Savannah Tech Adds Student Navigator to Team

Mark Stump selected as director to enhance student success
SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College has added a student navigator to its student affairs team. This position is one of 25 created by the Technical College System of Georgia, one at each technical college, to improve graduation rates and enhance Georgia’s workforce. Improving college completion will require significant intervention to improve graduation outcomes for at-risk students.
The state of Georgia has committed to Complete College America’s (CCA) goal that by 2020, 60 percent of young adults in Georgia will hold a college certificate or degree. Georgia’s Higher Education Completion plan, a joint effort between TCSG and the University System of Georgia (USG) is designed to provide a framework for action and accountability that will lead to increased college completion rates.
According to CCA, low completion rates in two-year colleges are rooted in the navigational challenges that confront students. Many of TCSG’s students are first-generation college students and may not have the navigational skills to develop an academic pathway. In addition, students attending technical college are often financially challenged and frequently have family responsibilities to juggle, while simultaneously attending college, which may require being part-time rather than full-time students.
The College has selected Mark Stump as its director of student navigation. Stump coordinate and conduct focused academic advisement and student support services to help students in their program of study. Through these efforts, he will identify students at risk of dropping out by developing an early alert system and intervening with necessary support services. Stump will help guide students through the system, choose coherent programs of study and receive needed support services.
He will also be the primary contact for potential students with some college classes, but no degree through the new initiative: Go Back. Move Ahead. There are more than one million Georgians who have completed some college will be encouraged to return and finish their degrees. In conjunction with the campaign, Stump will provide resources for prospective students and make the return process as accessible as possible.
Stump previously served as an admissions counselor and adjunct instructor at the College for six years and was a Team Leader in the U.S. Army for five years.
For more information visit gobackmoveahead.org or contact Stump at mstump@savannahtech.eduor 912.443.5706.
#1505 | August 28, 2014
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, Savannah Technical College (Savannah Tech) is the premier provider of career-ready technical education in Coastal Georgia, offering a comprehensive range of nearly 150 market-driven programs, preparing students for high-demand careers including Aviation Technology, Cybersecurity, Health Sciences, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Automation & Robotics, Information Technology, Culinary Arts, Public Services and more. With campuses in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty Counties, Savannah Tech serves more than 13,000 credit and non-credit students with a variety of pathways to success, including dual enrollment programs for high school students and specialized support services for military veterans and their families. Beyond academics, Savannah Tech is an economic and community development partner, collaborating with industry leaders to provide customized training programs, assessment services, and continuing education opportunities. For more information, visit www.savannahtech.edu.
Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Savannah Technical College complies with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The TCSG State Board prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status (“protected status”). No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any TCSG program or activity because of the individual’s protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individual’s protected status, except the preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.