So, in November

and December, the University conducted a random telephone survey throughout

the county, followed by a January mail-in survey. And the surveys said

that Fayette County is ready for academic classes. In effect, an invitation

for the University to proceed with its plans upon approval by the Board

of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

The telephone

survey found that 68.1 percent of the respondents were interested in taking

college courses for credit. The mail-in survey, by its nature a more advocacy-based

polling, found that 262 of 271 respondents (96.7%) were interested in

taking college courses for credit.

To respond

to the public interest, and to familiarize actual prospective students

to the academic programs that have been created in part in response to

the surveys, a series of four Information Sessions will be held at the

Fayette County Center tomorrow evening. The half-hour sessions will start

at 5:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The sessions are free and

open to all interested individuals on a space-available basis. Due to

the limited space at the Fayette Center, those interested in attending

the information sessions must sign up in advance. For information, or

to sign up for the sessions, go to https://adminservices.clayton.edu/admissions/fayette.htm.

The information

sessions will cover such academic basics as information on the admission

process, financial aid, registration, testing, etc. Additionally, representatives

from Clayton State's admissions, financial aid, testing center, and records

offices will be on hand so that attendees can turn in applications and/or

consult individually with University representatives after the general

sessions.

Among the data

also gathered in the surveys were the public's preferences for the time

of day for academic courses, and the ages of the prospective students.

Among the respondents to both surveys, 180 said they preferred to take

evening classes, as opposed to 153 preferring daytime classes and 134

preferring weekend classes. Hence, to start, the Fayette Center schedule

will feature classes from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

While those

interested in taking academic courses in Peachtree City represented a

broad spectrum of ages, the majority (284 out of the 481 total respondents)

were in the 31 to 55 age group. In fact, respondents aged 41 to 55 showed

more interest in the classes than any other single age group.

This fall's

classes will indeed be focused towards adult or non-traditional students

who have little or no college credit but wish to pursue a bachelor's degree.

Non-traditional students are defined as those individuals who graduated

from high school five or more years ago. Traditional students (those whose

graduation from high school is within the last five years) will be allowed

to enroll on a space available basis.

"We are

focusing on non-traditional, adult students to better serve the population

in Fayette County," said Dr. Sharon E. Hoffman, provost and vice

president of Academic Affairs. "Working parents, individuals holding

full-time jobs during the day, people working in the Peachtree City or

Fayetteville areas and the like."

Although interest

was expressed in 14 different majors everything from music to psychology

in the surveys, the most interest was shown for core education courses

(22 percent in the telephone survey, 34 percent in the mail-in survey).

In response,

the four courses to be offered starting in August with the fall semester

will be part of the core curriculum needed by all Clayton State baccalaureate

students courses in critical thinking, U.S. history, english composition

and general psychology. A cohort of 43 students, divided into two groups,

will be admitted for the fall semester.