Two study facilities officially opened Sept. 24 at Georgia Perimeter College, with the goal of boosting student success.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies marked the launch of both the expanded Learning and Tutoring Center on Clarkston Campus and the new STEM Study Center for science, technology, engineering and math students at Decatur Campus.

Both improvements are thanks to the generosity of a $1 million gift GPC received earlier this year from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.

The expanded services and space at the Clarkston Learning and Tutoring Center are welcome additions for frequent users like Ebbie Willocks. A 36-year-old business major, Willocks visits the center often to get help solving algebra equations and says the new full-time tutor and group study room have increased his opportunities to get the assistance he needs.

“If you come in here and pay attention in class, the tutors can fill in those gaps,” he said excitedly.

Willocks, along with other Clarkston students, college administrators and guests, helped cut the ribbon on a 300-square-foot tutoring room attached to the existing tutoring center space.

The Fitzgerald gift also made it possible to hire a full-time tutor for the tutoring center. “This is the first full-time tutor that the LTC, and I think GPC, has ever had,” said Mary Hamilton, Clarkston center coordinator.

Jackie Stradley, Fitzgerald Foundation executive director, attended the opening event and displayed a big smile when hearing from Hamilton that the new hire and space expansion have led to a nearly 40 percent increase in the number of students seeking college algebra tutorials compared to data from the first month of fall classes last year.

“We are so impressed with how you have created a plan and implemented that plan for the benefit of students, so that there are improved retention and graduation rates for them,” Stradley remarked.

Students are especially drawn these days to the Group Study Room which is staffed by full-time tutor Dr. Harry Lee and some of the LTC’s 43 part-time tutors.

“We use proctored group study in the room where one tutor is assigned and assists all students at once, encouraging them to work together,” Hamilton said. “With this method, instead of individual tutoring, we can assist more students not only in the group study room, but also in the main math lab.”

Hamilton added that this method has decreased significantly the wait time for students needing help in the math lab.

Meanwhile, at Decatur Campus, students are making full use of the new STEM Study Center that was retrofitted in the old Soapstone Room in Building C.  

The new space has a fresh, updated look with 12 computer terminals and study tables. “It’s a great space for us to come and study in a peaceful area,” engineering major Stephanie Kouadio, 21, said following the ribbon cutting.

The STEM center started as a vision from Cynthia Lester, the college’s STEM executive director. The goal is to give students a place to receive supplemental instruction, attend faculty-led learning sessions and participate in tutoring sessions and study groups. It also will be used as a tour stop for high school visitors interested in studying science, engineering, technology or math at Georgia Perimeter.

“We are delighted about the opportunities this space provides for our students,” Lester said.