ATHENS, Ga. — Break out the mortarboards and tassels. The University of Georgia’s first students to earn bachelor’s degrees through programs offered at the Gwinnett University Center are ready to graduate. They have been invited to take part in UGA commencement ceremonies in Athens this Saturday, Dec. 20.
Twelve students who enrolled in the Terry College of Business’ undergraduate program at Gwinnett have completed their degree requirements since transferring into the bachelor’s completion program when it opened in fall 2002. The business program is one of six undergraduate degree programs offered by UGA at Gwinnett. A seventh program, in social work, will be added next semester.
“This is a terrific achievement for these motivated students who were among the very first to take the leap into this brand new option for a college degree delivered in Gwinnett County,” said Argy Russell, who directs the Gwinnett bachelor of business administration degree program. “It’s also a significant milestone for the University of Georgia, Georgia Perimeter College, the Gwinnett University Center and the University System of Georgia who worked together to make it possible for a student to earn a four-year college degree without having to leave Gwinnett County.”
Eight of the 12 fall graduates are residents of Gwinnett County. The other four live in metro Atlanta counties.
Dean P. George Benson of the Terry College of Business said, “We’re proud of the accomplishments of these first-ever Terry Gwinnett graduates. They’ve worked hard and now have the tools and talent to help shape the future business community of Georgia and beyond.”
A reception honoring the graduating students and their families was held Thursday, Dec. 18, in the atrium of Building B at the Gwinnett University Center. The students also are eligible to participate in UGA’s fall semester commencement ceremonies this Saturday in Stegeman Coliseum.
“The degree these students have earned is a University of Georgia degree, and as such they can join the ranks of this fall’s graduating class in Athens to receive their diplomas,” said Associate Provost Bob Boehmer, UGA’s senior administrator for the Gwinnett programs.
Wajma Rasoul of Snellville, who took her last final exam on Tuesday, said the accomplishment “still hasn’t sunk in, but it feels good.”
Just since last fall, Rasoul has seen her classes grow from the handful who enrolled with her to near capacity for the targeted classroom size set by the university. “The Gwinnett program is going to be successful because it’s been so needed,” she said.
While awaiting a decision on her application to start law school next fall, Rasoul said she’ll enjoy her first break from classes in more than three years — since fall 2000, when she started taking college courses from Georgia Perimeter College at the Gwinnett University Center campus.
The University of Georgia has been providing graduate degree programs and continuing education in Gwinnett County since 1984, when the University System Board of Regents first established the Gwinnett University Center as a locus for such activity. After the center moved to a permanent home at Collins Hill Road in January 2002, UGA expanded its involvement, launching undergraduate degree programs in business, science and education in fall 2002 and adding three more bachelor’s degree programs in fall 2003. These are upper-division programs open to transfer students or those seeking a second degree.
Standards for admission to UGA’s degree programs at the Gwinnett University Center are on par with the standards at UGA’s main campus in Athens. Prospective students must meet the criteria for admission into the specific degree program they wish to pursue.
Information about all UGA programs offered in Gwinnett is available on the UGA at Gwinnett web site (www.uga.edu/gwinnett) or by calling 678/407-5302.
