GMC News
Georgia Military College’s Response to Hurricane Helene: Leadership in Action
When Hurricane Helene swept through Georgia, its impact was devastating—disrupting communities, displacing families, and leaving students facing unforeseen academic and financial challenges. In the face of adversity, Georgia Military College (GMC) exemplified its core values of leadership, duty, and service by taking immediate action to support its students, faculty, and affected communities.
Providing Critical Support for Students
The aftermath of Hurricane Helene left 405 Georgia Military College students with incomplete coursework due to disruptions caused by the storm. With a total student enrollment of 6,311 for the Fall 2024 term, this means 6.4% of GMC’s student population was directly affected.
Understanding the urgency of the situation, GMC’s Resource Management Office, Registrar’s Office, and faculty collaborated to secure a waiver preventing incomplete grades from negatively impacting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)—a crucial move that ensured students retained their financial aid eligibility.
To make this possible:
- 42 faculty members worked closely with students to help them complete their coursework.
- The Registrar’s Office manually processed over 300 grade changes, ensuring accurate recalculations for affected students.
- GMC successfully obtained a waiver that prevented these incomplete grades from affecting financial aid status.
Additionally, eight Federal Work Study students who faced potential lost wages due to the storm received a total of $2,360 in compensation, helping them stay financially stable during this uncertain time.
Leasing Facilities to FEMA for Long-Term Relief
Beyond supporting students directly, Georgia Military College extended its resources to the broader community by leasing its Valdosta campus facilities to FEMA for up to six months as part of the hurricane recovery efforts. This strategic partnership ensured that essential disaster response operations could be conducted efficiently, providing relief to those in need.
Faculty and Staff: A Culture of Care
GMC’s response to Hurricane Helene was not just about policy changes—it was about people stepping up to serve others in a time of crisis. Faculty and staff worked tirelessly to ensure students could remain enrolled, complete coursework, and receive the support they needed. Despite dealing with their own storm-related hardships, they remained committed to helping students succeed.
“This is a true example of our ‘culture of care’ in action,” said Dr. Susan Isaac Daniel, GMC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. “Our faculty and staff really stepped up to show their dedication to our students, ensuring that their education remains intact. The first of GMC’s 4 Big Ideas is Ensuring Student Success, and we use that as a guiding principle, particularly in these times.”
Leadership in the Face of Adversity
With 6.4% of the student population directly impacted by the hurricane, Georgia Military College’s response was swift and effective. From securing academic relief to ensuring financial stability and partnering with FEMA to assist in recovery efforts, GMC’s leadership in times of crisis is a testament to its mission of service.
As the GMC family continues to rebuild and recover, one thing is clear: Leadership is not just a lesson taught in the classroom—it is a way of life.
