Mariners' Log Alumni Newsletter Dec 2023

DEC. 2023

CHARTING THE COURSE SINCE 1961

LATE NIGHT BREAKFAST

LATINX PROFESSIONALS PANEL

COASTAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM 2023

ALUMNI PROFILE: DYLAN MORGAN ‘23 “Coastal Graduate Heads to Georgia Tech” Life often has a way of changing one’s plans, and it’s left up to that person to decide whether or not to go with the flow. For College of Coastal Georgia alumnus Dylan Morgan, he went with the flow when he decided to do his entire undergraduate career at the College. He is now set to start graduate school at Georgia Tech in January. Morgan will be using a combination of the communication, technical, math, and data science skills he gained at the College, in graduate school, as he pursues his master’s in analytics.

Morgan is originally from Plattsburgh, New York. His family moved down to Georgia’s coastal region when he was a child. Over the years, he spent the summers traveling up the east coast to places such as New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, visiting family. When it came time to decide where he wanted to go for college, he decided to stay local— but only temporarily. Morgan enrolled at the College as a pre-engineering major, and planned to transfer to another college after obtaining an associate degree. However, those plans soon changed.

“I started to get to know people here, and formed relationships with some of the faculty,” Morgan said.

“I started to do a bit more on campus, and in my second year, I was a part of SGA (Student Government Association). I didn’t want all of that to just go away.”

Morgan discussed this with his father, and they both agreed that completing his undergraduate degree at Coastal was the best option. It was a decision Morgan doesn’t regret. After enjoying his math classes so much, he changed his major to mathematics, then later to interdisciplinary studies, where he could tailor his collegiate career to focus heavily on math and data science. In May 2023, Morgan graduated with a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies.

He encouraged students to not worry about changing their major. While it’s great to have an idea of what to major in before going to college, Morgan said, students have some time to figure out their academic path.

Read more about Dylan here.

COASTAL GEORGIA HAS MASSIVE IMPACT ON LOCAL ECONOMY Story by Gordon Jackson of The Brunswick News

$100M

The College of Coastal Georgia has contributed over $100 million to the Southeast Georgia economy in fiscal 2022.

995

Employment impact of 995 jobs in the community.

The economic impact the 26 University System of Georgia institutions have on their communities cannot be understated.

The colleges had a collective impact statewide of $20.1 billion based on spending by the institutions and their students in 2022.

The college’s outreach impact is also an important part of how the economic impact is calculated. Student groups led by faculty work with area agencies, business and organizations to serve specific needs.

“The college’s service-learning efforts have included more than 650 projects with over 190 partners resulting in 100,000-plus hours of active engagement by our faculty and students,” she said.

The Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship has made an impact in the brief time it has existed, Johnston said.

College of Coastal Georgia is among those contributing to the local economy. More than $87 million is spent in the community annually. The impact includes college personnel, operating expenses and student spending.

“In our first 18 months, the Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship has served 453 entrepreneurs and small business owners from our community and region,” she said. “For context, there are about 4,400 registered businesses in Glynn County, meaning the Lucas Center’s “I believe local residents and community leaders have a work has created about a 10% growth in new businesses general sense that the college contributes positively to the in our community.” area economically and through outreach, but they may not be fully aware of the $100 million a year economic impact Another program, the Idea Bootcamp, is also making an generated by the college,” said Michelle Johnston, impact, Johnston said. president of the college.

“The Idea Bootcamp takes participants from idea to “And it goes far beyond that impactful number through the startup plan in just a day,” she said. “From that program, partnership and research efforts of our faculty and 45% of participants go on to launch their business and are students and through the impressive work of the Lucas earning revenue within the first year..”

Center for Entrepreneurship and the Murphy Center for Economic and Policy Studies.”

Read more about the College’s impact here.

BE A NAVIGATOR As we near the conclusion of another remarkable year, we celebrate the tremendous impact achieved through the generosity of our donors. Among these accomplishments is the creation of the Navigator Society, honoring individuals who demonstrate their commitment to the College Foundation through annual unrestricted donations of $1,000 or more.

With your generous end-of-year donation, you will not only support the College but also enhance the community's workforce, bolster our region's health care, impact K-12 education, and provide overall economic benefit for Southeast Georgia.

Dollars raised from Navigators will allow the College to further the vision of transforming lives through engaged learning – every student, every time.

Please consider becoming a founding member of the Navigator Society by visiting www.ccga.edu/navigator to make your gift today. Join before December 31, 2023, and forever be recognized among the growing list of those known as the Navigator Society Founders.

Thank you for making an impact on our community by supporting the College of Coastal Georgia!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: JAN. 2024

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W. BASKETBALL VS. JOHNSON & WALES, 5:30 P.M. IN COFFIN GYM

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W. BASKETBALL VS. ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY, 2 P.M. IN COFFIN GYM M. BASKETBALL VS. ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY, 4 P.M. IN COFFIN GYM

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SPRING CLASSES BEGIN

10 W. BASKETBALL VS WEBBER INTERNATIONAL, 5:30 P.M. AT WEBBER M. BASKETBALL VS. WEBBER INTERNATIONAL, 7:30 P.M. AT WEBBER

12 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMEMORATIVE WALK, 12 P.M. AT THE CAMPUS CENTER 15 MLK DAY. CAMPUS CLOSED FOR OBSERVANCE

FEB. 9 SALTY’S SHRIMP BOIL & SHANTIES ON THE ROOF! An Environmental Sciences Program Fundraising Event Join us for a special guest appearance and a Marlin Fish Mount Raffle Located on the Campus Center Roof Top, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cost: 1 for $50, 2 for $75 For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Check out the College of Coastal Georgia Calendar for all events.

STAY IN TOUCH We would love to stay in touch with you. Please tell us about yourself and what you’ve been up to after college. Update your contact information here.

Questions? Contact alumni@ccga.edu.