The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia has selected Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia as this year’s recipient of the Sonny Perdue Award for the TCSG Technical College of the Year.

“Among other areas of excellence, Southeastern Technical College had the highest enrollment growth and second highest graduation rate in our system this past year. Achievements like these are the result of strong leadership, great teamwork, creative strategies and a laser-like focus on student success,” said Gretchen Corbin, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. “The real beneficiaries are Southeastern Tech students, who are getting a top-notch education that enables them to achieve their career goals.”

Each December, the TCSG board chooses the award winner from among the system’s 22 technical colleges. The top college is named after a review of 19 performance categories covering technical education, adult education, economic development, resource development and administration.

TCSG State Board Chairman Joe Yarbrough made the announcement during the board’s monthly meeting on December 1.

“President Calhoun, his faculty and his staff deserve great credit for their excellent record of high educational achievement and strong commitment to student success in the classroom and on the job,” said Yarbrough.

“This award is a great honor, and I’m proud to accept it on behalf of our entire team at Southeastern Technical College,” said President Larry Calhoun. “Being named ‘College of the Year’ serves as additional inspiration for us to keep striving to do our very best for our students.”

Highlights from Southeastern Technical College’s 2016 academic year include:
 
· The highest college enrollment growth in the Georgia technical college system, increasing its student enrollment by 6.2% and Full-Time Equivalent by 2.6%, over 2015.
 
· The second highest graduation rate (77.1%) in the Georgia’s public technical college system. Southeastern Tech graduated over 655 students in 2016 and has exceeded its Complete College Georgia degree production goals for seven consecutive years.
 
· The second highest licensure pass rate in the system during FY 2016, with 96.6% of graduates passing their licensure exams.
 
· A higher than average student retention rate of 68.1%, compared to a system-wide rate of 66.4%.
 
· An increase in the number of companies whose employees received customized contract training through the college's Office of Economic Development program, providing nearly 50,000 hours of training in 2016.
 
· A high GED pass rate, with 90.6% of adult education students meeting their goal of obtaining a GED.

Southeastern Technical College serves Candler, Emanuel, Jenkins, Johnson, Montgomery, Tattnall, Toombs and Treutlen counties in southeastern Georgia. The other two finalists for the 2016 award were South Georgia Technical College and West Georgia Technical College. Previous College of the Year award winners include Ogeechee Technical College (2015 and 2011), Lanier Technical College (2014), Savannah Technical College (2013), Atlanta Technical College (2012) and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (2010).