Dr. Terry Bozeman’s focus on athletic pursuits in high school almost cost him his chance to graduate. His dismissal from the football team due to poor academic performance ignited within him a passion for learning that continues today.
 
Bozeman, now an assistant professor of English at Georgia Perimeter College, dedicated himself to studying and raised his GPA enough to run track that spring. He attended college on scholarship for track and field but focused more and more on excelling off the field throughout his collegiate career.
 
His honors credentials enabled him to attend graduate school and pursue his doctorate on full academic scholarships. In 2007, he became the first African-American male to earn a Ph.D. in English from Georgia State University. As director GPC's Honors Program on the Decatur Campus, Bozeman now seeks to instill that same desire for achievement in GPC students.
 
“It presents the best platform for students to succeed,” Professor Bozeman says of the Honors Program. His goal is to raise the profile of the program by showing students the benefits of striving for more than just enough to get by in class.
 
Bozeman also advises the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, a national community college organization he says opens even more doors of opportunity to students.
 
“Universities recruit directly from Phi Theta Kappa because they recognize the caliber of students that have membership,” adds Bozeman.
 
Students can learn more about Phi Theta Kappa and the Honors Program at Georgia Perimeter College on the honors section of the GPC website.