has been recognized as Apply to College Month in Georgia. Many colleges in the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia participate by waiving application fees throughout the month of November. College advisers prepare for this initiative by partnering with counseling staff, teachers, colleges, and other organizations to provide multiple opportunities for students to complete college applications.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opened on October 1st, which presented a new opportunity for advisers to kick off financial aid efforts and motivate their students to submit the FAFSA. Throughout the month advisers have spent time educating students and their families about filling out the FAFSA and applying for scholarships.
by Shellby Branch
by Jewel Caruso
Brook Thompson, program director of the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC), was recently recognized in an article by UGA Today.
Her dedication to professional advocacy for education equity was highlighted in the article:
by Renni Turpin
Well into the spring semester, many college seniors are looking for their next opportunity. The Georgia College Advising Corps is actively recruiting for open college adviser positions which will begin July 2022.
Four months into “FAFSA season,” Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC) college advisers work hard to motivate and support seniors to submit their financial aid forms. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is critical for college enrollment and is the gateway for federal and state grants, work-study, and federally backed student loans. According to the Department of Education, 34.4% of seniors at GCAC schools have submitted the FAFSA, putting us more than 2 percentage points above the Georgia average of 31.3%.
by Brionna Johnson
The University of Georgia’s College Advising Corps is proud to announce our program’s expansion into the Newton County school system in Covington, GA. With support from the Newton County School District, we are placing three new college advisers at Alcovy High School, Eastside High School, and Newton High School to begin their service in mid-January 2022. GCAC now has 24 advisers serving 20 high schools across the state of Georgia.
Brook Thompson and Brionna Johnson led an information session about the Georgia College Advising Corps to members of the McBee Institute community.
As summer transitions to autumn, the excitement of going back to school is palpable for students, families, school staff, and the advisers of the Georgia College Advising Corps (GCAC). On August 2nd, GCAC advisers entered their school sites, ready to assist students and families at seventeen high schools across Georgia with navigating post-secondary applications.
IHE faculty, staff, alumnus, and students attended the 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast honoring the legacy of Dr. King and celebrating the work of area peacemakers. The inspirational annual event is coordinated through a partnership of UGA, Athens–Clarke County Unified Government, and the Clarke County School District. Alumnus
Dominique Quarles (PhD 2019) helps coordinate this event each year as the director of the Office of Institutional Diversity at UGA.
IHE faculty member Leslie Gordon will greet the 2019-2020 Governor's Teaching Fellows (GTF) in September as the program’s new director. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this wonderful faculty development program and its past and present fellows," said Gordon. "IHE has a strong commitment to education in Georgia, and I look forward to being a part of that tradition through this well-respected program."
Marguerite Koepke retired as the director of the Governor’s Teaching Fellows program (GTF) at the conclusion of the summer symposium this year. Koepke is professor emerita in the College of Environment and Design and had held a courtesy appointment at the Institute of Higher Education (IHE) to lead the program since 2000.
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