Atlanta, GA – During the inaugural Governor’s Workforce Summit (October 6, 2023), Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the launch of GEORGIA MATCH, one of the largest state-run direct admissions initiatives in the nation. The culmination of multiple state agencies working together to ease the process of connecting students with higher education opportunities, this program will engage all learners and households, including those that do not typically consider postsecondary education pathways. No other state in the country currently has a direct admissions initiative of this scope and scale.

“GEORGIA MATCH is a great example of the historic success we can achieve when stakeholders across the education spectrum work together,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “This program will ensure that every high school student in our state knows they have options to learn and succeed here in the No. 1 state for business.”

GEORGIA MATCH is an innovative education and workforce initiative developed in collaboration with the Governor’s Office, Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget, Georgia Student Finance Commission, Technical College System of Georgia, Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Department of Education, and University System of Georgia. The number of schools listed on a GEORGIA MATCH letter is determined by the individual student’s 11th grade HOPE GPA and freshman index score. All students will receive a letter of academic eligibility for admission to the twenty-two Technical College System of Georgia institutions. Students with higher GPAs will also see up to twenty-three University System of Georgia institutions. The three USG institutions not participating in the GEORGIA MATCH program utilize a different holistic admissions process.

Beginning next week, over 120,000 high school seniors in Georgia will receive a personalized letter from Governor Kemp listing the public technical institutions, colleges and universities that are holding a spot for them in the Fall 2024 semester, based on academic eligibility. The letters will provide information on next steps to claim a spot at a college on the student’s individual list.

All GEORGIA MATCH participating institutions will waive application fees for students during November 2023 for students who apply through GEORGIA MATCH. Students may view their personalized MATCH list, request more information, and claim their spot at gafutures.org/GEORGIAMATCH beginning next week.
 

Press Contacts

Garrison Douglas – Press Secretary
Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp
garrison.douglas@georgia.gov

Carter Chapman – Deputy Press Secretary
Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp
carter.chapman@georgia.gov

Hayley Corbitt – Director of External Affairs
Georgia Student Finance Commission
hcorbitt@gsfc.org

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College will host an interactive event led by Savannah Culinary Institute instructors with hands-on demonstrations paired with wines, known as Interactif, at 5:45 p.m., on Thursday, November 2 in the Eckburg Auditorium (5717 White Bluff Road, Savannah, 31405).

Interactif 2023 will feature four destinations stations along with appetizers and desserts. Guests will travel around the world with elegant tasting opportunities paired with wine selections at the destination stations with take-home recipes. Three stations will feature chef demonstrations where guests work alongside chefs to learn techniques of making sunflower seed halva, triopitas, and preserved lemons. International cuisine will include Romania, Greece, and Morocco. The fourth station will feature Spanish wines paired with tapas.

Cost is $125 per person with proceeds supporting the Patrick Ansley Williams Memorial Scholarship at Savannah Technical College. Seating is limited to 100. Advance tickets may be purchased online: www.savannahtech.edu/Interactif.

Guests will enjoy braised lamb tagine with preserved lemon; chorizo and fennel triopitas with green goddess; panna cotta with sunflower seed havla, along with artisan breads, cheeses, charcuterie, and hors d’oeuvres. The event is 21+ and all IDs will be checked. No one under 21, please.

This year Wine Educator Dayna Lee will lead a tasting featuring wines of Spain. She is a native New Yorker, who has provided wine/spirits education through her various roles at Wine.com, Liquor.com, Maker’s Mark Distillery, the Astor Center NYC and Metropolitan Wine Group. She holds wine & spirits certifications from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, is a Certified Sherry Wine Specialist and is currently studying as a Spanish Wine Scholar. She founded the Savannah Wine Institute (SWI) to create fun and accessible ways to explore wine and spirits.

This event has raised nearly $128,000 to benefit the Patrick Ansley Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. In 2020, the College developed an alternate event for this scholarship with its Big Pig Fundraiser sales, which have raised an additional $18,000.

This scholarship was started in 2012 by Bill Dickinson to honor the late Patrick Williams. Five $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually to STC culinary and hospitality students with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, who are selected by the College’s scholarship committee. Funds are applied toward tuition, fees, books and required supplies.

STC scholarship funds are managed by the Savannah Technical College Foundation, a 501 (c)3 organization whose sole purpose is to raise private funds to support the mission of Savannah Technical College. Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

With support from the Savannah Technical College Foundation, the College purchased 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for an expansion of its Culinary Arts program, which will more than double the available instructional space. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. The hands-on, real-world experience in the restaurant/bakery will allow students the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use, complete a required field placement, and gain first-hand experience in restaurant operations.

New students are admitted to the baking and pastry program year-round. For more information about Culinary Arts at Savannah Tech visit: www.facebook.com/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.

 

About the Savannah Technical College’s Savannah Culinary Institute

The Savannah Culinary Institute, an American Culinary Federation-accredited culinary arts program, has been described as the “best in the U.S.A” by its ACF accreditation review board. According to its committee chair, the Savannah Culinary Institute, offering ACF-accredited diploma and degree programs in culinary arts, has gone “well over and above the standards and expectations for a technical college teaching facility.” The committee recommended that the program receive the maximum accreditation time of seven years, when the average is three years. Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts associate degree graduates have a 100% placement rate in their field since 2015. The program has earned regional and national recognition with ACF-sponsored competitions. For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.

#2412 | October 4, 2023