CAIRO, GA (WALB) - A new partnership between two south Georgia colleges is giving students easier access to higher education.
Albany State University is now offering bachelor's degree level courses at Southwest Georgia Tech in Cairo.
Students say this will now help them to continue their education.
Early Childhood Education student Amber Hamilton says she just learned about this new partnership. "That would be awesome. Yes gas is very expensive and a lot of people are not able to do that just because oh I don't have enough gas to get there."
Hamilton, and other students in Cairo, now have the opportunity to take upper level Albany State courses, right in their backyard.
"So when they finish their associate degree, they can really go right down the hallway and take these junior and senior level courses in those particular areas like criminal justice, early childhood care and education, and social work," said SWGTC President Dr. Craig Wentworth.
"It will be like oh I can just drive down like a mile from the house or look it's just next door to my old classroom and it's more exciting and more like yay closer to education," said Hamilton.
Hamilton says she's looking forward to learning more about teaching. "Different people have different opinions about teaching. And it's always good to have that thought of oh I didn't think of it like that. It's always good to have different perspectives than all of us just thinking one thing."
Wentworth says this will allow Albany State to register students they wouldn't have in the past. "In this era when your state funding is reduced and you've got to rely more on tuition revenue, in talking with Dr. Freeman I'm sure they want to increase their overall enrollment and I would assume they want to increase the number of students they get from that area."
Wentworth says with 27 general education courses now eligible for transfer to University System of Georgia institutions, they hope not only to expand their relationship with Albany State, but with several other universities as well.
The ASU courses will all be offered at night, Monday through Thursday.
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Dr. Craig Wentworth
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