Photo by Justin Clay | The Signal
Georgia State University President Mark Becker will host an unveiling ceremony on Jan. 13 to welcome Perimeter College to the Georgia State family.
The ceremony will be held at Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus on Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. as part of the Perimeter College Welcome Events. There will also be meet and greet receptions at the Decatur and Newton campuses on Jan. 13 and at the Dunwoody and Alpharetta campuses on Jan. 14.
Perimeter College recently changed its name from Georgia Perimeter College and is now an official college within Georgia State, according to Andrea Jones, associate vice president for Public Relations and Marketing Communications at Georgia State.
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents officially approved the consolidation between the two institutions on Jan. 6. This approval makes Georgia State the largest university in Georgia with over 52,000 students, according to a recent campus broadcast.
Jones discussed the plans for the unveiling ceremony and the next steps for the consolidation.
“The Clarkston event is the unveiling of the new Georgia State sign at the Clarkston campus. It’s an opportunity to welcome the Perimeter College family to the overall Georgia State family,” Jones said.
Becker and Peter Lyons, the new dean for perimeter college, will be speaking at the event, along with Shelley Nickel from the Board of Regents and student representatives, according to Jones.
Jones also said there’s still lots of work to be done as Georgia State moves forward with the consolidation.
“We have new leadership in place and now it’s working out all the logistics before the Fall of 2016 when all the system and everything else will be consolidated,” Jones said.
Perimeter College’s system is still separate from Georgia State for those who apply to attend Perimeter College during the Spring semester. However, for those who apply during the Fall of 2016, they will be officially admitted to a consolidation institution, according to Jones.
Esther McDonald, a film major at Georgia State, said she thinks there’s both positive and negative sides to the consolidation.
“It’s good, because it creates more diversity, gives more opportunities for networking and having more people allows students to see other perspectives but it creates more time spent waiting in lines and more resources being used,” she said.
As for the unveiling ceremony, she said she thinks it would help Perimeter College students learn more about Georgia State and to make them feel welcome.
