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Gordon State College Campus Plan Update 2025

Mission

Gordon State College (GSC) is a public institution in Barnesville, Georgia, operating under the University System of Georgia. Founded in 1852, the college enrolls approximately 3,300 students as of Fall 2025 and provides undergraduate degrees across a range of disciplines designed to meet Georgia’s workforce development needs—particularly in nursing, education, and business. GSC is organized around multiple schools that deliver regionally relevant academic programs and emphasize student success and support. The college maintains an accessible admissions policy, fostering opportunity and upward mobility for students from across the state and region.

Fall 2025 Student Profile Overview

Gordon State College enrolls approximately 3,300 undergraduate students, the majority of whom are Georgia residents. More than half of GSC students are enrolled exclusively in online courses, reflecting the college’s commitment to accessible and flexible learning opportunities. The student body is diverse, with a strong representation of African American and White students, along with smaller percentages of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Female students make up about two-thirds of the population, and the college serves a blend of traditional and nontraditional learners, including working adults and part-time students. In Fall 2025, approximately 20% of GSC’s students were dual enrollment participants from area high schools, underscoring the institution’s role in preparing students for college and career pathways across Georgia.

Please see additional student profile data provided below:

Percentage and total number of students by demographic category and student type.

Percentage and total number of students by demographic category and student type.

Figure 1. Percentage and total number of students by demographic category and student type.

. Students by learning support requirement, student type, region of origin, and housing status

Figure 2. Students by learning support requirement, student type, region of origin, and housing status.

tudent identification by first-generation status, STEM/non-STEM designation, and country of origin.

Figure 3. Student identification by first-generation status, STEM/non-STEM designation, and country of origin.

Student distribution by degree type and academic major, part 1.

Student distribution by degree type and academic major, part 2.

Student distribution by degree type and academic major, part 3.

Figure 4. Student distribution by degree type and academic major.

Observations, Next Steps, and Reflecting on Momentum Work 

1.1 Overall experience with respect to student success over the past year

Over the past year, Gordon State College has continued to advance its student success agenda by refining and expanding several key initiatives. These efforts reflect a sustained institutional commitment to fostering academic progress, improving retention, and strengthening the systems that support student learning and engagement.

Attendance Tracking Initiative - The College has maintained comprehensive attendance tracking across all 1000- and 2000-level core courses, supported by increased faculty participation and consistent reporting practices. Automated Navigate notifications continue to alert students who miss more than four class periods, prompting timely intervention from instructional and advising staff. This expanded infrastructure allows for earlier identification of disengagement and increases the likelihood of successful re-engagement.

Enhanced Academic Advising - Professional advising remains extended to the first 60 credit hours, ensuring that students receive structured guidance throughout the foundational stages of their academic careers. The advising team consists of six professional advisors—two assigned to each school—and a dual-enrollment advisor newly transitioned from Admissions. While this model continues to provide targeted support, current advising loads have risen to levels that are no longer optimal. Plans are underway to hire two additional advisors to restore balanced caseloads and maintain high-quality advising services.

Living Learning Communities (LLCs) - The College’s Living Learning Communities for nursing, education, first-generation students, and business majors continue to support student belonging and academic integration. Oversight of these communities has transitioned from Student Affairs to Academic Affairs, with deans and department heads assuming leadership of programming and coordination. The institution is actively exploring the appointment of a dedicated staff member to provide unified management across all communities.

Tutoring and Academic Support Services - Gordon State College’s tutoring program has matured following a period of rapid expansion. Approximately fifteen tutors now provide support across all core subjects and selected upper-level courses. The implementation of a formal referral system allows faculty and staff to initiate Navigate cases for students in need of academic assistance, enabling tutors to conduct structured outreach and document their work through appointment summaries. This system strengthens communication among tutors, advisors, and faculty, contributing to a more coherent network of academic support. Additional campus units, including the library and Housing and Residence Life, are preparing to enhance their use of Navigate, with Housing slated for expanded integration by Spring 2026.

Student Communication and Outreach Campaigns - Communication with students has become increasingly targeted and strategic. Continuing-student messaging campaigns, onboarding communications for new students, and expanded enrollment campaigns have been refined to promote timely registration, persistence, and engagement with four-year pathways. The timeline for enrollment campaigns has been deliberately advanced to align with advising appointment campaigns and encourage proactive registration behavior. In response to recommendations from NISS, the College has initiated a review of message volume and frequency to ensure balanced communication that supports rather than overwhelms students. We have also discontinued our Math Learning Support Outreach campaign, as it may not have achieved measurable success to warrant its continuation. We have expanded and streamlined our Academic Probation Messaging Campaign to provide students on probation with additional information that can help them succeed.

1.2 status and progress of your student success work this year

At the beginning of this period, our outlook on student success was cautiously optimistic. We were emerging from the disruptions of the pandemic and earlier budget reductions, and although progress had begun, much of our support infrastructure still required rebuilding. Over the past year, however, our perspective has shifted toward measured confidence, supported by clear evidence of improvement. Our Fall-to-Fall retention rate now stands at 64.5%, an increase of more than eleven percentage points over last year and the highest rate since Gordon State College became a four-year degree–granting institution. At the same time, we remain realistic: while last year’s Fall 2024 to Spring 2025 retention reached 88%, preliminary indicators this year are mixed—midterm F grades are down, but progress report data suggests we may trail last year slightly.

Several initiatives illustrate why we remain cautiously optimistic. Attendance tracking, now covering all 1000- and 2000-level core courses, continues to generate valuable early alerts and has benefitted from increased faculty buy-in, though new adjuncts and a few resistant faculty members require continued onboarding. Our advising model—expanded to 60 credit hours—remains a major strength, but current caseloads are not sustainable; the planned addition of an advisor in Fall 2026 should provide relief.

Living Learning Communities for nursing, education, first-generation students, and business majors continue to function well under Academic Affairs, though the success of this model depends on identifying a dedicated coordinator. Similarly, our tutoring program has stabilized at around 15 tutors and now includes a referral system tied to Navigate, enabling structured outreach and documented support for students. Continued gains will require standardized training and improved efficiency.

Navigate360 adoption continues to expand, including planned integration with Housing and Residence Life in Spring 2026, but wider ownership and more consistent training are needed. Much of the system’s management still relies heavily on one leader, despite strong IT assistance.

Overall, the substantial rise in Fall-to-Fall retention, coupled with progress across attendance monitoring, advising, LLCs, tutoring, and Navigate, supports an outlook of cautious optimism. While we still face capacity and consistency challenges, the institution is clearly moving in a positive direction and is well positioned to sustain improvement and advance toward long-term student success goals.

1.3 Evaluation

This year brought substantial progress in early intervention and cross-unit coordination. Attendance tracking across all 1000- and 2000-level core courses, especially high-DFW in-person math classes, generated timely alerts that allowed for earlier outreach. In FIRE 1000, ABC rates improved over 2024, suggesting that consistent monitoring and early alerts are beginning to have an impact. The tutoring referral system supported stronger follow-up, and although full analysis will occur in December, appointment tracking and case documentation indicate increasing structure and accountability. The Living Learning Communities continued to foster belonging, and the first Summer Bridge program strengthened early engagement, with participation expected to grow to 70 students in Summer 2026.

Interdepartmental collaboration remained a strong point. The Center for Workforce Development enhanced coordination between Advising and Career Services, and Advising, Financial Aid, and Admissions worked closely to support SAP W students. Expanded communication campaigns, including earlier enrollment nudges and program messaging, increased consistency of student outreach. Navigate360 usage broadened as the library began experimenting with the platform and Housing prepared to implement it in Spring 2026.

Challenges persisted, however. Advising caseloads became unsustainably high, limiting the team’s ability to follow up on early alerts, mentoring, and FIRE-related concerns. An additional advisor is planned for Fall 2026, but the current load remains a constraint. Faculty mentoring and early alert participation were uneven, with many faculty reporting feeling overextended. New adjuncts also required more onboarding for attendance tracking and Navigate, leading to inconsistent reporting. The success of LLCs was similarly limited by the lack of a dedicated coordinator. Navigate360 ownership remains overly centralized, with one leader managing most training and maintenance despite IT support.

Overall, the year demonstrated significant progress—reflected most clearly in the record Fall-to-Fall retention rate of 64.5%, an increase of more than eleven percentage points over last year—but also highlighted areas where capacity, structure, and faculty engagement must improve. Strengthening these elements will be essential to sustaining the positive momentum established this year.

1.4 Analysis

Gordon State College’s progress this year is largely the result of a strong institutional culture, the hard work of committed faculty and staff, and the effective use of technology. Systems like Navigate360 and Element451 served as powerful force multipliers, allowing teams to communicate with students more consistently, coordinate early alerts, track attendance patterns, and streamline outreach in ways that meaningfully supported retention. These tools amplified the impact of our people, enabling small teams to function with greater precision, efficiency, and alignment. Combined with the determination of advisors, instructors, tutors, and student support personnel—and reinforced by leadership that has prioritized collaboration and data-informed practices—these factors created the conditions for our notable gains, including the institution’s substantial improvement in Fall-to-Fall retention and strengthened belonging through LLCs and the Summer Bridge program.

At the same time, several challenges this year stemmed from insufficient staffing and stretched resources. Advising caseloads remain too high to sustain the level of proactive outreach and follow-up that our early alert systems require. Key programs, such as the Faculty Mentor Program and Living Learning Communities, need dedicated personnel to support consistent execution and coordination. Additionally, while technology has been a major asset, Navigate360 management is too centralized, limiting our ability to scale training and expand usage across new units. These resource constraints have made it difficult to maintain consistency across initiatives and underscore the need for additional staffing and structural support to fully realize the potential of our student success efforts.

1.5 Conclusions & Key Takeaways

The past year underscored that collaboration, culture, and coordinated use of technology are central to our progress. We learned that when faculty and staff work together—supported by strong leadership, clearer communication structures, and tools like Navigate360 and Element451 acting as force multipliers—we are able to intervene earlier, support students more consistently, and make meaningful gains in retention and belonging. At the same time, we saw that our momentum is limited when staffing and structural capacity cannot keep pace with the scale of our initiatives; advising caseloads, coordination gaps in mentoring and LLCs, and centralized Navigate oversight all highlighted the need for additional personnel, clearer processes, and sustained training. Moving forward, success will require strengthening these foundational supports, continuing to reduce silos, and deepening cross-departmental coordination. The Momentum strategies we are pursuing—focused on engagement, early intervention, clear pathways, and student belonging—are well aligned with our institutional priorities, and with the right staffing and infrastructure in place, they will continue to guide our progress effectively.

1.6  Action Plan for 2026 

1. Strengthen Early Alert, Attendance, and Intervention Systems

  • Improve intervention effectiveness by focusing on how we act on the attendance and early alert data already collected.
  • Strengthen interventions by following through on Success Plans for all students on academic probation or returning from suspension; all Success Plans must be completed within two weeks of the semester’s start.
  • Increase efficiency and responsiveness in the tutoring program, ensuring referrals consistently result in timely, meaningful support.
  • Refine follow-up expectations across units to ensure clear, timely, documented interventions.

2. Expand and Support the Faculty Mentor Program

  • Improve mentor buy-in through communication about the program’s value and demonstrated impact.
  • Create and distribute a one-page program description outlining workflow, assignments, expectations, and key processes—distributed to faculty and academic assistants.
  • Build a centralized collection of mentoring templates and resources, and consider creating a webpage to house all materials.
  • Provide short, focused training touchpoints for mentors during critical points in the semester.
  • Establish simple recognition practices to acknowledge consistent faculty participation.

3. Improve Advising Capacity, Training, and Integration

  • Reduce caseload pressure by preparing to hire an additional professional advisor for Fall 2026.
  • Implement an annual NACADA-informed training cycle, with flexibility to add more sessions if needed.
  • Form an Advising Advisory Council (per NISS recommendation) to review policies, provide feedback, and help improve advising practices.
  • Strengthen collaboration with FIRE mentors, instructors, tutors, and advisors, ensuring FIRE mentors are fully integrated into the student success network.

4. Enhance Navigate360 & Element451 as Technology Force Multipliers

  • Use Navigate360 data more intentionally to prioritize cases, monitor engagement patterns, and guide interventions.
  • Build a distributed Navigate support and training team to reduce over-centralization and ensure broader campus expertise.
  • Clarify system roles: Navigate360 for continuing student communication, alerts, and case management; Element451 for recruiting and external communication.

5. Build a Coordinated First-Year Success Ecosystem

  • Create a First-Year Success Advisory Council to coordinate all first-year initiatives (NISS recommendation).
  • Integrate FIRE 1000, advising, Summer Bridge, Residence Life, tutoring, FIRE mentors, and early alerts into a unified first-year framework.
  • Ensure FIRE mentors work collaboratively with FIRE instructors, advisors, and tutors to create a coordinated support network for new students.

6. Strengthen Living Learning Communities (LLCs) and Summer Bridge

  • Conduct a data-informed review of existing LLCs to determine which should be maintained, adjusted, or expanded.
  • Evaluate the efficiency of embedded tutoring in LLCs and determine whether adjustments or alternative models are needed.
  • Scale Summer Bridge to ~70 students in Summer 2026, with strengthened academic and social integration.

7. Strengthen Tutoring and Academic Support

  • Complete the December analysis of tutoring utilization vs. DFW rates to assess program impact.
  • Improve training consistency and process discipline across tutors while maintaining the current team size (~15).
  • Reinforce timely case management: outreach within 2–3 days and closure within two weeks.
  • Ensure tutoring time and funds are used efficiently and effectively, with adjustments made based on data and student needs.

8. Integrate Career Services Throughout Student Success Efforts

  • Embed Career Services more intentionally into first-year programming, advising conversations, LLC activities, and interventions.
  • Reinforce the message that students are at Gordon State College to earn a degree and prepare for the workforce, aligning academic planning with career goals.

Priority Focus for 2025–2026

  • Increased data-informed interventions and consistent use of Success Plans.
  • A coordinated, campus-wide first-year success ecosystem with an advisory council.
  • Strengthened faculty mentor engagement and clear program communication.
  • Addressing advising capacity constraints and improving advising practices through a new council.
  • Expanded, distributed expertise for Navigate360 across units.
  • Clearer integration of Career Services in academic and co-curricular success efforts.
  • Ensuring LLCs, Summer Bridge, FIRE, and tutoring align to create belonging and academic momentum.

1.7 Goal Review Reflecting on your top-level goals

Refine First-Year Success Goals

  • Create a coordinated First-Year Success Ecosystem (advising, FIRE, Summer Bridge, Residence Life, tutoring) with an advisory council to improve alignment and execution.

Strengthen Advising Capacity & Quality

  • Adjust goals to address unsustainable advising caseloads, incorporate NACADA-informed annual training, and establish an Advising Advisory Council per NISS guidance.

Improve Intervention Effectiveness

  • Shift focus from increasing early alert participation (already at 95%+) to strengthening the quality, timeliness, and consistency of interventions, including mandatory Success Plans.

Enhance Faculty Mentor Engagement

  • Rework mentoring goals to emphasize faculty buy-in, clear expectations, a shared one-page program guide, and improved coordination across mentors, advisors, tutors, and instructors.

Expand Distributed Technology Leadership

  • Adjust goals to prioritize multi-person Navigate leadership, better campuswide use of data, and improved integration between Navigate (continuing students) and Element451 (recruitment).

Reevaluate LLC Strategy

  • Revise goals to include a data-based review of current LLCs before expansion and assess the efficiency of LLC-embedded tutoring.

Success Inventory

Advising Redesign / Intrusive Advising (ASPIRE Top 5 Strategy) (Gordon State College-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Advising Redesign / Intrusive Advising (ASPIRE Top 5 Strategy)
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Pathways
Category: 
Advising
Strategy/Project Description: 

The Advising Redesign and Integration Initiative at Gordon State College (GSC) is an ongoing, multi-year effort to transform the college’s academic advising system into a proactive, structured, and program-embedded model. The project seeks to enhance student success and retention by ensuring that all students receive personalized, discipline-specific guidance from the moment they enroll until they reach 60 earned credit hours. Beyond this threshold, students transition to faculty advisors within their academic majors, ensuring continuity and depth of support throughout their degree pathways.

This redesigned system centers on professional advisors who are strategically embedded within GSC’s three academic schools. By aligning advisors with specific disciplines and programs, the college fosters closer collaboration between advising and academics—allowing advisors to provide targeted, informed guidance that supports students’ academic, professional, and personal development.

The overarching goal is to create a structured, process-oriented, and intrusive advising program that integrates advisors fully into the academic fabric of the institution—shifting advising from a transactional function to a relational, developmental partnership between students, advisors, and faculty.

Project Design and Major Elements

1. Expansion of Professional Advising

Gordon State College has expanded its professional advising model to include all students with up to 60 earned credit hours, a key milestone in students’ academic journeys. This expansion ensures early and consistent engagement with professional advisors who are trained to support students through foundational coursework, academic planning, and early career exploration.

To sustain this effort:

  • The advising staff is increasing from five advisors in Fall 2023 to eight by Fall 2026, maintaining an average caseload of approximately 200 students per advisor.
  • As of Fall 2025, GSC employs six full-time professional advisors who collectively serve all students with fewer than 60 earned credit hours.

This strategic staffing plan provides the necessary infrastructure to deliver consistent, personalized guidance to students in the first half of their academic careers.

2. Intrusive Advising Approach

At the core of the redesign is an intrusive (proactive) advising model, in which advisors actively engage with students rather than waiting for them to initiate contact. This approach includes multiple, structured outreach and engagement strategies:

  • Five targeted advising emails each semester are sent to students through the Navigate platform, providing reminders, resources, and check-in messages aligned with key academic milestones.
  • Appointment campaigns are conducted each semester to ensure students meet with their assigned advisors for academic planning and course registration for the upcoming term.
  • Early alert and intervention processes identify students facing academic challenges, enabling advisors to connect them promptly with appropriate campus resources.

This proactive communication and engagement structure allows advisors to maintain ongoing contact with students throughout each term, fostering accountability, connection, and informed decision-making.

To strengthen this model, formal NACADA training began in Spring 2025, providing professional development in intrusive advising techniques, student success strategies, and data-informed decision-making. These efforts support a unified advising philosophy and reinforce a culture of proactive, student-centered service across the advising team.

3. Integration with Academic Schools

To ensure advising is both contextually relevant and closely aligned with academic programs, professional advisors are now embedded within GSC’s three academic schools:

  • The School of Business and Professional Studies
  • The School of Education, Arts, and Humanities
  • The School of Nursing, Health, and STEM

Each school has two dedicated professional advisors who collaborate directly with faculty, administrators, and educational support staff. This embedded structure fosters:

  • Improved communication between advisors and faculty regarding curriculum, course sequencing, and program expectations.
  • Enhanced consistency in advising practices and policies across disciplines.
  • Stronger connections between students and their academic communities, reinforcing a sense of belonging and engagement.

By positioning advisors within academic units, GSC bridges the traditional divide between student services and academic affairs, ensuring advising becomes a cohesive component of the student learning experience.

Conclusion

The Advising Redesign and Integration Initiative represents a foundational shift in how Gordon State College supports student success. Through structured, proactive, and discipline-embedded advising, the college is cultivating a system that not only helps students persist but also empowers them to make informed academic and career decisions. As the initiative continues to expand through 2026, GSC aims to institutionalize advising excellence as a defining feature of the college’s commitment to student achievement and institutional effectiveness.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

KPIs: 

KPI 1. The number of advisees per advisor 

KPI 2. Year-to-year retention for FTFT students 

KPI 3. Student perception of advising quality (from survey) – "satisfied" 

Baseline measure (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. Two hundred actively enrolled students per advisor per Fall term and 175

             per Spring term. 

KPI 2. One percentage point 

KPI 3. One percentage point 

Current/most recent data (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. 172.6 in Spring 2024 

            222.5 in Fall 2024 

            186.5 in Spring 2025

            265 in Fall 2025

KPI 2. 49.7% (Fall 2022 FTFT) 

            53.2% (Fall 2023 FTFT) 

           64.5% (Fall 2024 FTFT)

KPI 3. 90% - Spring 2025 (Professional Advising)

             90% - Fall 2025 (Professional Advising)

Goal or targets (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. 200 actively enrolled students per advisor per Fall term and 175 per

             Spring term. 

           *Given the realities of 60 CH professional advising, we may need to increase this to 225 and 175 or 250 and 200.  

KPI 2.  65%

KPI 3. 80% "satisfied" 

Progress and Adjustments: 

Gordon State College has made significant strides in enhancing student advising through structured communication, improved advisor engagement, and a more intentional approach to professional training and workload management.

 

Advising Loads and Staffing:
We have exceeded our initial targets for advisees per advisor, reflecting both the success of our advising redesign and the increasing demand for advising support. Currently, advising loads for the School of Nursing, Health, and Natural Sciences exceed 300 advisees per advisor, and one advisor in the School of Business and Professional Studies is approaching that level as well. These numbers are well above our ideal range. To address this, we plan to hire two additional advisors. Funding remains a challenge; however, we anticipate adding one new professional advisor for Fall 2026. This new advisor will serve students in the School of Nursing, Health, and Natural Sciences, providing critical relief to existing advising staff.

 

Standardized Advising Campaigns:
Our standardized advising campaigns—implemented through Navigate—have proven highly effective. Students now receive five encouraging and informative emails from their advisor each semester, as well as two additional emails and two text message reminders during advising and registration periods. These nudges have helped sustain engagement, prompting timely advising appointments and course registration.

 

Advisor Training and Professional Development:
While we successfully launched biannual NACADA-aligned training in Spring 2025, maintaining two sessions per year has proven difficult due to competing demands and heavy advising loads. Both summer and fall have been especially busy, leaving limited time for professional development. We are now adjusting our expectations to focus on one comprehensive NACADA training each spring semester. Once advising loads decrease and additional staffing is secured, we will revisit the possibility of restoring two annual training sessions.

 

Advisor Relationships and Collaboration:
We have made strong progress in building connections between advisors and their students before each semester begins. However, continued attention is needed to strengthen relationships among advisors, academic assistants, and academic administration within each school. Sustaining this collaboration is essential for ensuring consistent communication, coordinated student support, and a shared understanding of program requirements and student needs across all academic areas.

 

Expanded Student Support Structure:
As we move into the 2025–2026 academic year, the merger of the Student Success Center, Career Services, and other student support offices has continued to yield positive results. Collaboration between Advising and Career Services has been particularly strong. These teams have worked closely to plan and implement campuswide initiatives such as Major Fest and the annual Career Fair, both of which have significantly improved student awareness of academic pathways and career opportunities. This integrated model of support ensures that students experience a seamless connection between academic advising and career development

throughout their time at Gordon State College.

 

Overall, these developments demonstrate continued progress toward a proactive, student-centered advising model. Despite challenges in staffing and scheduling, the Advising Redesign initiative remains on track to strengthen student engagement, advisor capacity, and institutional alignment in support of student success.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

In 2025–2026, Gordon State College will focus on strengthening the Advising Redesign initiative by improving advisor capacity, student engagement, and communication consistency across all schools.

1. Lower Advising Loads
Advising loads remain high—especially in the School of Nursing, Health, and Natural Sciences and the School of Business and Professional Studies, where some advisors manage around 300 students. We plan to hire two additional advisors, with one position expected for Fall 2026. Until then, we will explore redistributing advisees and using temporary or faculty advising support during peak periods to ensure students continue receiving timely, personalized attention.

2. Implement Success Plans for At-Risk Students
Beginning in 2025–2026, all students newly on academic probation or returning from suspension will complete a success plan with their advisor. These plans will set clear academic goals, identify campus resources, and schedule check-ins. Standardized templates and brief advisor training will ensure consistency across schools.

3. Expand and Diversify Advisor Training
We will increase advisor training opportunities beyond NACADA sessions to include short, practical workshops and peer-led discussions. Topics will focus on advising students in distress, maximizing Navigate tools, equity-minded practices, and effective communication. Advisors will complete at least one structured training per semester.

4. Finalize Advising Handbook and Best Practices Sheets
The Advising Handbook will be finalized and distributed college-wide. Advisors will also receive one-page Best Practices sheets covering topics such as degree planning, early outreach, and probation advising. These concise resources will standardize approaches and improve efficiency across the advising team.

5. Reinforce the “15 to Finish” Message
We will strengthen campus-wide promotion of the importance of enrolling in 15 or more credit hours per semester. This message is now embedded in all advising and registration communications, but we will expand its visibility through banners, yard signs, and flyers in the Student Success Center and high-traffic areas. Advisors will emphasize “15 to Finish” in every student meeting to reinforce the expectation.

6. Reestablish Paper Advising Invitations for Residential Students
We fell behind in delivering paper invitations for advising appointments to residential students, many of whom are harder to reach digitally. This initiative will resume in Spring 2026, ensuring that every student receives a personalized, physical reminder to meet with their advisor and register early.

Outlook

These focused initiatives will strengthen advising capacity, improve communication, and promote a culture of academic momentum. By lowering advising loads, supporting at-risk students with structured plans, enhancing advisor training, and making “15 to Finish” a visible and consistent message, Gordon State College will continue advancing toward a proactive, student-centered advising model that supports timely degree completion and student success.

Challenges and Support: 

CHALLENGES:

Limited Funding for Staffing:
Budget constraints may delay hiring additional advisors needed to reduce advising loads.

High Current Advising Loads:
Heavy caseloads limit the time advisors have for training, implementing success plans, and personalized student outreach.

Competing Institutional Priorities:
Advisors and support staff are balancing multiple campus initiatives, reducing availability for new program rollouts.

Training Time and Capacity:
Finding consistent time for professional development, especially during peak advising and registration periods, remains difficult.

Communication and Coordination Across Units:
Effective collaboration among Advising, Residence Life, Marketing, and Academic Schools is essential but can be slowed by differing schedules and workloads.

Resource Needs for Campaign Materials:
Producing and placing “15 to Finish” banners, yard signs, and printed materials requires additional funding and logistical coordination.

Tracking and Assessment Systems:
Monitoring completion of success plans, training participation, and campaign impact will require refined data collection and follow-up procedures.

SUPPORT NEEDED:

Professional Development Resources: Provide systemwide training modules, webinars, and shared best practices to supplement advisor development.

Data and Analytics Support: Offer guidance on tracking advising loads, success plan outcomes, and 15-to-Finish metrics through standardized data dashboards.

Peer Collaboration Networks: Facilitate cross-institutional communities of practice where advising teams can share strategies, templates, and campaign materials.

Communication Toolkits: Develop systemwide messaging and marketing assets (e.g., 15-to-Finish materials) that campuses can adapt locally.

Policy and Process Guidance: Provide recommendations on effective advising structures, workload benchmarks, and success plan implementation models used across USG institutions.

Contact email: 
sshubitz@gordonstate.edu
Primary Contact: 
Scott M. Shubitz, Executive Director of Workforce Development and Associate Professor of History

Always Alert (early alert program) (Gordon State College-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Always Alert (early alert program)
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Mindset
Category: 
Early Alerts
Strategy/Project Description: 

Overview:
Always Alert is Gordon State College’s proactive early alert and academic intervention initiative designed to identify and support students who may be at risk of academic difficulty in one or more courses. The program aims to improve student persistence and success by providing timely, personalized outreach and targeted academic coaching.

Description:
Through the Always Alert program, faculty members play a central role in supporting student success by serving as volunteer academic coaches. These faculty coaches offer individualized guidance and encouragement to help students address academic challenges, develop effective study strategies, and stay on track toward course completion and degree progress.

The program operates through EAB Navigate360, which facilitates faculty-student communication, appointment scheduling, and comprehensive record-keeping. Faculty can raise alerts through two primary channels:

  • Progress Reports issued during the 5th and 10th weeks of each semester.
  • Ad-hoc Referrals, which may be submitted at any time based on faculty observation or student performance.

Each alert identifies one of four key reasons for concern, automatically generating an email notification to both the student and their assigned academic advisor. These communications are designed to be supportive rather than punitive, providing students with clear information about available campus resources such as tutoring, advising, and counseling services.

When an instructor selects “Poor Grades” as the reason for an alert, the system prompts the student to schedule a meeting with a faculty academic coach for additional one-on-one support.

By combining timely faculty engagement, structured outreach, and coordinated student support services, Always Alert strengthens Gordon State College’s commitment to improving academic outcomes and fostering a campus culture of care and accountability.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

KPIs: 

KPI 1. One appointment attended by a unique student who received an alert for Progress Report #1 appointment campaign. 

KPI 2. The persistence of students (to the next semester) who attended appointments

            versus those who received alerts and did not attend appointments. 

KPI 3. Overall student success and retention (FTFT year-over-year comparisons) 

KPI 4. Student perception of the program as it relates to the institution's interest in

            their success.   

KPI 5 (new for Fall 2024). Faculty participation.  

KPI 6 (new for Fall 2024). Students are marked at-risk on progress reports.  

Baseline measure (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. Percentage  

KPI 2. Percentage (Group A – Group B) 

KPI 3. Percentage growth year-over-year in FTFT students.  

KPI 4 (new for Fall 2024). The number of faculty who participate in progress reports

 – 86% (average of AY 23-24 progress reports)  

KPI 5 (new for Fall 2024). 12% for Progress Report #1 (average of FA 23 and SP 24

Progress Report #1) and 18% for Progress Report #2 (average of FA 23 and SP 24

Progress Report #2) 

Current/most recent data (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. 8.7% (Spring 25 P1 appointment campaign) 

           5.0% (Fall 25 P1 appointment campaign – current data)

KPI 2. 8.2%(Fall 24 P1 appointment campaign) 

            7.7% (Spring 25 P1 appointment campaign – current data))

            Students who attended appointment in SP 25 persisted at 73.2%

           Students who did not attend appointment in SP 25 persisted at 53.5%

           Entire population of SP 25 persisted at 65.5%

           Students who attended appointment in SP 25 persisted at 7.7% higher rate than all

           Students

KPI 3.   48.8% for FA 21  

              49.7% for FA 22 = 0.9% increase

              53.2% for FA 23 = 3.5% increase

            64.5% for FA 24  = 11.3% increase (current data)

KPI 4 - Fall 2024 - 95% for Progress Report #1 and 91% for Progress Report #2 

              Spring 2025 – 94% for Progress Report #1 and 88% for Progress Report #2

              Fall 2025 – 96% for Progress Report #1 and 95% for Progress Report #2

KPI 5 - Fall 2024 – 11% for Progress Report #1 and 13% for Progress Report #2 

              Spring 2025 – 10% for Progress Report #1 and 14% for Progress Report #2

              Fall 2025 – 12% for Progress Report #1 and 15% for Progress Report #2 

Goal or targets (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. 90 per semester. This is roughly 3% of our total population. According to our

data, between 10% and 20% of students are "at-risk" starting after Week 5.  

KPI 2. To be determined 

KPI 3. 1% per year. 

KPI 4. > 90% 

KPI 5. < 11 for Progress Report #1 and < 13 for Progress Report #2 

Progress and Adjustments: 

The Always Alert program continues to evolve in structure and effectiveness as we refine our early intervention and student success strategies. Building on earlier progress, the program now operates on a three-campaign model that aligns with major academic checkpoints throughout the semester. Each campaign is directly linked to Navigate alerts and appointment campaigns, ensuring timely outreach and opportunities for academic support.

  • Campaign 1 (Weeks 1–7): Incorporates ad-hoc alerts and Progress Report 1 submissions.
  • Campaign 2 (Weeks 8–10): Focuses on Midterm F alerts and ongoing ad-hoc alerts.
  • Campaign 3 (Weeks 11–14): Draws from Progress Report 2 submissions and ad-hoc alerts.

This structure ensures that students can be referred for academic coaching up to three times during a term, improving sustained engagement with support services.

The move to this model follows prior adjustments that strengthened the program’s foundation—most notably, the shift of the second progress report to Week 11 to allow more time between midterms and updates, and the integration of automated appointment campaigns in Navigate, which helped streamline scheduling and contributed to a 30% increase in appointments in Spring 2024.

To further expand outreach, the tutoring referral alert introduced in Spring 2025 has been successful. When a student receives two referrals for tutoring in a specific subject, tutors now proactively contact them to schedule a session. This workflow has strengthened connections between academic coaching and tutoring, ensuring that referred students receive personalized support from multiple members of the success team.

Despite these advances, the program continues to face challenges in appointment attendance. While many students schedule sessions, a significant portion do not attend. During the Fall 2025 Midterm F campaign, for example, only about 29% of students who made appointments attended—roughly one in three. The reasons for this are not yet fully clear, but contributing factors may include limited awareness of the program’s purpose, unclear communication about the value of appointments, or competing student priorities.

As of November 11, 2025, the Always Alert program may fall short of 100 successful appointments across all three campaigns—slightly below the 110 appointments completed in Spring 2025. However, the tutoring system connected to early alerts has shown positive momentum. Tutoring appointments are expected to exceed Spring 2025 totals, suggesting that increased collaboration between early alert responders and the tutoring team is beginning to pay off.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

The upcoming year for Always Alert will focus on strengthening coach training, improving student engagement, and refining campaign communication. While structural improvements have been made, the program fell short of its appointment and engagement goals, underscoring the need for targeted adjustments.

1. Strengthen Academic Coach Training

We will enhance training and process clarity for academic coaches through structured sessions each semester. Training will emphasize:

  • Consistent use of Navigate, including detailed appointment summaries.
  • Stronger coordination with advisors, tutors, and faculty.
  • Regular check-ins to share strategies and address challenges.

Better preparation will lead to more consistent outreach and accurate documentation of student progress.

2. Expand Student Awareness and Participation

Many students remain unaware of Always Alert or its benefits. We will increase visibility and motivation through:

  • New Student Orientation introductions.
  • Targeted emails and texts featuring success stories.
  • Workshops and classroom visits promoting early engagement.

These efforts aim to boost both appointment scheduling and attendance.

3. Refine Messaging and Nudge Strategy

Some students make appointments simply to stop automated reminders. We will review and revise the tone and number of nudges to encourage genuine participation rather than compliance.

4. Prioritize Early Interventions

Progress Report 1 continues to yield the best results for student improvement. Greater emphasis will be placed on early follow-up during Campaign 1 (Weeks 1–7) through faster response and closer coordination among faculty, coaches, and tutors.

5. Focus on Measurable Impact

Although Fall 2025 may end below 100 successful appointments, the goal remains to exceed past totals through improved training, communication, and student understanding.

Challenges and Support: 

CHALLENGES:

Several factors may affect our ability to fully achieve the goals outlined for Always Alert. The most significant challenge remains low appointment attendance—many students schedule but do not show up, often due to limited understanding of the program’s purpose or unclear motivation to participate. Additionally, the volume and tone of automated nudges may unintentionally prompt students to make appointments without genuine intent to attend.

A major operational challenge is staffing. Limited personnel resources make it difficult to maintain consistent follow-up, manage multiple campaigns, and provide timely communication with every referred student. This also affects our capacity to train and support academic coaches effectively.

Internally, inconsistent training and documentation practices can hinder data quality and reduce the impact of follow-up efforts. Limited coordination between coaches, advisors, and tutors can further dilute the program’s overall effectiveness.

Finally, student awareness and perception of Always Alert remain barriers. Without stronger visibility—especially early in the semester—students may not view the program as a proactive support system. Addressing these staffing, communication, and engagement issues will be essential to improving participation and achieving sustained progress.

SUPPORTS:

The University System of Georgia can best support Gordon State by providing comprehensive training resources for academic coaches that emphasize effective outreach, documentation, and student engagement strategies. Systemwide workshops or certification programs could help coaches build consistent skills in case management, motivational interviewing, and Navigate utilization. Access to shared best practices and model workflows from peer institutions would also strengthen coordination and efficiency. Ongoing professional development focused on early intervention and data-informed coaching would further enhance program impact. Additionally, grant funding for academic and success coaching would be instrumental in sustaining and expanding these efforts.

Contact email: 
sshubitz@gordonstate.edu
Primary Contact: 
Scott M. Shubitz, Executive Director of Workforce Development and Associate Professor of History

Faculty Mentor Program (Gordon State College-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Faculty Mentor Program
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Mindset
Category: 
First Year Experience
Tutoring
Strategy/Project Description: 

The Faculty Mentor Program at Gordon State College is a cornerstone of the institution’s student success and retention initiatives, designed to provide holistic, sustained support for first-year students as they transition into college life. The program pairs first-year students—those with fewer than 30 credit hours—with faculty mentors in their major or area of academic interest. These mentors offer professional and career guidance, encouragement, and meaningful connections to campus resources, complementing the proactive support of the College’s professional academic advisors.

This dual-support model ensures that all students under 60 credit hours have at least two dedicated individuals on their success team: a professional advisor who provides academic planning and registration guidance, and a faculty mentor who focuses on academic engagement, personal growth, and career exploration. Once students surpass 60 credit hours, their faculty mentor typically transitions into the role of faculty advisor, maintaining continuity of support. In cases where a student changes majors, a new faculty mentor and/or advisor may be assigned to ensure alignment with the student’s new academic path.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

KPIs: 

KPI 1. The number of uses of the "mentoring" service is listed in Navigate appointment summaries.  (Discontinued Fall 2024)

KPI 2. A student survey question asked students to identify their mentor. 

KPI 3. A student survey question asked students if they received one or more communications from their mentor. 

KPI 4. A faculty survey question asked faculty if they reached out to their mentees at least three times (the question will ask how faculty reached out to students, too). 

Navigate search filters:

Enrollment Terms: Fall 2025 | Max. Credits Earned: 60 | Assigned To Faculty Mentor: Any

Baseline measure (for each KPI):  

KPI 1. One "mentoring" service per mentee (Discontinued Fall 2024) 

KPI 2. Each student respondent who can identify their mentor 

KPI 3. Each student respondent who responds that they received one or more communications from their mentor 

KPI 4. Each faculty respondent who responds that they reached out to their mentees at least three times 

Current/most recent data (for each KPI):   

KPI 1. As of Fall 2024, this KPI is discontinued 

KPI 2. Fall 24: 26.315% (of survey respondents could name their mentor) 

           Fall 25: 32.143% (of survey respondents could name their mentor)

KPI 3. Fall 24: 28.205% (of survey respondents received at least one

            communication from their mentor) 

            Fall 25: 29% (of survey respondents received at least one communication

            from their mentor)

KPI 4. Spring 24: 39% of respondents reached out to mentees three or more times (31 responses). 

            Fall 24: 55% of respondents reached out to mentees three or more times  (34 responses). 

           Fall 25: 61% of respondents reach out to mentees three or more times  (20 responses – survey still on-going)

Goal or targets:  

KPI 1. One-half of the "mentoring" services listed for the total number of mentees. (discontinued) 

KPI 2. One-half (50%) of student respondents identified their mentor. 

KPI 3. One-half (50%) of student respondents stated that they had received communication from their mentor at least one time 

KPI 4. One-half (50%) of faculty respondents reported that they contacted mentees three or more times 

Progress and Adjustments: 

Since its full launch in Spring 2023, the Faculty Mentor Program has continued to evolve through ongoing assessment and feedback from both students and faculty. Each semester, survey data are collected to evaluate participant experiences and identify opportunities for improvement. Overall, results indicate that students consistently express interest in the program and a strong desire to connect with faculty mentors. Many first-year students appreciate the individualized attention and additional layer of support beyond professional advising. However, a small minority report feeling that an assigned mentor is unnecessary, particularly when they already have a close relationship with their professional advisor.

Faculty feedback, while positive in recognizing the program’s intent, highlights several challenges. Many faculty mentors note that assigned mentoring relationships often feel less organic than naturally formed connections. Faculty also express concern that their efforts to engage students—through emails, invitations, or meetings—often go unreciprocated, leading to frustration and uncertainty about how best to sustain communication. Students, conversely, report that they do not hear frequently enough from their mentors, suggesting a two-sided communication gap that has emerged as a primary area for improvement.

To address these concerns, the College has maintained its structured approach to the program for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025, while implementing targeted strategies to improve consistency and ease of engagement. Faculty continue to receive pre-written email templates distributed three to four times each semester. These templates are designed to simplify outreach, reduce faculty workload, and ensure that students receive regular, meaningful communication. In addition, the number of pre-designed engagement activities has been expanded to help mentors connect with mentees in manageable, purposeful ways.

The College’s transition to a 60-credit-hour professional advising model in Fall 2024 further refined the program’s structure and continuity. Under this model, students now remain with their professional advisor for their first two years, while also maintaining a relationship with their faculty mentor throughout that period. This adjustment extends the mentoring phase, providing a longer window for relationship-building and a smoother handoff when students transition to faculty advising after completing 60 credit hours.

Institutional processes continue to support these efforts. The Argos report developed by the Information Technology Department remains a key tool in ensuring timely mentor assignments, typically within the first or second week of each semester. The formal reassignment process established in 2023 also remains in place to guide transitions when students change majors or progress beyond 60 credit hours, ensuring that all students retain a clear point of contact for academic guidance.

Overall, the Faculty Mentor Program continues to strengthen Gordon State College’s culture of personalized student support, even as it faces ongoing challenges related to communication and engagement. By combining structured processes, extended mentoring periods, and continuous feedback loops, the program is steadily enhancing the quality and continuity of faculty-student connections—key contributors to student persistence and success.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Looking ahead, Gordon State College will focus on strengthening communication, collaboration, and engagement within the Faculty Mentor Program to enhance the quality and consistency of student support. Guided by ongoing feedback and assessment, several key initiatives will be implemented during the upcoming academic year to promote better alignment between faculty mentors, professional advisors, and students.

A central priority will be increasing the use of Navigate for note-taking and documentation. Faculty mentors and professional advisors will be encouraged to record interactions, outreach efforts, and student concerns within the Navigate platform. This shared resource will enable both mentors and advisors to maintain a clearer picture of each student’s progress and challenges, fostering a more coordinated and responsive support system. Consistent documentation will also allow the College to monitor engagement patterns and identify students who may benefit from additional outreach.

To further strengthen collaboration, professional advisors and faculty mentors will be encouraged to communicate more directly and frequently about shared students. Advisors will be asked to connect students with their mentors more intentionally and, when appropriate, to copy faculty mentors on select communications—particularly those related to academic planning, course registration, and major exploration. This approach will ensure that mentors remain informed and can reinforce key advising messages, creating a more unified experience for students.

Another major initiative for the upcoming year will focus on increasing in-person engagement opportunities between faculty mentors and students. Each faculty program coordinator will be tasked with organizing program-specific events that bring together faculty and students within their academic disciplines. These gatherings will provide informal settings for mentorship, academic discussion, and community building, while helping students feel more connected to their program, peers, and faculty mentors.

The long-term goal is to establish two program-level events per semester in each discipline. However, the College will begin by implementing one event per program per semester during the coming year, with the expectation that all academic programs will be hosting these regular meetings by the Fall 2026 semester. These structured engagement opportunities will make it easier for mentors to interact face-to-face with their mentees, promote a stronger sense of belonging among students, and support the broader institutional mission of improving retention and student success.

Collectively, these initiatives—enhanced documentation, improved advisor-mentor collaboration, and expanded program-level engagement—represent the next phase of the Faculty Mentor Program’s development. By deepening cooperation and increasing opportunities for meaningful connection, Gordon State College aims to create a more integrated and effective mentoring experience that continues to foster student persistence, engagement, and long-term achievement.

Challenges and Support: 

CHALLENGES:

Despite continued progress, the Faculty Mentor Program faces several persistent challenges that impact its overall effectiveness. The most significant issue remains two-sided communication gaps between faculty mentors and students. While mentors often report limited responses to outreach efforts, students frequently indicate that they do not hear from their mentors as often as they would like. This disconnect underscores the need for clearer expectations, structured communication tools, and more consistent engagement.

Additionally, many faculty note that assigned mentoring relationships can feel less organic than naturally formed ones, making it difficult to establish rapport and sustain regular contact. Balancing mentoring responsibilities with existing teaching, research, and service obligations also presents a workload challenge for faculty participants.

Finally, while program processes have improved, timing and data accuracy during the initial assignment period continue to influence early engagement. Addressing these challenges—particularly those related to communication, relationship-building, and workload balance—will remain a key focus as the College works to strengthen the program and ensure meaningful, sustained connections between faculty and students.

SUPPORT NEEDED:

To enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the Faculty Mentor Program, Gordon State College would benefit from additional support and collaboration from the University System Office. Key areas include providing professional development resources to help faculty strengthen mentoring skills and manage workload expectations. Guidance on best practices from peer institutions and access to shared assessment tools would also help refine program design and strengthen alignment with systemwide student success initiatives.

Contact email: 
sshubitz@gordonstate.edu
Primary Contact: 
Scott M. Shubitz, Executive Director of Workforce Development and Associate Professor of History

First Year Experience Course (FIRE 1000) (Gordon State College-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
First Year Experience Course (FIRE 1000)
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Mindset
Category: 
First Year Experience
Strategy/Project Description: 

FIRE 1000: Freshmen Introduction to Reasoning Essentials is a cornerstone of Gordon State College’s first-year experience and a vital component of the institution’s student success ecosystem. Launched in 2017, FIRE 1000 is a required course for all new and transfer students entering with fewer than 13 credit hours. The course is designed to build the habits of mind, self-awareness, and critical reasoning skills that promote long-term academic success, persistence, and personal growth.

FIRE 1000 helps students develop academic self-efficacy, intellectual curiosity, and problem-solving ability through a combination of research, reflection, and engagement with the campus community. Students explore questions of identity, purpose, and belonging while gaining tools to navigate college successfully.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

KPIs: 

KPI 1. ABC rates in all GSC FIRE 1000 courses 

KPI 2. Persistence to next semester (all students and students with grades of ABC) 

Baseline measure (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. Percentage 

KPI 2. Percentage 

Current/most recent data (for each KPI): 

KPI 1.  

60.8 - Fall 2022

65.6% - Fall 2023 

63.3% - Spring 2024 

78.4% - Fall 2024 

79.81% - Spring 2025

KPI 2. No Data 

84.8% all / 95.9% ABC - Fall 2022 

60.7% all / 81.2% ABC – Spring 2023

80.4% all / 94.3% ABC - Fall 2023 

60.8% all / 83.0% ABC – Spring 2024

86.2% all / 94.3% ABC - Fall 2024 

72.0% all / 85.8% ABC – Spring 2025

Goal or targets (for each KPI): 

KPI 1. 80% ABC rate for Fall 2025 

KPI 2. 80% all and 95% ABC  

Progress and Adjustments: 

Over the past six months, Gordon State College has continued to refine and expand the FIRE 1000 course as a cornerstone of the College’s first-year experience. Guided by assessment data and student success priorities, the College has implemented several initiatives to improve outcomes and strengthen engagement.

In Summer 2024, Dr. Steve Raynie and Dr. Valerie Calhoun introduced A Reflective Approach to Critical Thinking and Student Success, a textbook written specifically for FIRE 1000. Following its adoption in Fall 2024, course pass rates rose above 80%, reflecting improved alignment between course content, learning objectives, and student needs.

To further enhance support for first-year students, Gordon State College was awarded a Title III grant in October 2024. This grant focuses on improving the FIRE 1000 program and expanding student success initiatives. Under this funding, the College launched a peer mentorship component in Fall 2025, pairing five student mentors with five FIRE sections. Although the pilot began two to three weeks into the semester due to funding delays, it represents an important step toward the long-term goal of pairing all FIRE sections with student mentors. These mentors—academically successful GSC students—serve as supplemental instructors, host workshops and office hours, and provide near-peer guidance to first-year students. The Title III Coordinator, now hired, oversees the program, while recruitment for a Title III Assistant is still underway.

The Title III grant also supported a successful Summer Bridge program in Summer 2025, serving 30 at-risk incoming students. This two-week initiative featured a team-taught FIRE 1000 course, leadership development, and structured peer mentoring. The program achieved a 97% success rate, underscoring the effectiveness of early, intensive engagement prior to the start of the fall semester.

Although a new instructional unit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) was planned last year, implementation has been postponed. The unit—currently being developed by Dr. Raynie and Professor Calhoun—will focus on the ethical use of AI in academic and professional contexts, helping students engage with emerging technologies responsibly.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate Gordon State College’s continued progress in transforming FIRE 1000 into a more comprehensive and impactful first-year experience course. Through curriculum enhancement, the addition of peer mentorship, and new opportunities for early engagement, the College is strengthening student belonging, confidence, and academic achievement.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

In the coming year, Gordon State College will continue strengthening FIRE 1000 as a central component of its first-year student success ecosystem. A key enhancement will be the addition of a new module on Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on how to use AI ethically and effectively in academic and professional contexts. This unit, developed by Dr. Steve Raynie and Professor Valerie Calhoun, will help students engage thoughtfully with emerging technologies and understand their implications for learning and career readiness.

Following recommendations from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS), the College will also work to better integrate FIRE 1000 within the broader first-year support network, ensuring closer alignment with professional advising, faculty mentoring, and career services. This coordination will create a more seamless and consistent experience for new students, reinforcing Gordon State College’s comprehensive approach to first-year engagement and retention.

The College will also expand its peer mentor program, building on the Fall 2025 pilot that paired five student mentors with five FIRE sections. By Spring 2026, every FIRE 1000 section will be paired with a trained peer mentor who provides academic support, hosts workshops, and assists instructors in fostering student success.

Additionally, Steppingblocks will be more intentionally integrated with Career Services, faculty mentoring, and internship preparation, allowing students to connect classroom reflection with real-world career pathways.

Finally, the College will expand its Summer Bridge Program in Summer 2026, offering FIRE 1000 to 70 incoming students—including 56 participants in the Title III program and 14 engineering students in the Highlander Scholars program. These students will also take POLS 1101, creating an enriched academic experience that promotes early connection, confidence, and college readiness.

Collectively, these initiatives will make FIRE 1000 a more connected, practical, and impactful first-year experience—one that supports students’ academic growth, sense of belonging, and long-term success at Gordon State College and beyond.

Challenges and Support: 

CHALLENGES: 

Implementing the plan for the year ahead presents several key challenges. The expansion of the peer mentor program will require careful coordination of recruitment, training, and supervision to ensure consistency across all FIRE 1000 sections. Managing this growth while maintaining program quality will depend on sustained support from the Title III Coordinator and the successful hiring of the Title III Assistant.

Additionally, the introduction of the new AI module will require thoughtful curriculum integration and faculty preparation to ensure instructors are comfortable teaching ethical and effective AI use. Aligning FIRE 1000 more closely with advising, mentoring, and career services will also demand increased communication and collaboration across departments.

Finally, expanding the Summer Bridge Program to serve 70 students will require additional logistical planning, instructional staffing, and resource allocation. Addressing these challenges will be essential to maintaining the high quality of the FIRE 1000 experience while scaling its reach and impact.

SUPPORTS NEEDED: 

Gordon State College would benefit from University System Office support in expanding and sustaining the FIRE 1000 initiative. Key areas include providing professional development resources on first-year experience best practices, guidance on integrating AI literacy and ethics into core curricula, and opportunities to collaborate with peer institutions implementing similar student success models. Continued system-level support for Title III alignment and assessment would also strengthen the long-term impact of FIRE 1000 and related first-year programs.

Contact email: 
sraynie@gordonstate.edu
Primary Contact: 
Stephen Raynie, Dean, Schools of Education, Arts, and Humanities