Through Georgia College & State University’s liberal arts mission, students are taught a variety of marketable skills for today’s workforce. They learn to think critically about problems, work in diverse teams, face ambiguity and uncertainty with boldness, and communicate effectively.
These skills—valuable in any career—can be transferred across a multitude of jobs and are useful for life in general.
“Although basic ideas of a liberal arts education began hundreds of years ago, Georgia College intentionally reimagines what that looks like for us, and how we can use our liberal arts foundation to better meet the needs of students,” said Dr. Costas Spirou, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “A liberal arts and sciences education should not be viewed as separate from career success. I would argue that the two are not only intrinsically connected—the former can and should inform the latter.”
Workforce needs are constantly evolving with the advancement of new technologies. Georgia College is committed to staying flexible and dynamic—developing courses and degree offerings to stay in line with this changing dynamic.
This is being done in a variety of ways:
• To meet a severe shortage of nurses in Georgia, the university recently added a third nursing cohort to accommodate more students.
• Technology has been a major focus in the College of Business for some time, but that focus is now reflected in the college’s new name: the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology.
• Two new degrees were added to the College of Business and Technology: finance and data science.
Both skills are in high demand in the job market.
• Last fall, the College of Education (COE) launched a dynamic Maker Space. It places multiple new technologies— from virtual reality sets and 3D printers to drones and robotics—into the hands of teacher candidates.
• A new Center for Innovation will also open soon and extend services to businesses in Central Georgia.
• The College of Arts and Sciences is launching a new Aquatic Sciences Center, bringing together and furthering existing research on water quality.
• A new concentration in marine sciences has been added to the biology curriculum.
These are just some of the new opportunities available at Georgia College. The university’s public liberal arts mission is what drives this success. “We must be willing to adjust to meet the workforce needs of the state and our rapidly moving world,” Spirou said. “We are committed to being responsive to the economic and workforce needs of the state, as well the needs of our students.”