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After receiving an all-time record number of applications, Georgia State University’s fall 2024 enrollment grew 3.8 percent, outpacing the national average college enrollment growth of 2.9 percent.
The Georgia State student body — across its downtown Atlanta Campus and five metro Atlanta Perimeter College campuses — is larger by more than 1,900 students this fall. Enrollment across the institution grew from 50,500 in fall 2023 to 52,400 this fall.
Georgia State received nearly 65,000 applications for admittance in the fall, and saw increases in its number of graduate students, transfer students and students enrolling in its associate degree-granting Perimeter College.
“These increases in enrollment are welcomed news and a testament to the tireless efforts of people like Dr. Allison Calhoun-Brown, our vice president for Student Success, her team’s leadership, and their partnership with our Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicolle Parsons-Pollard and our academic deans,” said Georgia State President M. Brian Blake. “The pandemic was tough on higher education, but at Georgia State the value proposition is high because every day we focus on ensuring our students succeed in college and beyond.”
“Nearly 45,000 of our students are Georgia residents and, historically, more than 80 percent of them stay in the state to make their homes and their careers,” Parsons-Pollard said. “We have Panthers in every region of the state. Our students become the nurses who care for our citizens, the teachers who educate our children, the tech workers who propel innovation and the entrepreneurs who help our economy flourish.”
University System of Georgia (USG) enrollment climbed this fall to an all-time record of 364,725 students. The 5.9 percent increase over enrollment in fall 2023 is the second consecutive year of growth for the system and outpaces the 2.9 percent increase observed in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s September Stay Informed report.
“We saw a very nice increase in one year for an institution of our size,” Calhoun-Brown said. “I think some of the best news is at Perimeter College which, during the pandemic, experienced decreases in enrollment of more than 17 percent.”
Indeed, reflecting a national trend at two-year colleges, Perimeter enrollment fell from around 18,500 students in 2019 to 17,300 in 2020 and further to around 15,400 in 2021, where it remained steady for three years.
But Perimeter enrollment this fall has risen to 17,400 students — a number that includes the second-largest enrollment of incoming first-year students in its history, nearly 3,200. Perimeter also saw a 50-percent increase this fall in dual-enrollment students, high school juniors and seniors getting a jump on their academic careers by taking college courses.
“We are encouraged by this fall’s enrollment growth at Perimeter,” said Dean Barbara J. Johnson. “The increase speaks to our reputation as an access-mission college that draws on Georgia State’s nationally recognized commitment to student success and expanding academic and career opportunities for the students enrolled at Perimeter.”
Georgia State also welcomed 1,300 new transfer students this fall, a 9 percent increase over last year and the largest transfer enrollment since the start of the pandemic. Perimeter College has seen a 33 percent increase — to 1,116 transfer students — this fall.
Calhoun-Brown said Georgia State has recently implemented a new optical character recognition program to review transcripts from other institutions, increasing efficiency in the transfer process.
Georgia State’s Graduate School has also seen impressive growth over the past year, increasing from 7,385 students in fall 2023 to 7,528 this fall.
“Georgia State’s growth in graduate enrollments, including over 2,450 new graduate students this fall, reflects our commitment to offering high-quality programs that meet the evolving needs of today’s students and workforce,” said Lisa Armistead, dean of The Graduate School. “Our dedicated faculty and targeted recruitment efforts are helping more students discover the unique opportunities for advanced study and real-world impact that Georgia State provides.”
The Graduate Enrollment Management Plan has been instrumental in driving this growth, emphasizing streamlined admissions processes and targeted outreach through robust recruitment and digital campaigns. Additionally, initiatives like professional development programing, expanded graduate mentoring resources and events such as the annual Conference for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity have contributed to an inclusive, supportive learning environment that helps students achieve their professional goals and make meaningful contributions to their fields.
Georgia State’s leadership also undertook efforts over the past several years to highlight the value of a college education, the myriad high quality academic options offered at Georgia State and its unsurpassed connections to opportunities throughout Atlanta.
“Enrollment is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Calhoun-Brown said. “It’s a collaborative endeavor to increase enrollment and we appreciate all of the university and college engagement to yield these kinds of results.”
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce the launch of the Community Archives Initiative, a new program designed to expand GHS archival collections with support from community members around Georgia. This initiative was made possible in part by funding from the Congressional Directed Spending Budget, secured with the support of Senator Jon Ossoff, and is administered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commissions (NHPRC). The $168,000 NHPRC grant award will support GHS’s targeted efforts in ensuring its archival collections reflect the full breadth of Georgia’s history with a focus on groups and individuals currently underrepresented in the GHS collection. GHS will actively engage in documenting the lives, contributions, and experiences of a wide variety of individuals and communities that reflect the geographic, ethnic, political, economic, and religious diversity of modern Georgia.
As part of this project, the Community Archives Initiative will invite project partners from across Georgia to participate in preserving their own histories. First, community members will have opportunities to visit the GHS Research Center in Savannah, Georgia, and work alongside professional archivists, assisting with improving the descriptions of collection materials that reflect Georgia’s many diverse communities, in turn making those collections more searchable and accessible to researchers.
Additionally, GHS will partner with identified groups, schools, and organizations to offer workshops on photo preservation, family genealogy, and digitization. These events will educate community members on preserving their own stories for future generations. Community members who wish to contribute their personal items to the GHS archives will have the option to donate family materials for preservation and researcher access, in perpetuity, through inclusion in the statewide collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Community partnerships have already been established in Savannah, Augusta, Darien, and Rome, Georgia, offering local access points for participants.
“The GHS archival collection is the foundation for programming, educational resources, scholarly articles, and other historical resources created and shared by the Georgia Historical Society. The collection is essential to understanding not just our past, but also the present,” said GHS President and CEO W. Todd Groce. “To truly understand modern Georgia and to effectively chart a course into the future, those building blocks of understanding—the materials within our statewide collection—must accurately reflect the full story of our state. We are excited to undertake this project to ensure that the documentary legacy of Georgia’s people is secure and accessible for generations of researchers yet to come.”
“I was happy to participate in this excellent outreach project to incorporate the Savannah Civil Rights Movement in Georgia history,” said Vaughnette Goode-Walker, Director of the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah. “It gives the community an opportunity to share their perspective of the Savannah community within the context of Georgia history.” As part of the program, community volunteers have already begun working with GHS staff on selected collections.
The community’s effort is invaluable to ensuring GHS’s collection fully reflects the people and experiences that make up the rich tapestry of Georgia’s history. The Community Archives Initiative will culminate in a public showcase event at the GHS Research Center, featuring newly donated archival materials from throughout Georgia. For more details on how you can be a part of the Community Archives Initiative, please contact LaPortia Mosley at lmosley@georgiahistory.com.
The State Transportation Board of Georgia has selected Plenary Broadband Infrastructure (PBI) as the Operations, Maintenance and Commercialization (OMC) partner for Georgia DOT’s Statewide Broadband project which will install 1,400 miles of broadband infrastructure along all interstates in Georgia. When completed, a portion of the broadband infrastructure will be dedicated to Georgia DOT’s traffic operations with additional capacity reserved for commercial use which will provide faster, more reliable broadband access for communities, households and businesses in 70 Georgia counties.
“Expanding broadband access throughout Georgia is critical to bridging the digital divide, ensuring that rural and underserved communities can access essential online services for education, healthcare, and economic opportunities,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. “This expansion also brings with it the added benefit of modernizing our transportation infrastructure, enabling innovations like connected vehicles and smart traffic systems to improve safety and efficiency.”
Under the agreement, PBI will maintain the broadband network infrastructure dedicated to GDOT’s traffic operations and will also operate, maintain, and commercialize the broadband network dedicated for commercial use. Additionally, PBI will provide payments to Georgia DOT based on the revenue generated from the commercialization of the network. “This is an innovative approach to project delivery and financing that leverages the private sector to meet the state’s transportation and broadband infrastructure needs,” said McMurry.
To learn more about Georgia DOT’s Statewide Broadband project and the OMC Partner Agreement, please watch a recent presentation to the State Transportation Board of Georgia P3 Committee on the topic: November 2024 State Committee Meeting.
Georgia Department of Transportation plans, constructs and maintains Georgia’s state and federal highways. We’re involved in bridge, waterway, public transit, rail, general aviation, bike and pedestrian programs. And we help local governments maintain their roads. Georgia DOT and its nearly 4,000 employees are committed to delivering a transportation system focused on innovation, safety, sustainability, and mobility. The Department’s vision is to boost Georgia’s competitiveness through leadership in transportation.
IronPay today announced that co-founder Sarah Williams has been named a finalist for the prestigious Women in Technology category for the 2024 Banking Tech Awards. The awards banquet and announcement will take place on Dec. 4, 2024 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. This recognition highlights Williams’ exceptional leadership and contributions to the fintech industry, marking a significant milestone both in her career and IronPay’s growth.
The Banking Tech Awards, organized by FinTech Futures, celebrates the achievements of financial technology executives that have demonstrated exceptional innovation, creativity, and leadership in the field. The Women in Technology award category honors women who have made significant contributions to the development of technology in the banking and financial services sectors, highlighting their leadership, expertise, and impact on the industry.
“This recognition is a testament not only to the hard work and vision of our entire team at IronPay but also to the growing presence and impact of women in the fintech sector,” said Sarah Williams. “I believe that diversity in technology is essential for driving innovation, and it is indeed an honor to be part of a movement that is shaping the future of banking and payments.”
Williams co-founded IronPay with the vision of transforming how payments are made and received in the global marketplace. Her innovative approach to fintech and commitment to fostering diversity in technology have earned her accolades and made her a trailblazer for women in the industry. Under her leadership, IronPay has experienced rapid growth and continues to redefine the future of digital payments through cutting-edge technology and a customer-centric approach.
Sarah’s career in FinTech began at Accenture, where she was instrumental in implementing ERP systems for banks, marking her as one of the original innovators in the field. Her work in banking established the foundation for her expertise in digital payments and financial systems.
In 2010, with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Sarah leveraged her deep understanding of ERP systems to help migrate healthcare providers and insurers away from paper-based processes toward automated digital platforms. Her contributions played a crucial role in addressing payment challenges that emerged from the ACA, which only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. By digitizing the complex flow of payments between payors and providers, Sarah enabled healthcare organizations to adapt quickly, ensuring operational continuity and more efficient financial management.
Regarding the future of the ACA, Williams said, “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) significantly advanced the digitization of healthcare data exchange and payments, promoting interoperability among insurers, providers, and patients. This digital transformation has enhanced efficiency, reduced administrative burdens, and improved patient care.
“If the ACA were overturned, the mandates for digital data exchange could be rescinded, potentially leading to several adverse effects and rising cost of care for patients.“
IronPay continues to break new ground in the fintech space with a focus on empowering businesses of all sizes with seamless, secure, and innovative payment solutions. Under Williams’ leadership, the company has become a driving force in advancing the future of digital payments.
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