Parents

Dear Parent and Family Member of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Students:

Welcome to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College! We believe establishing a relationship with parents and family members is an important component of a successful college experience for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) students. We believe that the parents and family have an essential role of support for their student. We encourage our parents to be active in their student’s college experience but at the same time allow them to grow and develop into self-advocates. This website is designed to give you, as the parent, the tools and resources to make your transition and theirs, as smooth as possible.

Many changes have recently been made in regards to your student’s education:

  • Did you hear? New legislation has been signed for Georgia’s HOPE Grant Program to lower grade requirements for recipients of the HOPE Grant program, which helps students attending the state's technical colleges. The bill returns the qualifying grade point average to 2 .0 after it was raised to 3.0 two years ago because of budgetary concerns. In the years since, there was a notable decline in enrollment. Wiregrass welcome’s and supports this change to better serve our students.
  • Did you hear? House Bill 131 was recently signed by Governor Deal to give high school students an incentive to take dual credit courses and earn college credit. He says by year 2020, 60 percent of job openings in the state will require postsecondary education and Georgia needs to increase the percentage of people holding those degrees to create a highly skilled workforce. Under the law, the classes will add bonus points to a student’s GPA. The classes will also count toward the “rigorous coursework” the HOPE scholarship program now requires.
  • Did you hear? Wiregrass and VSU signed one of the most comprehensive transfer agreements between any technical college and state university in Georgia. This agreement creates a pathway for Wiregrass Associate of Applied Science Degree students in 28 programs to transfer into one of two Bachelor programs at VSU, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Studies or a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership. In addition, Wiregrass has articulation agreements with several other colleges and universities to allow for a seamless transition into a four year degree if the student chooses to do so.

We encourage you as a parent or family member, who supports your family, to come out and let us tell you about what is going on at Wiregrass. You’ll be glad you did! We look forward to meeting you!

 

Some things you need to know as a parent:


A note on FERPA:

Federal law (the Family Rights and Privacy Act) prohibits College employees, including our Academic Advisors, Deans or staff members, from providing academic information to anyone other than the student without the student’s permission. For instance, grades cannot be released to parents, so we encourage our students to keep their parents updated on how they are doing in their coursework throughout each semester. The Registrar’s Office has more specific details about FERPA and what information you, as a parent, may access about your son or daughter.

FERPA questions for parents:

May I access my child's student records? At the post-secondary level, parents have no inherent right to access or inspect their son's or daughter's educational records. The right of access is limited solely to the student.

May I view my child's grades, exams, or academic progress? Final grades, grades on exams, and other information about academic progress are examples of the confidential information that makes up part of a student's educational record. This information is protected under FERPA and parents do not have access to it unless the student has provided express, written authorization.

What about crisis or emergency situations? If nondirectory information is needed to resolve a crisis or emergency situation, an educational institution may release that information if the institution determines that the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

Whom should I contact with questions or concerns? Direct general questions to the vice president for student affairs at (229) 468-2033, or the registrar at (229) 468-2032, or email registrar@wiregrass.edu, as appropriate.

 

Quick Links:

Parents

Campus Tours

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College encourages visitations from individuals and groups at any time during normal operating hours. Prospective students and other individuals including groups (clubs, organizations, and local school class groups) wishing to visit any one of the campus locations may contact one of the following individuals:

Northern Region
Andrea Fletcher
High School Services Coordinator
(229) 468-2049
andrea.fletcher@wiregrass.edu

Southern Region
Amelia Roberson
High School Services Coordinator
(229) 333-2100, Ext 3013
amelia.roberson@wiregrass.edu