If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Leave two-year colleges alone.

By:

Posted: 2/17/09

There has been a lot of conversation lately about Gov. Sonny Perdue and the possibility of a merger of the two-year colleges in the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).

It is a pending decision left to the discretion of the governor and the legislators.

The origin of the pending merger started with the national report "Tough Times or Tough Choices."

The report mostly talks about how to make the primary and secondary public school systems better so the students will have a more competitive edge globally.

It talks about the deficiencies that the public school systems face.

Perdue took high interest in the report and commissioned a committee to investigate the role that two-year colleges have in the USG.

What Perdue failed to do, however, was place representatives of two-year schools on the committee.

This seemingly diminishes the importance of two-year colleges.

The merger, in wording, is quite simple.

The two-year colleges under the USG will be absorbed by the TCSG. The actions to complete the merger are complicated.

Issues concerning course curriculum and transferring grades have yet to be hammered out.

This would be a devastating outcome. This merger could hinder the possibilities of future students.

Instead of having two options of post-secondary education, students would only be allowed one.

The most unfortunate part about the prospect of this pending merger is that not only was there no two-year representation on the committee, but there seems to be great effort in keeping this information behind closed doors.

If there was ever a time to voice our opinion, now is the time.

Let the governor and the legislators who represent us know our stance in this matter.

It may not affect our future plans, but our friends and family may suffer the consequences of this controversial merger.

Two-year colleges help bridge the gap between high school and college for most people.

Students are able to take the time and required classes needed without the hassle of wondering if their credits will transfer.

It is also the perfect venue for students who truly desire to go to college but because of a low GPA or financial reason are unable to start at a four-year college.