First Year Matters

First Year Matters represents our commitment to student success. Student engagement is critical to make certain that new students, both entering freshmen and transfer students, have a successful transition into college. As GGC grows dramatically, we will systematically ensure that we don’t lose our first principle – student success.

— President Daniel J. Kaufman

Increasing First-Year Student Success

To ensure that students in their first year at Georgia Gwinnett College have an experience that will help them succeed in all aspects of college life, GGC has implemented an initiative entitled First Year Matters (FYM).

This program utilizes a national model of excellence known as "Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year" associated with the Policy Center on the First Year of College. GGC was one of 12 four-year institutions selected to participate in this national higher education project in 2009 due to its commitment to the first year experience.

Students live, learn, study, explore and socialize in college in their first year. Academics intersect with other activities and experiences. The boundaries between them are intentionally blurry. Students learn not only in classrooms but also in residence halls and coffee shops. Everything students do, every connection, every adventure makes a contribution to the first year experience.

Why Does the First Year Matter?

Research shows that students who demonstrate specific behaviors in their first year of college are much more likely to succeed. Students who do not engage in these specific behaviors are less likely to succeed. It’s as simple as that.

Georgia Gwinnett is committed to encouraging students in these behaviors and providing the support network necessary. From orientation to faculty mentors to new student programs, GGC is committed to student success. And it makes a difference. See for yourself.

Easing the Transition

The first year is a time of transition and exploration – students need to take risks, get involved and examine all the opportunities available to them.

It isn't easy being a new student. The First Year Matters initiative helps ease the transition from high school to college, or from one institution to another, beginning with the very first semester. Research has long indicated that new students who are successfully integrated into college are much more likely to succeed.

Through the FYM program, GGC students are given the right introduction to college life to help them build a firm foundation for a strong future of learning.