Dr. Peters To Lead Southern Crescent
Commissioner Ron Jackson has announced that Dr. Randall “Randy” Peters, the current president of Heart of Georgia Technical College in Dublin, will be the next president of Southern Crescent Technical College in Griffin.
Mr. Jackson made the announcement after his selection of Dr. Peters was unanimously approved by the state board that oversees the Technical College System of Georgia during the board’s monthly meeting in Atlanta. Dr. Peters will assume his new duties on October 1.
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“Dr. Peters has an outstanding record of success at Heart of Georgia Technical College and he’ll provide that same emphasis on college achievement and workforce development for the campuses of Southern Crescent Technical College,” said Mr. Jackson. “He’s a proven, student-focused administrator who understands the vital role of technical and adult education in creating and sustaining a skilled workforce for the community, region and state.
“His leadership abilities and passion for his students and their education are just a few of many qualities that make Dr. Peters an outstanding choice to lead one of the largest technical colleges in our system.”
Southern Crescent Technical College grew from the merger in July of Griffin Technical College and Flint River Technical College in Thomaston. The combined college campuses offer certificate, diploma, and degree programs to almost 10,000 students in a service delivery area that includes Butts, Fayette, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Pike, Spalding, Talbot, Taylor and Upson counties.
“I see the move to Southern Crescent Technical College as a genuine opportunity,” said Peters. “Combining two colleges and creating one of Georgia’s largest technical colleges is never a simple affair, and I intend to help the institution keep focused on the truly most important aspect, which is our students. I pledge my very best efforts to be the kind of leader that the college and people of the ten counties of Southern Crescent Technical College service delivery area need me to be.”
Peters has been the president of Heart of Georgia Technical College since 1999. Prior to that, he was the vice president for economic development at what was then Augusta Technical Institute (now Augusta Technical College), with the responsibility for continuing education, customized business and industry training, and oversight of the Augusta Center for Advanced Technology.
While president of Heart of Georgia Technical College, Peters has served on the Three Rivers Private Industry Council, the Region Nine Workforce Investment Board, and was a member of the board of directors of the Dublin/Laurens County Communities in Schools. He was both a member and the chair of the board of directors of the Dublin/Laurens County Habitat for Humanity program and served on the board of directors of the Dublin/Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. He was also on the executive subcommittee of the Middle Georgia Military Affairs Committee.
Peters is a current member of the Board of Control of the Heart of Georgia Regional Education Support Activity, the Heart of Georgia United Way board of directors and the Dublin Rotary Club.
TCSG commissioners have also called upon him to serve as the interim president at both Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins and Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, and he is the immediate past chair of the Adult Literacy Committee of the TCSG President’s Council. He is a member of Pi Lambda Theta, the international education honor society, and Phi Kappa Phi, the education honor society at the University of Georgia.
Dr. Peters served in the U.S. Army for nearly 23 years until he retired in 1995 after advancing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was stationed at several stateside locations as well as nine years in various assignments throughout Germany. He was also an assistant professor of Military Science at University of California -Davis, with simultaneous appointments at Cal State Chico and Cal State Sacramento.
His last assignment in the Army was as the director of the National Science Center task force, a joint Army-private corporation project to establish the National Science Center’s Fort Discovery. During this time, he was responsible for the establishment of education programs in support of teachers and middle-school students, providing innovative ways to teach math and science and encouraging children to continue their studies in the sciences.
Dr. Peters received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Carson-Newman College, in Jefferson City Tennessee, and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University, in Malibu Beach, California. He received his Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Georgia College of Education.
Dr. Peters and his wife, Brenda, have two children, Matt, 30, and Beth, 27, and a grandson, Braden.
