Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - A national survey shows Georgia Gwinnett College ranks among the top 10 percent of participating institutions throughout the country in its commitment to the educational success of its students, school officials announced this week.

The National Survey of Student Engagement recently released its annual report, and members of Georgia Gwinnett's first freshman class said they have access to enriching educational experiences, an active and collaborative learning environment, and student and faculty interaction.

"This is a significant finding and validates GGC's efforts to find ways to help students have a successful college experience," vice president of academic affairs Stas Preczewski said following the release of the report. "Finding new methods of improving student success and relating that to academic achievement are of paramount importance to us, and the NSSE results have affirmed that we are on the right track."

President Daniel J. Kaufman said the survey results are terrific.

"We have put a great deal of effort into making Georgia Gwinnett College an institution devoted to student success," he said, "and I believe this survey shows we are succeeding in accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves when we opened our doors."

Each year, the national survey obtains information from students at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities nationwide about their level of engagement in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.

This past spring, NSSE collected data from more than 770 colleges and universities. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college.

Institutions use their data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience inside and outside the classroom that can be improved through changes in policies and practices to be more consistent with best practices in undergraduate education, a news release states. This information also is used by prospective college students, their parents, college counselors, academic advisers and researchers in learning more about how students spend their time at different colleges and universities and what they gain from their experiences.