Dear _________:

Chancellor Erroll Davis has forwarded your e-mail message to me.  
Chancellor Davis has asked me to thank you for sharing your views on 
this important topic.  I'm very glad that you took the time to do so.

Georgia Perimeter College plays a large and vital role in higher 
education in Georgia, and the Chancellor and the Board of Regents 
strongly support its mission.  In your message, you did not say whether 
you are a student at GPC, but if you are, you have chosen a very good 
institution!

Rob Watts
Chief Operating Officer
Board of Regents

C: Chancellor Davis and President Tricoli


Sent: Sat, January 17, 2009 12:14 PM
To: <chancellor@usg.edu>
Subject: Proposed "merger" of community and technical colleges

Dear Sir:

I strongly disagree with the absorption of the 2-year colleges into the 
technical "college" system. Community colleges are one of the 
fastest-growing educational sectors. They have smaller class sizes, are 
much less expensive than the state's 4-year institutions, and are much 
less intimidating to returning students.

Georgia Perimeter College currently has transfer agreements with many of 
the 4-year institutions. I cannot imagine that these institutions will 
commit to such agreements with technical colleges.

Also, many of the prospective students who are considering enrolling at 
a community college probably would not enroll at a technical college. 
The perception of the two types of institution is completely different. 
People who want to get a college degree want to attend a COLLEGE, not a 
"technical college" - which is generally regarded as no more than a 
trade school. Enrollment in all 2-year institutions will drop 
drastically if Georgia's 2-year colleges are absorbed into the technical 
college system.

This is a poorly-conceived idea, and is a disservice to Georgia's 
students. I hope that the Chancellor's Office and the Board of Regents 
will strongly oppose this proposal.

Thank you,
____________