Education

B2B Stories

Augusta University President delivers final State of the University address

To paraphrase the university’s slogan, “It was an address like no other.” Dr. Brooks Keel, in a speech marked by humor and poignancy, summed up the past year and then turned to the future. Keel hit all the high points of the past 12 months, beginning with increased budget allocations from the General Assembly for FY25, after a reduction a year earlier. “So, here’s an increase in our FY 25 allocation, just over $10 million in revenue earnings of $13.8 million of new money,” he said, adding that increased enrollment

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B2B Stories

USCA gets financial boost to help cyber students

USCA has received money from a veteran-owned cybersecurity firm that will fund scholarships for students seeking a career in cybersecurity and computer science. SteelGate, LLC, a Virginia-based company with an office in Augusta, has donated $25,000 to USCA. The SteelGate Cyber Scholarships will be used to provide $1,000 scholarships to high school students in the Aiken-Augusta area. “We contacted about 15 to 18 high schools in the region. And there’s a competitive scholarship for each school, one to two scholarships,” Dr. Scott McKay, Dean of Sciences and Engineering, explained for

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B2B Stories

Donations boost students in pursuit of healthcare and general studies

Two nonprofit organizations have recently donated $12,000 for student scholarships, one for traditional medical fields and the other for a challenge you might not hear much about in higher learning. “The Hospital Auxiliary of Aiken County is pleased to continue funding seven nursing, medical assisting, and dental assisting scholarships at Aiken Tech this year with a $9,000 donation. Included are funds to help students in those majors meet unexpected financial needs during the school year,” said Allen Radcliffe, the auxiliary’s scholarship chair. “The auxiliary understands the important contributions of Aiken

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CSRA school districts receive more than $300,000

SRP Federal Credit Union was recently part of local Board of Education meetings to present checks for the monies donated to each district as part of the High School Affinity School Debit Card Program last year. The Aiken County Public School district in Aiken, SC was awarded a check totaling $256,658.70, with nine schools participating in the program. The Columbia County School System in Evans, GA was also presented a check in the amount of $47,797.80, with five participating schools. The Affinity School Debit Card Program began in 2018 to

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B2B Stories

Georgia’s Lottery impact on workforce development

Since its launch in 1992, the Georgia Lottery has pumped $28 billion into the state’s education system. In fiscal year 2023, lottery proceeds for education surpassed. $1.5 billion. There have been 2.1 million HOPE scholarships and grants and two million Pre-K students. Gretchen Corbin, President and CEO of the lottery, broke down the numbers for the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s member economic luncheon on May 1. She said then-Gov. Zell Miller championed the idea of a state lottery, with funds going to benefit education programs, when he realized the

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B2B Stories

Direct cyber path to Augusta University for GA technical colleges

Leaders from Augusta University and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) signed an agreement creating a direct pipeline for cybersecurity students. It’s patterned after the Augusta Advantage initiative launched in January 2023. Although Augusta Advantage is open to students in multiple areas of study, including business administration, communications, and social work, the statewide agreement is specifically for students studying cybersecurity. The agreement creates a seamless path for students at all 22 of Georgia’s technical colleges pursuing an Associate Degree in Cybersecurity to continue to a bachelor’s degree at AU.

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B2B Stories

Potential $285 million to fund school upgrades and property tax relief

Aiken County voters will be asked to decide the fate of the current one-cent sales tax that is funding projects in the school district. School district leadership outlined the value of continuing the tax during the April 18 Good Morning North Augusta Breakfast sponsored by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce. Superintendent King Laurence told ABD it is important for the district to provide top-quality education in state-of-the-art facilities. He said it is important for students, teachers, and the community. “When businesses and families come to an area, one of

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Car dealer pledges $500,000 to support Automotive Institute

“Together with partners like Will Schafer at Master Automotive, we are building a national model for automotive training,” said Dr. Jermaine Whirl, President of Augusta Tech. “The state of Georgia recognizes that automotive tech is a critical industry with far too few qualified individuals to fill the many available jobs. With this new facility, Augusta Tech will train more than 1,000 students per year to fill these lucrative jobs.” “There is a major need for a facility such as this in our community and we are excited to be a

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The I.T. workforce of tomorrow in the CSRA

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) Information Technology (IT) Youth Apprenticeship opportunity is underway after 16 area high school students toured IT facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS). “We have worked closely with the Aiken County Public School District to give each of these high-performing tech students the chance to become the first IT Youth Apprentice,” said Tim Arnold, SRNS Senior IT Manager. “Employed students will complete their high school curriculum while gaining hands-on experience alongside our employees.” North Augusta High School (NAHS) students enrolled in the Advanced Computer Services

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B2B Stories

Local businesses building beneficial relationships with future employees

Augusta Technical College has launched a program designed to connect students with local businesses in a mutually beneficial partnership. Called “Cougar Community Partners,” it offers a collaboration between students and local businesses everywhere that Augusta Tech has a footprint. “We service five counties, and so, saying that, with the student population that we have, income that we generate as a college, we just see the value of having this partnership to support our local business communities while also asking them to consider hiring our students and providing our students and

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