A Message from Dr. Heidi Popham, President of GNTC

Dr. Heidi Popham

Monday, August 17th, 2020

The health and safety of Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students, faculty, and staff is always our first priority. As GNTC returns to in-person learning for the fall 2020 semester, we want to provide you with information regarding how we are meeting the needs of our students in the safest way possible.

This fall, we are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone. There will be new ways to learn, new health procedures in place, and recommendations students can consider to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

The fall 2020 semester will have more options than ever before for students as they decide which learning environments best suits their needs. We will offer a blended course schedule that includes a wide variety of course delivery methods. Students will have the opportunity to choose from online classes, face-to-face classes, or hybrid classes where students would alternate attending online and face-to-face.

Each college class will offer one or more of these learning options, and students may choose their preference when registering for classes. Courses requiring laboratory skills will be offered in person with a limited number of students at a time. The laboratory environments will require students and faculty to observe social distancing protocols as well as wearing mask coverings when appropriate. 

All of our campuses now have new plexiglass shields installed in areas where students, faculty, and staff frequently interact face to face, as well as social distancing guidelines marked throughout each campus.

Additional prevention methods are being incorporated at all campuses and include increasing the number of times that classrooms and labs are cleaned and disinfected, and providing students access to hand sanitizer in each classroom and in common areas.

Students are expected to wear mask coverings in classrooms and in common areas throughout each campus, and reminders to wear masks, wash hands properly, and social distance six feet apart are marked throughout each campus as well.

From the onset of the pandemic in Georgia, Georgia Northwestern Technical College has followed COVID-19 guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will continue to do so.

We know these last few months have been challenging, but we thank you for your commitment to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We cannot wait to see you this fall!