Georgia Military College (GMC) welcomed representatives from the Highland Rivers Foundation on April 2, 2026, for a special campus visit and check presentation in the amount of $25,000 to the GMC Foundation.
The generous gift will support Highland Rivers employees pursuing higher education through GMC, helping to reduce financial barriers and expand access to degree completion.
In addition to scholarship support, GMC will award prior learning credit for two courses, “Crisis Intervention” and “First Aid and Emergency Care,” to Highland Rivers students once they complete the standardized training requirement for Paraprofessionals, as approved by the Department of Community Health within the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
GMC and Highland Rivers plan to partner on an internship program to provide GMC students with valuable, hands-on learning opportunities while strengthening the talent pipeline for Highland Rivers and the broader behavioral health workforce. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to workforce development and educational advancement across the region.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate the power of collaboration in creating pathways of opportunity,” said the President of Georgia Military College, Major General Terry McKenrick, U.S. Army (Retired). “By investing in both current employees and future professionals, we are strengthening our communities and supporting long-term success.”
“This partnership is about opening doors - for our team members, for students, and ultimately for the communities we serve,” said Melanie Dallas, CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health. “When we invest in education and realworld experience, we’re not just building careers, we’re strengthening the behavioral health workforce and expanding access to care across Georgia. It matters.”
Together, Georgia Military College and Highland Rivers Behavioral Health are working to remove barriers to education, invest in professional growth, and build a stronger, more prepared workforce for Georgia.
For more information about partnership opportunities with Georgia Military College, please contact Kate Pope at khpope@gmc.edu.
- Contributed