Georgia Department of CorrectionsOffice of Professional Development

Employee Education Incentive

Homer BrysonCommissioner

Terry EdgeOffice of Professional Development

Director

For more assistance, please contact:Gail Donnelly

GDC Training Director

Antonnio PrintupGeorgia Corrections Academy

Director

478-993-3072

What are you waiting on?There are numerous reasons to start or continue your college education.

• Increase your value to the agency• Gain opportunity for advancement• Set a positive example for others

There are many forms of aid available to you! Visit www.gacollege411.org for more information on col-legeplanningandfinancialaid.

GDC does not endorse any single college or universi-ty. Some schools offer discounts to GDC employees. However, be aware there are significant cost differenc-es between state and private institutions. You should be fully informed before making your decision.

Georgia Law EnforcementCommand College

Command College offers a two-year leadership de-velopment program to Georgia Public Safety agency staff. Students take a series of one week classes at Columbus State University, which lead to the Com-mandCollegecertificatewithcreditapplyingtowardthe Masters degree in Public Administration.

GDC Professional ManagementProgram (PMP)

PMP is a collaborative effort between Columbus State University (CSU) and GDC that offers employ-ees an opportunity to earn up to 30 semester hours creditandacertificateinCriminalJustice.Employ-ees attend during work time and earn 40 hours of POST training credit for each class. Students attend classesoneweekatatimewithfinancialassistancefromtheGeorgiaHopeGrantProgram.TheHOPEGrant pays tuition and provides funding toward books.

For more information about either of these pro-grams visit the Command College website:www.command.columbusstate.edu or contact (478) 993-3072.

CLI XXIX graduating class 2014

PMP graduating class August 2013

4-year Colleges & UniversitiesThere are many public and private institutions across the state offering a wide range of programs of study that lead to two and four year and graduate degrees.

GDC works with many of these institutions to as-sist employees in entering and completing degree programs.

Public and private colleges and universities offer many advantages.

These institutions:• Offer a wider range of degree programs• Located statewide• Offer online, as well as traditional, learning en-

vironments

2-year Technicial CollegesMost of the state’s Technical Colleges have been accredited as two-year colleges and offer degrees inadditiontotheirtraditionalcertificateanddiplomaprograms.

Recent agreements have made transfer of credit from technical colleges to one of the state’s junior or senior colleges much easier.

One of Georgia’s traditional two-year colleges or an accredited technical college may be a great place to start college.

These colleges:• Offer strong academic support• Located regionally• Offer a variety of degrees• Usually the most affordable option

GDC Education InitiativeThe Georgia Department of Corrections is a learn-ing organization and expects all staff to be learning members of the GDC team.

The Department works with a very broad range of accredited colleges and universities to create learn-ing opportunities for staff.

There are many options to include public and pri-vate colleges, two and four-year programs, graduate schools, traditional in class instruction, online and compressed class structures.

Each employee should consider their academicpreparation,financialability,andotherpreferencesbefore selecting a school and program of study.

The Department will work with individual staff mem-bers to help select the right college and program of study.

GDC Financial IncentiveIn support of theGDCEducational Initiative, a fi-nancial incentive is offered to employees who fol-low the program guidelines set forth on GDC SOP IVO07-0003.

The incentive is a one time payment for each de-gree completion. To be eligible for the incentive payment, employees must submit the completed educational plan found in the SOP to GDC Human Resources as soon as practical after acceptance intoaspecificdegreeprogram.Theplanmustbeapproved and signed by the employees’ appointing authority.TheEducation IncentiveProgram isad-ministered by GDC- Human Resources.

Incentive Payment2 year degree 3% of annual salary4 year degree 5% of annual salaryMaster’s degree 5% of annual salaryDoctoral degree 5% of annual salary

State of Georgia

College Planning WebsiteThereareformsoffinancialaidavailabletoyouina wide range of programs and degrees. Visit www.gacollege411.org for more information on college planningandfinancialaidorscantheQRCodebe-low:

PMP 2013 graduate

CLI 2015 graduate