VALDOSTA — A Wiregrass Georgia Technical College vice president has been named to a national board.

At the 2019 National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Angela Hobby, Wiregrass vice president of enrollment management, was appointed to the board of directors for NACEP and will serve as the chair of engagement commission. 

“NACEP provides colleges and high schools support, guidance and research based best practices for concurrent and dual enrollment models,” Hobby said. “They are committed to ensuring that every accredited program is delivering quality college-level content in every course, that teachers are receiving the professional development they need to be successful in delivering that content and that student success is at the center of all programs. I am honored to have been appointed to this position with NACEP.”

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College’s dual enrollment program has been a leader on both state and national levels in the concurrent enrollment field, college officials said. 

In 2018, the college received official accreditation by the Accreditation Commission of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, making the college the first in Georgia to earn NACEP accreditation for its concurrent enrollment program. Concurrent enrollment is the method of offering college courses to high school students for college credit by credentialing a high school instructor to teach the course content, college officials said. 

“The accreditation Wiregrass received provides evidence that those courses meet college-level rigor are presented and taught in the same manner as other college faculty taught courses and that the college is adhering to its policies and procedures with each course taught at the high school,” college officials said. “Concurrent enrollment is one method of delivery for Wiregrass’s successful dual-enrollment program.”

Through the dual-enrollment program at Wiregrass, high school students can take college courses at their high school, online or on a Wiregrass campus. Students may choose to enroll in a degree, diploma or technical certificate program, or just take core courses. 

There is no cost for tuition, college fees or textbooks, college officials said. No hours taken through the dual-enrollment program will count toward a student’s HOPE grant or scholarship credit hour caps. 

Last fiscal year, Wiregrass was named number one in the state for enrollment for dual enrollment with 3,155 students who earned college credit in the 11 counties served by Wiregrass. For parents, this was a total savings of $4.8 million with 27,703 total credit hours earned in the service area, college officials said. 

“I am excited that Wiregrass is working with experts in the field of concurrent enrollment enabling us to learn from the best,” said Dr. Tina K. Anderson, Wiregrass president. “I am also proud of the work Angela Hobby is doing and know she will be an asset on their board as she is for us here at Wiregrass.”

About 38% of Wiregrass’ dual-enrollment students were enrolled in academic core classes with 62% enrolled in occupational training programs. The most popular programs at Wiregrass for dual-enrollment students last year were nurse aide/patient care assisting, criminal justice, welding and culinary arts. 

The top three high schools with the largest enrollment are Fitzgerald High School (584), Coffee High School (527) and Valdosta High School (415). 

Wiregrass is accepting new students for spring semester; classes start Jan. 8. If a parent of a high school student is interested in learning more information, contact high school coordinators by emailing highschoolservices@wiregrass.edu. Information about the dual-enrollment program can be found on the website.