Savannah, Ga. – Savannah Technical College was ranked as #104 overall in the United States by Military Times Best for Vets. The College was ranked #6 in Georgia, #26 in the Southeast, #71 for Primarily in-person, and #81 as a public institution.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation for military service members, veterans, and their families,” said STC President Dr. Ryan Foley. “This ranking reflects our deep commitment to supporting those who have served our country and their families by providing access to quality education, robust resources, and tailored services to help them succeed.”

Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges is the largest and most comprehensive ranking of the best schools for military service members and veterans. The ranking looks at services available to veterans and practical information that will help veterans make important decisions about their career planning and how to use the education benefits they earned through military service.

The College has the highest military-affiliated enrollment in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Nearly one in five STC students is a veteran, active-duty service member or a military dependent/spouse.

The College waives all general mandatory fees for active-duty service members using military tuition assistance. Other services Savannah Tech offers for veterans include workshops and grants. The College has multiple scholarships for military-affiliated students. This includes scholarships that provide gap funding for military with U.S. Coast Guard members, a Freedom Fund to provide needs-based scholarship assistance for soldiers, veteran and spouses and a scholarship that supports Savannah Tech’s military spouses is funded by The Landings Military Family Relief Fund.

For more information about military services or enrollment, visit www.savannahtech.edu/military.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has recently selected Heather Hartley-Cowden, Ph.D. as Dean of Adult Education. Dr. Hartley-Cowden will manage adult education
programs for individuals and employers throughout the College’s four-county service area (Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties). Her other responsibilities include:

• Administering instructional services for adult education students;
• Promoting the adult education program to public and private organizations;
• Preparing the specifications and managing the program budget;
• Overseeing administration of assessment and student placement tests for adult education students;
• Creating and maintaining a high-performance environment characterized by positive leadership and a strong team orientation

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Hartley’s expertise and leadership in Adult Education guiding this vital program for our community,” said Tal Loos, Savannah Technical College’s Vice President of Economic Development. “Her experience positions our Adult Education program for new levels of success and impact in the years ahead.”

She has more than 20 years working in the education field. Her approach to teaching and learning includes a holistic framework that tailors programs to meet the learning community’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment needs. As an educational leader, Dr. Hartley-Cowden focuses on crafting services to identify and support the needs of the whole learner: evaluating academic readiness and skill mastery; screening and monitoring MTSS progress; screening and implementing SEL programs.

Dr. Hartley-Cowden holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, N.C.; a Master of Arts degree in English Education from Piedmont University in Demorest, Ga.; and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Business Administration from Northcentral University in San Diego, Calif.

In her previous leadership roles, Dr. Hartley-Cowden has served as the academic program coordinator and student services administrator at Dublin City Schools; the assessment program coordinator at the Georgia Center for Assessment, part of the College of Education at the University of Georgia; and the director of assessment at WorldRight Learning Group.

Savannah Tech’s Adult Education Program offers high school equivalency (HiSET/GED/Career Plus High School Diploma) preparation and testing, adult literacy programs, English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, civics education, family literacy programs, and workforce training.

Free GED® prep serves those who need to improve their basic literacy and math skills, improve their oral and written English, practice for the GED® test to attain a high school equivalency degree, and prepare for college. Instructors also help students with science and social studies test preparation for GED® testing. STC teaches adult education classes in the morning, afternoon, evening and online. They are offered in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties with multiple locations in each community. Adult education classes for GED®-prep are currently free for all U.S. citizens. To register for free GED® classes, call 912.443.5446 or visit www.savannahtech.edu/FreeGEDClasses. For GED® testing information, go to www.ged.com to sign up to take test or go to www.savannahtech.edu/testingcenter to learn more about our testing locations.

#2515 | November 19, 2024

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Georgia Board of Nursing (GBON) granted initial approval for the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program at Savannah Technical College today. The first cohort of 24 students will begin in January 2025.

“We are thrilled to receive initial approval for our Associate of Science in Nursing program from the Georgia Board of Nursing,” said STC President Dr. Ryan Foley. “With this program, Savannah Tech will expand access to high-quality nursing education in Coastal Georgia, preparing students to step into critical roles in healthcare.”

The College will host this program at its Effingham Campus in a new Nursing/Science lab addition. The ASN program will have a competitive selection process, which will include requirements of specific core courses, entrance exam, and other criteria. Priority selection will be given to in-state students as well as those with a Georgia military affiliation. The competitive selection application is now open and will close at 11:59 p.m. on December 15, 2024, at www.savannahtech.edu/competitive.

“Savannah Technical College has been a key partner in developing our healthcare workforce, and we’re excited to support this growth through the addition of the ASN degree,” said Effingham Health System President and CEO Dr. Fran Witt, who is also a member of STC’s Board of Trustees. “Effingham Health System is currently a clinical site for CNA and LPN students, so expanding the program to include ASN offers a strategic response to both local and national nursing shortages. This program will help meet our staffing needs and benefit healthcare systems across our region.”

Graduates of the Associate of Science in Nursing program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The Savannah metro area had a skills gap of 3,173 for registered nurses in 2023.

STC’s Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program will prepare graduates to provide quality patient care through academic and occupational knowledge attained throughout their program of study. To learn more about ASN and other nursing programs at the College, visit: www.savannahtech.edu/nursing. Vickie Nylander, MSN, RN-BC, PCCN, is the Associate of Science in Nursing Program Director. 

Visit this link for FAQ about competitive selection and details about ASN approval.

The ASN program’s development is partially funded by the College’s Title III Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) grant, a five-year US Department of Education grant initially awarded in 2021. The College seeks to address both the shortage of registered nurses in the local workforce and the low participation of minority students in higher-level health science programs with funding from the PBI formula grant.

#2514 | November 14, 2024