| Rick Perkins Award |  |
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction is a statewide program initiated by the Technical College System of Georgia to honor outstanding instructors in the system’s 22 member institutions. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize and honor technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.
Each year, instructors are nominated by faculty, staff and students. To be eligible for the award, instructors must be employed on a full-time basis for a minimum of three-years and have not participated in the region or state-level selection process in the last three years. The nominees then are interviewed by a panel of judges consisting of Augusta Tech’s Board Members. College winners then compete in regional and state competitions.
| Adult Education Teacher of the Year Award |
The Office of Adult Education (OAE) launched the inaugural Teacher of the Year award. This award recognizes the hard work and dedication required to be an outstanding educator in an OAE Adult Education program.
Eligibility Requirements include:
- The instructors are nominated by faculty and staff.
- To be eligible for the award the instructor must be a classroom teacher for a minimum of three years in an OAE TCSG funded AE program and demonstrates a track record of exceptional gains in student learning.
- Letters of Recommendation, Lesson Plans, and a short video clip of classroom instruction are provided for state review.
- The College winner then competes in the state competition.
| Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) Award |  |
The Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) program was launched during the 1971-1972 academic year. Since then, outstanding students attending Georgia's technical colleges and divisions have been recognized annually for academic excellence and personal achievement.
The first phase of GOAL takes place at the college level. Screening and selection committees select the college's top student as nominees move through an interview process; this top student is given the title of college GOAL winner. Then, all college GOAL winners compete at the regional level. These winners are conscious of the faith and confidence placed in them not only to compete, but also to represent their fellow students and respective communities. Each regional competition will select three students (there are three regions), so nine semi-finalists will compete at the state level in Atlanta. The state level competition involves another round of interviews as the nine semi-finalists receive individual consideration from a panel of judges. From this outstanding group of students, the judges will select one student, the State GOAL Winner, to serve as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia.
College GOAL winners spend many hours preparing to put their best foot forward in the regional competition, and in April, the time arrives for the state GOAL competition. College GOAL winners, along with their GOAL coordinators and nominating instructors, arrive filled with excitement and anticipation for the GOAL events.
Georgia's unique GOAL program is the first of its kind in the nation. As its quality, visibility and influence continue to improve, the dream of GOAL's creators is realized as technical education knowledge and skills are rewarded. From our government, to students, instructors and even local businesses, everybody wins with GOAL!
The Augusta Tech GOAL Student also receives a cash award from the Dr. Joan C. Puryear Endowment.
Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Award
The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) through its Office of Adult Education (OAE) sponsors the annual Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Leadership Institute. This student recognition program is designed to create greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster greater involvement in lifelong learning pursuits. The Leadership Institute recognizes and honors those students who have demonstrated superior achievement in adult education classes and programs.
Each Grantee will conduct a selection process resulting in one delegate to attend the state EAGLE Leadership Institute. Selection criteria will be consistent throughout the Grantee organizations. The Grantee delegate will be either a current student or a Georgia High School Equivalency (GED® and HiSET®) graduate. The current student may be enrolled in the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program, the Adult Secondary Education (ASE) program, the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, or enrolled in an English Literacy/Civics program. Since the objective is to select the best spokespersons for the adult education program, the selection process at the local Grantee program levels will be based primarily on the participant’s ability to (a) develop a written essay on a specified topic, (b) present a positive upbeat 3-5 minute speech about the benefits of adult education and (c) answer predetermined questions asked by a panel of judges.
The Grantee delegates will participate in the regional EAGLE competition. Two delegates will be selected from each of the four Adult Education regions. These eight semi-finalists will compete at the state EAGLE Leadership Institute.
The Daisy Award®
Founded in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, The Daisy Award® recognizes an extraordinary Nursing Instructor and Nursing Student who exemplifies exceptional compassion, advocacy, or leadership. For more information visit The DAISY Foundation.