Dr. Martha Lavender, assistant to the president, Gadsden State-Cherokee, recently gave an update on the latest statistics to the Centre City Council. Accompanying Dr. Lavender was Luann Hayes, director of economic development for Gadsden State Community College-Cherokee.
“We feel accountable to you as you are our partners with Gadsden State- Cherokee,” said Dr. Lavender. “I would also like to thank you all that attended the dedication ceremony Dec. 18. We considered it a great success. We had between 400 and 500 people there and had a warm reception from the community. This was especially important to us because our new president, Dr. Darryl Harrison, was there and I can tell you all that he has said to me repeatedly how impressed he is with the support in Cherokee County.”
Dr. Lavender said she hopes to provide periodic updates to Mayor Tony Wilkie and council members. She also presented them with a copy of Gadsden State Community College’s Annual President’s Report for 2007-2008 to keep on file.
“I wanted you to know that for the spring of 2009, we have 268 students enrolled at Gadsden State-Cherokee,” said Dr. Lavender. “As you remember, in the fall we had 254 students which was an 87 percent increase of our all-time high, so we are looking good at Gadsden State.”
“But it is very important for you to know what our students are doing there,” said Dr. Lavender. “The majority of them, about 75 percent, are female students but that matches about what we are across the country, with an average age of 27. We have some chronologically gifted students there. We have one student who is 71 years old. A smaller percentage of our students are full-time students, but the important thing to you all is 101 of those 268 students are from Centre. You are serving your constituency very well with this partnership.”
Dr. Lavender said she and Hayes are studying current enrollment patterns to determine students’ academic needs.
“Last semester and this semester, we have a large number of students in Cherokee County enrolled in courses at Gadsden State but they don’t take any courses at Gadsden State-Cherokee,” said Dr. Lavender. “They are going to other campuses. This semester we have a total of 326 students in Cherokee County enrolled in Gadsden State courses and of those, 144 are not taking any courses here. I am doing a detailed analysis of all the students records to find out how we could better serve them.”
Dr. Lavender said the continuing education program is growing. Gadsden State Community College-Cherokee currently offers acting classes, ballroom dancing and hopes to add additional computer classes.
Gadsden State-Cherokee, Dr. Lavender said, is working on developing technical programs and also researching the possibility of adding an R.N. program in addition to the current LPN program to accommodate the nursing shortage in this area and across the country.
The facility now has five full time faculty members. And there are other adjunct faculty members in Cherokee and some from the Gadsden Campus who commute to teach courses here. They hope to add more faculty, Dr. Lavender said.
“I am excited about the future and what the future will hold for us,” said Dr. Lavender. “I certainly recognize that it was your leadership and your ability to move forward and see the future of Cherokee County that has led us to where we are. Luann and I enjoyed coming in after the wave when it started rolling in. We intend to make the most of it with you. We thank you for your support. We will continue to offer you ours and the level of accountability that you need from us as leaders of Gadsden State-Cherokee as well.”
“I just want to thank Luann and Dr. Lavender for being here,” said Councilwoman Bess Yarbrough. “We are lucky to have such a facility here. I am a part–time faculty member and I enjoy going there every night. We have a lot of compliments about the job that both of you are doing. Every where I go the question is ‘what did you do to get Gadsden State in Cherokee County?’ I said ‘Good connections and working together.’”
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