Coastal Georgia Breaks Dual Enrollment Record, Welcomes Second-Largest Freshman Class

Story by Taylor Cooper of The Brunswick News tcooper@thebrunswicknews.com

College of Coastal Georgia is starting the fall semester with two milestones under its belt — the highest number of high school students taking classes via dual enrollment programs and the second-largest freshman class in its history.

The freshman class is around 8.7% higher than last year’s fall semester, said Jason Umfress, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

A total of 3,621 students are enrolled and over 500 high school students are taking college classes via CCGA, interim CCGA President Johnny Evans said. The number of local students has increased somewhat, but most of the growth in enrolled students is from outside the college’s general five-county area.

“We’ve done a lot of really good work not only recruiting local students but concentrating on our other markers,” Umfress said, adding that college officials have been “hitting the road and telling the good story about the college, what we offer, what makes us unique.”

It includes the tagline that anyone who’s seen the school’s marketing would be familiar with: “College is better by the beach,” Evans said.

“It’s not just because we’re a 15-minute drive from the beaches of St. Simons and Jekyll Island, but because we concentrate on the programs that take advantage of where we are,” Umfress said.

That includes courses in hospitality and tourism, environmental sciences, marine science, coastal ecology, criminal justice, nursing and health sciences. All of those programs are an easy sell, Umfress said, because the college benefits greatly from its proximity to tourist destinations on the islands, the beach, marshes and wetlands, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and Southeast Georgia Health System.

The nursing and health sciences programs in particular will see an expansion this year. A $16 million allotment from the University System of Georgia is paying to expand the Miriam and Hugh Nunnally Health and Science Building.

That’s on top of the renovations to the Andrews Center, the oldest of its original buildings, a new community performing arts center, an upgrade to the internal road system of the campus and a new softball field.

Construction on the performing arts center is expected to begin next month. A new road, which will allow car travel to all parts of the campus without having to use a city road, and the softball field will be completed this semester.

Originally published in The Brunswick News. Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News.