GSC solidifying itself as 'military friendly'

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville State College (GSC) was recently named to the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium for the 2011-2013 membership cycle.

School officials say GSC’s membership in SOC affirms the commitment to fair, equitable, and effective policies and practices that recognize and deal with the special conditions faced by military students who want to obtain a college education.

As one of more than 1,900 SOC colleges and universities, GSC serves National Guard, reserves, new recruits and veterans, in addition to active-duty service members as they further their education.

SOC is a vehicle to help coordinate voluntary postsecondary educational opportunities for service members.

School officials say GSC has committed to up hold the SOC Principles and Criteria and is making great strides in meeting the special needs of our service members.

This push to be military friendly took a big step forward in May of 2011 when GSC was named by the University System to be part of special program which eases the path to college for military through the “Soldiers 2 Scholars” program.

In response to the needs of our service members, GSC established CALM, the Center for Adult Learners and Military as well as the Military Resource Center.

Adult Learning and Military Outreach Coordinator Christy Orr oversees these areas and works closely with the students to help them achieve their goals.
“CALM provides a concierge-type service to our Adult Learners and Military students,” said Orr. “From Financial Aid, Counseling/Career, or Academic Advising we are able to assist in all areas. We have designated a specific person in each student service department that the CALM center and military students can contact for assistance, as well.”

According to Orr, “CALM also prides itself in being an advocate for Adult Learners and Military students. As part of this mission, a Military Advisory Council was developed and is made up of faculty, staff and students. The duties of this Council are to identify the issues our veteran and military students face and make recommendations for addressing them.”

Academically, GSC has joined with other University System of Georgia institutions as part of the Adult Learning Consortium and Soldiers 2 Scholars initiative in order to offer a wide range of courses for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit.

GSC works with service members through the PLA process, where students identify areas of relevant learning from their past experiences, demonstrate that learning through appropriate documentation, and submit their materials so that they can be assessed and possibly awarded academic credit relative to specific course objectives at GSC.

Prior learning is learning gained through life or work outside of structured higher educational courses. Many people learn through their experiences in life such as those in professional endeavors (through business, the military, or other work/training experiences) or through other educational experiences (through community work, family, travel, or personal study).

For more information about GSC’s initiatives to help service members be successful, please contact Christy Orr at corr@gsc.edu or 678-717-3633.


Link: SOC Consortium