Hello parents and students in the region:

I am going to start with a trick question. If I gave you $1 million just for going to college and earning a bachelor’s degree would you take it? For most people the answer is an absolute ‘Yes’ and they would think I was crazy for asking.

Why am I starting there? Because no matter what national data you look at, earning a bachelor’s degree means you will earn about $1 million more over the course of your lifetime. Statistically, you will earn an extra $30-$33,000 a year, on average, than someone with just a high school degree. Multiply that by thirty or thirty-five years of work – there is your $1 million. Pretty good deal. Graduate degrees will earn you even more. And that cool $1 million can do a lot for you, your family and our community. I am inviting you to join us this Fall at East Georgia State College (EGSC) and start making your dreams a reality. It is not too late.

But my point today is not just about money. I’m just throwing that out there to grab your attention.

Instead, it is to encourage you to take those bold steps that you need right now to either come back to school and finish your degree or start classes with us on Monday, August 12th and get that ball rolling.

Let’s get one thing out of the way quickly: Can you afford it? For sure. East Georgia State College has the lowest tuition and fees of all twenty-six schools in the University System of Georgia. Ninety-eight percent of our students receive some form of financial aid. We have scholarships of up to $1,000 if you would like to live in our beautiful dorms and we work with you every step of the way to ensure college is affordable.

We need you and want you at EGSC this Fall. Come give us a shot. Maybe you are interested in a business degree, or getting into teaching, or learning more about biology and the world around us, or the Arts. We have plenty of areas to choose from and explore. Institutions are changing all over the world right now and higher education is no different. We are always improving what we do so that students have the best experience possible.

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Our faculty and staff are working hard, and we are so proud to be a part of this community and a major engine that drives the local economy. EGSC contributed nearly $64 million dollars in 2023 to the regional economy and you may have heard that we celebrated our 50th Anniversary last year, as well.

In a sense, you may not have known it, but you own a College. Community members voted to tax themselves in 1971 to build this school and when the first classes began in 1973 it marked an important occasion in the history of our region. We are so proud of the thousands of graduates that have come through our doors over the years and excited for all of the future graduates that will be here in August to start classes.

So come be with us in the fall. Please know we’re doing all we can behind the scenes to make the experience amazing for you. We are revamping classes, we are prepping activities, and our top-notch faculty and staff are here to help you fulfill your education dreams. They know their stuff. But we need your help right now to make it all work. Please let anyone you know that has a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, niece, nephew, cousin or adult-learner that may be ready to give college a try that we want them to join our Bobcat family.

We are getting ready for you, and we know our future success hinges on your support. We are so thankful for the fifty-one years of support we have received so far and excited about being a part of this community for fifty more. We don’t want to be the campus of a decade ago, we want to be the campus of tomorrow. We need you to be with us to make that happen. Like the Beach Boys sang in 1963, ‘Be True to Your School’ – as we truly are your college and so very proud to be. Plus, if nothing else, there’s a cool $1 million waiting for you at the end for joining us on this journey. I guarantee it.

Any questions about how we can help you make that happen, give our Admission Office a call at 478-289-2017 or [email protected]. See you soon!

David Schecter, Ph.D., M.B.A, is the President of East Georgia State College. He welcomes comment and feedback on this piece at [email protected].