A glimpse into the future of YHC
Submitted by ROSEMARY ROYSTON

You may or may not have heard the news - Young Harris College is in the transition process to become a baccalaureategranting or four-year institution.

The College's Board of Trustees approved this change in April 2007, and since then, faculty, staff, and administrators have been busy both dreaming and planning for the future. To address this major process, the Planning and Assessment Council has been formed with faculty, staff, and administrators who have already begun to revisit the College's formal mission, goals, values and vision.

In the meantime, the Planning and Assessment Council has been working closely with faculty to discuss which degrees to offer. Adding new degree programs is an involved process that the College must go through with its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This process is called substantive change, and takes at least a year to accomplish.

Majors which have been identified as those we are likely to roll out in the fall of 2009 are the following: music, biology, English, business, and liberal arts - with graduates possible in the spring of 2011. However, one of the most important aspects of "strategic" planning is that it's flexible. The majors that have been identified are not set in stone, nor is the timeline. However, in a best-case scenario,

Young Harris College hopes that the freshmen who just enrolled have the option to stay at YHC for their junior and senior years.

Being an excellent fouryear institution does not only mean having stellar academic programs that are desired by students, it also means having the amenities they desire. Therefore, much time and consideration is being put into facility needs, such as new residence halls and a new dining hall. When these facilities are to be built and how they will be funded are not yet determined; however, we are prioritizing our needs.

The College is working with local community leaders, its board, and the college community as a whole as it plans its growth. In the near future we will bring in building consultants, also known as campus master planners, to help us.

As it always has, Young Harris College will continue to provide cultural events to the community. The College has just started its first concert band, made up of both local residents and college students, and they are using the former Young Harris Elementary School auditorium as a band room.

One of the buildings we envision is a new and expanded fine arts facility, where the College would be able to host art shows, plays, and musicals in a state-of-the arts setting.

The College has always appreciated the community's support of our athletic teams, and our athletic department is reviewing all possible options for potential new sports programs and division options for our teams.

One thing that will not change is this: Young Harris College will remain a small institution that values its local community. We will be keeping you updated on our plans for the future, as it is our hope that you and your family will benefit from them, whether as a future student or by attending a musical, an art show, classes, or athletic event on the campus.

Founded in 1886, Young Harris College is a private, core liberal arts college. Historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, a primary goal of Young Harris College is to provide a quality education for the whole person: intellectually, socially, culturally, and spiritually. To learn more about Young Harris College, visit us at www.yhc.edu, or contact our office of Institutional Advancement at 706-379-5173.