Edward Waters change?

[Garden guy]

I thought what a great idea it would be to turn Edward Waters into "The Jacksonville College of Building Arts. With graduation rates so low is it still a good idea to pump even more money into a loosing address?

[thelakelander]

I think EWC is a huge asset to the urban core, especially the neighborhoods surrounding it. I'd like to see things improved, the college expand, and the community rally behind it.

[Garden guy]

I wonder how low do the grades have to get or how low does the graduation rate have to be for them to be forced to reinvent themselves?

[Tacachale]

Clearly you haven't been following what's going on at the college, or you'd know it has been improving over the last two years. They've instituted a minimum 2.5 high school GPA requirement and the graduation rate has improved from a low of 9% to 15% in just a few years. Enrollment has stabilized at 750 students a year and hopefully will grow. They are sorting out their accreditation warning from this year as well. In addition, the money they've raised has gone directly to infrastructure and new facilities, which are much needed.

Edward Waters is a tremendous asset to this city's and this state's higher education, which is sadly lacking in diversity. Losing them shouldn't be an option.

[Tacachale]

You may find this Times-Union piece on EWC to be enlightening.

http://m.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-03-03/story/edward-waters-college-challenges-and-opportunities-are-ahead