OAKWOOD - Adults who have considered going back to college to complete their degrees will have a chance April 18 to learn about resources provided by the University of North Georgia (UNG) to help them reach that goal, including an established network of support and online and evening classes.
As part of the April 18 Admission Open House on the Gainesville Campus, UNG will host a "Go Back. Move Ahead."information session for adults interested in returning to or applying to college. Open House begins at 9 a.m. in the Hugh Mills Gym with an overview of UNG.
At 9:30 a.m. in the Martha T. Nesbitt Building, Christy Orr, director of UNG's Center for Adult Learners and Military (CALM), will discuss options and resources for adult learners and answer questions.
Open House check-in and registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. in the gym lobby; pre-registration for the free event is available online via the admissions website.
"This is a chance for anyone who is thinking about going back to college to get their degree to learn about options," said Keith Antonia, director of admissions. "We have a team of professionals who are looking forward to talking with folks about the academic pathways that may fit their goals, schedules and financial situations."
The "Go Back. Move Ahead." campaign was launched in 2014 to encourage the 1.1 million working-age adults, or 22 percent of the state's population, who attended college for some time but did not finish. The initiative offers a simple enrollment process, flexible ways to transfer earned college credits, additional course schedule options and a personal academic advisor – services already available at UNG.
"In order for Georgia to remain economically competitive, we must have an educated work force, and focusing on college completion is one way we intend to do that," Gov. Nathan Deal said in announcing the initiative in 2014. "'Go Back. Move Ahead.' provides resources for prospective students and makes it easy for any Georgian who has started college to go back to school and earn a degree or certificate."
All of UNG's core curriculum classes, and many other courses, are available online through the university's eCore affiliation. UNG offers several programs online, including master's degrees in international affairs, criminal justice, physical education or education; teacher education endorsements in gifted or reading; bachelor of nursing in RN to BSN; and certificate of gerontology.
CALM is a central resource at UNG that helps returning adults navigate the admissions process, connect with campus resources, and network with peers who have successfully transitioned back to school. Orr said the center creates an adult-friendly environment across all four campuses.
"CALM offers UNG adult learners personal advising, career planning, financial advisement, and prior learning experience assessment," Orr said. "The Go Back, Move Ahead initiative enhances CALM's current services and will aid in creating additional programs that will benefit adult learners."
"Go Back. Move Ahead." is part of Deal's "Complete College Georgia" initiative, which launched in 2011 to increase the percentage of Georgia's population with some level of college completion to 60 percent by the year 2020 to meet projected workforce needs.
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