October 22, 2007

Read two excerpts from the next issue of Echoes magazine 

September 11, 2007

A Glimpse Into the Future of Young Harris College
by Rosemary Royston '89

You may or may not have heard the news – Young Harris College is in the transition process to become a baccalaureate-granting or four-year institution.

The College’s Board of Trustees approved this change in April 2007, and since then, faculty, staff, and administrators have been busy both dreaming and planning for the future.   To address this major process, the Planning and Assessment Council has been formed with faculty, staff, and administrators who have already begun to re-visit the College’s formal mission, goals, values and vision. 

In the meantime, the Planning and Assessment Council has been working closely with faculty to discuss which degrees to offer.  Adding new degree programs is an involved process that the College must go through with its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  This process is called substantive change, and takes at least a year to accomplish.

Majors which have been identified as those we are likely to roll out in the fall of 2009 are the following:  music, biology, English, business, and liberal arts – with graduates possible in the spring of 2011.  However, one of the most important aspects of “strategic” planning is that it’s flexible.  The majors that have been identified are not set in stone, nor is the timeline.  However, in a best-case scenario, Young Harris College hopes that the freshmen who just enrolled have the option to stay at YHC for their junior and senior years.

Being an excellent four-year institution does not only mean having stellar academic programs that are desired by students, it also means having the amenities they desire.  Therefore, much time and consideration is being put into facility needs, such as new residence halls and a new dining hall.  When these facilities are to be built and how they will be funded are not yet determined; however, we are prioritizing our needs.

The College is working with local community leaders, its board, and the college community as a whole as it plans its growth.  In the near future we will bring in building consultants, also known as campus master planners, to help us.

As it always has, Young Harris College will continue to provide cultural events to the community.  The College has just started its first concert band, made up of both local residents and college students, and they are using the former Young Harris Elementary School auditorium as a band room.

One of the buildings we envision is a new and expanded fine arts facility, where the College would be able to host art shows, plays, and musicals in a state-of-the arts setting.

The College has always appreciated the community’s support of our athletic teams, and our athletic department is reviewing all possible options for potential new sports programs and division options for our teams. 

One thing that will not change is this:  Young Harris College will remain a small institution that values its local community.  We will be keeping you updated on our plans for the future, as it is our hope that you and your family will benefit from them, whether as a future student or by attending a musical, an art show, classes, or athletic event on the campus.

April 2007

A unanimous vote cast by the Young Harris College board of trustees on Friday, April 27, is the first step in a new and exciting future for a 121-year-old institution of higher education. Long recognized as a quality, two-year college, Young Harris will begin the process of a transition to baccalaureate granting status. Board Chairman Paul D. Beckham ‘63 stated, “It is important that Young Harris College offer an experience reflecting the modern demands made on today’s young people, but at the same time surround them with a traditional college atmosphere that is rich in relationships with other students, faculty members and administrators. This vote by the trustees sets the course to accomplish this goal.”

Young Harris College will remain true to its original mission of providing an education in liberal arts for students who value and are attracted to an institution with high academic standards and superior teaching. President Cathy Cox, who took office in June 2007, expressed her support of the decision saying, "Offering baccalaureate degrees here at Young Harris College will mean an even greater opportunity to meet the needs of students who want an inspiring, close-knit college experience. And it will give us the ability to offer our students a four-year curriculum that blends the best of a liberal arts education with the strong United Methodist focus on intellectual vigor, concern for the community and the search for values. I am excited about the challenges that come with this transition."

The decision to transition the model of Young Harris College was made after months of discussion and study on the part of the college administration and trustees.  Former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Zell B. Miller ’51 chaired the Strategic Action Committee, a group of trustees assembled to evaluate the information and suggest a possible future for Young Harris College to the full board.

Young Harris College has long been an institution that has attracted students from across Georgia and the Southeast. The student body today is drawn from more than 100 counties in Georgia as well as various other states and countries. “This is going to take time,” noted John W. Wells, interim president and provost of YHC. “Our first order of business is to begin the steps of changing our status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The board’s vote on April 27 was a historic moment at Young Harris College, but it certainly signifies the beginning of a process and not the culmination of one. It is a long journey, but surely an exciting one.”

Founded in 1886, Young Harris College is a private, core liberal arts college focused on university preparation. Historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church, a primary goal of young Harris College is to provide a quality education for the whole person: intellectually, socially, culturally, and spiritually.