At the noon meeting on October 7, Dr. Mark Iken brought his home Rotary Club up to date on developments and growth at Lawrenceville’s four-year college, Georgia Gwinnett College. Dr. Iken is Vice President for Educational Technology at GGC. After reviewing the vision and institutional goals for the school, he noted how the college has grown from a population of 118 in 2006 to 10,000 in 2013. He described the commitment to an electronically enhanced education, emphasizing that that does not mean online courses but, rather, the best facilities possible to enhance students’ learning. GGC distinguishes itself by being an “access” college where students who would not qualify for other state schools can find acceptance and a chance to get a college degree. Dr. Iken featured the Student Success Program which helps students build their skills and cited excellent retention rates for freshmen in the developmental classes. In fact, the overall retention rate for students who continue their college education at GGC or elsewhere after the freshman year is an impressive 84%. He described the diverse student population, which reflects the diverse population of Gwinnett County. He ended by showcasing the successful athletic programs and the new Allied Health and Science Building which will house the newly approved School of Nursing.

At the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Sept. 30, Commissioner John Heard brought the group up to date on the work of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.     He reported that the Board is striving for more transparency and making solid plans for the future of Gwinnett County.  He summarized the economic situation in the County, reporting on a budget of around $23.7 billion.  The housing market seems to be heading back up.  The Neighborhood Stabilization Program has been one effort by the county to revitalize the economy.  They are hoping to improve staff retention after several years of decreasing budgets which did not include raises.  He worries that trained police and other staff are being drained from the County by higher pay in surrounding areas and hopes they can figure a way to give a 3 or 5% raise. As for Parks and Recreation, he noted that Rabbit Hill Park has opened with new trails and fields and Rhodes Jordan has new soccer facilities.  A new Fire Chief has been hired, and the County stands ready to build two fire station facilities as soon as funds permit.  Transportation projects underway include the work on 316, scheduled to be finished in March 2015, and the Hwy. 20 and Sugarhill project, which will extend all the way across the County within two years.  He passed out information on the SPLOST vote coming up in November.