Open Answer
I believe that we continue to grow and improve our student's experience
The college needs a cafeteria.
The college is great in general but there are some areas that need attention. Granted, there are always going to
be small problem areas that will require adjustments to be made. Why not do a short exit survey about their
expereince when they start their expereince with the college as well as exiting... Just a thought...
I also have a student attending this year.
This school is in dire need of a food service on campus.
In my opinion the attitudes of GTC's employees are changing for the better. I feel that we are on a path to
improving and providing excellent customer service to our students.
I believe that there is a wide variety of programs and each are handled very differntly with very differnt results
but all produce good students.
It would be nice to have food service on this campus as we have been with out for several years.
Faculty compensation is sadly inadequate. Great disparity, particularly between faculty grandfathered in under
previous management and current and new hire. Absolutely no consideration for compensation based on held or
newly attained credentials. Faculty expectations are a one-way street to compel the giving of faculty and staff's
valuable time and resources to the institution.
Multiple complaints from students who are in class all day or come straight from work barely having enough
time to get here and then told they can not bring a snack into the classroom. If there is a problem with one area
of the campus deal with them but please don't penalize the rest of the campus.
I have been told by a loved one if it weren't for me working here, he/she would have made more of a stink about
the way treated or run around. There were really only two people who kept him/her sane and want to continue.
Linda Maggiore and Candace Do. They made all the difference by going above and beyond regular duties in order
to help figure out other areas of the college for this student to be successful. This student was extremely
unhappy with all aspect of "entering" the college. However,He/She loved the majority of teachers.
Keep working on hearing the needs of the students. Not just what "we think students need". Work on making
processes more efficient and less painful for students when applying and enrolling for courses.
Think that GTC is a great place to work and go to school. Great education and very relevant for today's work
Leadership should not try to undermine adjunct faculty by blaming ACA compliance on cutting hours.
Compliance means following rules, but cutting hours is a way to get out of following ACA rules. On another note,
if the college wants the community to hire its graduates, it should be willing to hire (at a decent number of
hours) amazing teachers from the community as well instead of exploiting them with little pay and low course
load without being able to teach at another TCSG school. Leadership should focus on faculty and college during
meetings, not on congratulating each other and showing off their "friendships" with each other. This is creating
It has amazed me to see that so many adult students are not very serious about their education! The level of
excuses given as to why they could not get their assignments completed has grown exponentially. It is
understandable that maintaining high GPA's are very important for many reasons such as being eligible for the
HOPE grant,financial aid, and to pursue higher education. Finding that work,life,balance is difficult for some to
Nothing was mentioned about Food service on campus! Students, staff, faculty, administrators and guests need
sources for food other than vending machines and Chick Fil A. Additionally, who is defined as academic advisors
in this survey? I assumed faculty for my responses.
We need to have somewhere on campus to get food, other than Chik filet.
I believe that receiving financial aid over and above the cost of attending school is beginning to play a much
larger role in why students decide to attend our institution. We have so much to offer students in terms of
getting good training for jobs upon graduation. I know students often need financial aid in order to attend any
college, but when the receipt of aid becomes a primary goal and striving to do well in school and receive the best
education is no longer the reason for attending college, this doesn't benefit the students in the long run either
financially or in being prepared to do a good job. Neither does it benefit the college's reputation or the
community/business world when our students enter the workforce. The students who do work hard and are
valuable members of the working community deserve to have graduated from a technical college that still
carries a reputation of excellence. Many of these questions relate to how students are treated as individuals. I
also believe that as an institution and a business, we have to be able to draw the line between making staff
available to students as often, and with as much knowledge, as possible and fostering an environment of
entitlement. If we are training our students to succeed in the business world as employees, then we should also
be training them that businesses, including GTC, run within certain protocol and parameters, and as long as we
are providing reasonable timeframes with clearly defined and adhered-to schedules, students should not feel
entitled to treat staff with disrespect simply because a deadline does not benefit them. Part of an education
received from attending a higher learning institution is learning to meet deadlines, completing forms on time,
providing documents on time, things that are required of us all once we are out of the educational system and
enter the corporate world. I think we can help provide this important life-lesson along with academics by
adhering to our own deadlines and by occasionally losing a student for one term, knowing that student will
Our class selection for working adults is not student friendly. We advertise programs as ones that can be done in
the evening, yet the program has a few classes that are only offered during the day. Online course options
Things may get better with the changes that have recently been implemented so my comments are based on
recent issues that may have been prior to the changes. The finanical aid department here at the college really
needs to improve how they deal with students and get an understanding that financial aid is a complex process. I
have seen time and time again when students suffer because they did not understand something about their
financial aid or did not get their financial aid in time. Yes, it is the student's responsibility to inquire but with the
complexities involved in financial aid, sometimes who knows what questions to ask. Also, I myself as an
employee of the college have contacted financial aid department (that is when I can get through), and have been
treated rudely. I ofter hear students complaining about the rudeness of the financial aid reps and I can believe
them because I have been treated the same way. This is not to say, however, that there are not some financial
aid reps who are alwsya pleasant and knowledgeable. Financial aid, however, continues to be a sore spot in GTC.
I have also seen firt hand the run around that students get when trying to get information and the constant
inability to get through to various departments (financial aid, registrar, advisement) when calling by phone.
Sometimes, answers are needed right away and to wait for a return call or email that never comes can be very
frustrating. I have dealt with other technical colleges and everyone at these colleges have a direct line that is
given out freely-there is no such thing as main numbers for departments. Gwinnett Tech should have financial
aid counselors assigned to students by last name and students should have direct contacts. There should also be
financial aid seminars held every semester. I think Gwinnett Tech can be and is in a lot of cases a great school but
it can be so much better. GTC should have a Performance Improvement Team that consists of students, faculty,
advisors, and department personnel to research issues, determine resolutions and perform follow-up. Only by
doing this can GTC get to where it needs to get. There also needs to be a suggestion box that students and
employees can use to make suggestions. There should also be fact sheets that lay out some of the complex
processes like financial aid. I can go on and on. There is really no reason why some of the issues that students
I love this college I always recommend to my friends. Thank you so much!
The campus needs to be better lit at night. I do not see the police around campus much. Building 200 is really
looking old, with stained ceiling tiles and ceilings with large cracks and holes at the doors. The policy of not
allowing students to eat in the classrooms is not in keeping with a goal of customer service. Many no food
service on campus and scarcity of parking, students do not want to leave at lunch time to eat off campus but are
forced to. Program faculty should be allowed to "police" the potential mess students may make and correct it
before a blanket "anti-food in the classroom" be instituted. The current policy also prevents second year
students to do "welcome to the program" potluck luncheons and prevents events where students have lunch
1. Campus would be more student friendly if there was a food service. No one seems to care about this. For all of
the work that is put into the external appearance (grounds) I would think there could be a food service,
especially for the evening students. 2. Building 200 should be updated. 3. Many faculty members are
discouraged. They do not get recognition for the role they play at this college.
Too many people 'get a trophy.' It is one thing to make a college accessible to all, but something different (and
potentially dangerous) to insist on increasing graduation with associated inflated grades. We do no one any
favors by insisting, as I said, everyone get a trophy.
Based on my experience dealing with faculty and students, I would say the faculty as a whole are well trained
dedicated professionals who generally get little recognition at faculty/staff meetings. Some of the administrative
support departments at the college (ie HR, Business office,student affairs) seem to operate in a vacuum. Policies
and procedures are made with very little knowledge of the academic departments that they serve. At this point I
would say the biggest challenge is the one stop office. Although the philosophy of the new organization seems to
be a good one, it was executed without having adequate staff and without training before they took over the
advisement of competitive programs which may lead to a loss of the best candidates who have lots of other
educational options. Students are generally frustrated by not being able to speak to a "live" person when they
call. The admissions staff are overworked, undertrained and visibly frustrated whenever I see them which I am
sure is not lost on the students. On a positive note, our security department goes above and beyond helping
students with dead batteries etc. as well as keeping the campus safe. The same for the operations department
who sometimes work with limited staff but always try to be responsive to the needs of each building. GTC is a
great place to work and attend school; I would love to see top management make an effort to see the day to day
operations of the academic departments and perhaps solicit concrete suggestions from faculty/staff (ie
I believe that as a campus, if we put more resources into updating our technology for students, staff and
factulty; It would make it a much more enjoyable place, as well as it would make understanding where they are
in various processes more clear.
Administration seems to be the emphasis at GTC. With every passing month more and more layers are placed on
faculty - extra reports, more committees, more initiatives, more outreach, weekend college, mini-terms within
the term, with absolutely no acknowledgement. Every faculty/staff meeting is about administrative departments
(not even an individual) - where are the shout outs for curriculum writing, innovation in the classroom,
implementation of active learning, and advising students concerning careers and classes, teaching every Friday
and Saturday with out weekend off for 16-weeks. In addition, advisement is better than it has been but is still far
short of actually giving correct direction. We cannot keep a custodial staff in place. Redundant paperwork is the
norm. Most of the campus feels overwhelmed - faculty and staff. Most will not express it in this survey.
Academics must be the focus. Administration should support faculty - not the other way. Gathering more
statistics will not help teach lectures, get the grades in the grade book, counsel the student who is barely
I have the opportunity to hear from a few students and their experiences. While my answers may be reflective of
some of their experiences, it does not necessarily mean the majority.
Would be very nice to have a cafeteria available so students can purchase food.
What an outstanding opportunity it has been to work at GTC.
The new advisement teams are overwhelmed. It may have been best to integrate one program into the team at
a time and consulted the previous program advisors, staff, deans, and/or directors for suggestions before the
new advisement change. Students continue to get “the run around” about programs. Students continue to
receive inaccurate information about the competitive programs. I am not placing blame on the advisement
teams. They are working diligently and they are dedicated to the students at GTC.
This school need MORE and BETTER FOOD OPTIONS than vending machines!! GWTC needs a coffee shop at least.
Many people come here and don't have a car to go out and get fast food. Idea: If you got a vendor in here, at
least have the faculty and staff promise to support/buy from them at least once a week. Then they would have a
The website should be improved to provide more information to prospective students and the community.
Amazing strides have been achieved in the last ten years for GTC. Students feel more welcomed and supported.
Faculty and staff are more in tune to students as customers. As a Technical College we are missing key academic
programs for manufacturing. We must get local business and industry involved prior to the launch of new
programs to identify a true need and to insure curriculum matches need so our students are prepared to enter
There is a lot of confusion regarding the COMP 1000 and FYES requirement. Students are being told to take
COMP 1000 by admission advisors and then also having to take FYES to meet requirements. While FYES may be a
good idea, it appears that the logistical processes of the vast number of instructors needed to teach it, how it
will impact full time status, etc were not firmly thought through before it was implemented.
We are an excellent institution. We must remember that students also have a responsibility in their education
and prepare them for the realities of the workplace.
This is a beautifully landscaped campus. One of the nicest I have seen. However, on the other hand, the
maintenance of the facility is atrocious. Rotten, stained ceiling tiles, inoperable/faulty AC/Heating systems,
various things in an obvious state of disrepair, that never get repaired. The situation needs to be corrected. Also,
students are very dissatisfied that there are no food facilities on campus. A campus of this size should have a
Time is wasted attempting to quantify why students don't succeed. GTC's problems cannot be simplified by
answers that are different for each student and change over time.
Great place to work.
Thanks!
I have been at GTC for the past 7+ years and have been very happy to be a part in the success of students. A few
concerns I have is that we seem to be distancing from understanding that we are serving individuals. Often, our
stress has been on quantity rather than quality. In the process the wrong students are enrolling in the wrong
type of classes. If we want higher pass and retention rates, we need to develop quality. We also need to
understand the need to use more intuitive terminology such as half term instead of term C. Administration
needs to involve more with the needs of core classes, such as English and Math. Faculty need to be held more
accountable. I see some faculty reach a state of complacency and a total lack of responsibility, fulling knowing
that nothing can be done. I am faculty too and feel that as faculty, our sole responsibility is to teach and be there
for our students with a cheerful attitude. There are a lot of new initiatives that are going on, and sometimes I
wonder if real changes will be made or if it is just an agenda item that needs to be done. More time and
emphasis needs to be placed on free items such as passion, positive attitude, respect, courtesy, and an ever
smiling demeanor so that students love being at GTC and will tell all to come here which will automatically take
care of our numbers. When everything is done keeping the students' best interest in mind, not only will
I love this college and I am committed to helping make it the best college in Georgia! I know we are a two-year
technical college, but I could not be prouder to work anywhere. I have wonderful, amazing students in my
classes and feel honored to have the chance to work with them and to help them meet their educational and lifegoals! The problems we have at this college are not really problems. We do have problems with parking, but that
is a good problem to have because that means we have lots of people on our campus! This is the place to be! I
am proud to work here, but also proud to volunteer here with extra-curricular activities and thankful that my
This facility needs a gym.
I would like to see TCSG align itself more with the university system.
FYES - SAM should not be part of FYES. Students need to learn the systems that they will be using in class. Unless
they are a BAT or a CIS student they will never use SAM. They can submit their work on Angel.