Waycross College
Administrative Policies and Procedures

Mission Statement of Waycross College

As a unit of the University System of Georgia, Waycross College, founded in 1976 in southeast Georgia, shares with the other institutions of the System the following core characteristics:

• a supportive campus climate, necessary services, and leadership and development opportunities, all to educate the whole person and meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff;
• cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender diversity in the faculty, staff, and student body, supported by practices and programs that embody the ideals of an open, democratic, and global society;
• technology to advance educational purposes, including instructional technology, student support services, and distance education;
• collaborative relationships with other System institutions, State agencies, local schools and technical colleges, and business and industry, sharing physical, human, information, and other resources to expand and enhance programs and services available to the citizens of Georgia.

Waycross College shares with the other two-year colleges of the University System of Georgia the following core characteristics:

• a commitment to excellence and responsiveness within a scope of influence defined by the needs of the local area and by particularly outstanding programs or distinctive characteristics that have a magnet effect throughout the region or state;
• a commitment to a teaching/learning environment, both inside and outside the classroom, that sustains instructional excellence, functions to provide University System access for a diverse student body, and promotes high levels of student learning;
• a high quality general education program that supports a variety of well-chosen associate programs and prepares students for transfer to baccalaureate programs, learning support programs designed to ensure access and opportunity for a diverse student body, and a limited number of certificate or other career programs to complement neighboring technical college programs;
• a commitment to public service, continuing education, technical assistance, and economic development activities that address the needs, improve the quality of life, and raise the educational level within the College’s scope of influence;
• a commitment to scholarship and creative work to enhance instructional effectiveness and meet local needs.

To meet the challenges of the 21st Century, Waycross College distinctively serves the vital needs of the student body and the community in the following ways:

• by maintaining a primary commitment to southeast Georgians within commuting distance of the College and by serving citizens of greater South Georgia through off-campus programs, continuing education, distance learning, and collaborative projects with other educational institutions;
• by offering “point of access” educational opportunities distinguished by flexible class scheduling, a strong learning support program, and an Academic Support Center, all of which assist a diverse, non-traditional population, comprised of many first-generation, older, and part-time enrollees;
• by pursuing the richness of diversity through not only equal opportunity for students, staff, and faculty but also outreach programs/activities to recruit minority students, staff, and faculty; older citizens; and public school-age youth;
• by emphasizing a basic objective of instruction through a variety of pedagogical approaches to a core of general education courses;
• by emphasizing student learning outcomes through critical thinking, communication, computation, and a common core of the arts and sciences to prepare students for attaining further education;
• by offering programs of study for the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees that prepare students for further study in a variety of baccalaureate programs; and also select programs in cooperation with technical colleges that lead to the Associate of Applied Science degrees in business, service, health, and technical fields.
• by maintaining a commitment to instructional excellence and faculty and staff professional development in order to sustain creative and effective performance in the teaching/learning environment;
• by responding to the needs of students, business/industry, community groups, public schools, and System institutions through establishing partnerships and other collaborative programs to expand educational opportunities, to foster progress, and thereby enhance the promise of southeast Georgia;
• by emphasizing a comprehensive educational experience to assist southeast Georgians in accepting the challenges of preparing to enter the workforce of the 21st Century as leaders and contributing members of society;
• by nurturing a sense of personal enrichment and social responsibility and creating an awareness of the increasingly global nature of our natural, economic, and social orders.