Toccoa Falls College Faces Economic Adjustments
With new student enrollment up and the retention rate among returning students following that same track, Toccoa Falls College president Dr. Wayne Gardner looks to the future with optimism. Still, a stark reminder of the country’s deep economic woes came into play last week as he sat down with his cabinet to discuss the upcoming school year.
“Last spring we saw the second largest graduating class in the 102-year history,” Gardner said. “But the reality is that our overall total enrollment number, which stands at 812, is not what we wanted to see at this point. We have some good things to be thankful for, but we also have had to make some very difficult decisions that include budget cuts and unfortunately have meant the loss of four full-time and four part-time positions. Decisions like this are never easy, and they are certainly not made lightly. My team, which is made up of the members of the college’s President’s Cabinet, met several times over a period of two weeks going over our enrollment and financial numbers. After taking everything into consideration, we knew we would have to take certain steps to preserve the financial health of Toccoa Falls College for students enrolled today and for the ones that will come to us in the future.”
Gardner went on to explain that new student enrollment is up over eight percent. He also pointed out that last school year a hundred and ninety-three students received their diplomas. The void they left behind coupled with the financial woes of a waning U.S. economy has set the stage for a challenging year at TFC.
“We have to address the need that is in front of us as it is today,” said David Gruen, VP of Finance. “While we believe we will see our enrollment numbers go back up, we would be remiss if we did not take this enrollment drop seriously.”
Unlike many other colleges and universities in Georgia, Toccoa Falls has not had to face deep cutbacks among staff or salary reductions. In an article written on declining enrollment The Atlanta Journal and Constitution surmised, “When Georgia’s college students return to campus this month they will have larger classes and smaller course offerings. They will find fewer tutors, reduced library hours, and less access to professors.”
“That is certainly not the case at Toccoa Falls College. We are handling business as usual. Our staff and faculty are making sacrifices and even taking on additional duties—not because we are forcing them to do so, but because our primary focus is and has always been the student in the classroom. We want our students to have the best educational opportunity available. That continues to be our utmost goal.”
The college is continuing to go forward with its plans to rebuild Gate Cottage and a new building that will house the counseling department. “The money used in the construction of these two facilities has been designated,” stated Gardner. “My hope is that we will have the counseling classroom building completed sometime after the first of the year; and by spring Gate Cottage will be on the way to completion.”
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I’m disheartened by the situation of having to cut jobs here. A friend from my church lost his job here and I’m praying for God to bless his family.
Please keep Toccoa Falls College in your prayers. God is using our students in amazing ways. Our calling as alumni and college friends is to praying and ask God to preserve what He has established. Thank you for writing.