The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the president of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, have signed a partnership to offer educational opportunities to Sheriff’s Office employees.
The partnership will result in a discounted rate for those Sheriff’s Office employees who want to take advantage of courses at Brewton-Parker.
“All employees will get a 20% tuition discount through Brewton-Parker College and this partnership,” Byron Edens, executive assistant to the president for online learning at the college, said in an email to the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Monday. “HCSO does not pay for their education but supports this program.”
Contributed Photo by Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / From left are Steve Echols, president of Brewton-Parker College; Sheriff Jim Hammond; and Byron Edens, executive assistant to the president for online learning at Brewton-Parker College.The collaboration will allow law enforcement employees to take up to 30 hours of academic credit toward the college’s undergraduate bachelor’s degree in criminal justice if they choose to, Sheriff’s Office spokesman J. Matt Lea said in a Thursday news release after a signing event.
He said the college’s curriculum is designed to emphasize professional skills and experiential learning. Classes can be taken online or at the college’s Georgia campus.
“Furthermore, employees who already have earned an associate’s degree will receive credit toward BPC’s degree offerings,” Edens said in the email.
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“This new opportunity will allow HCSO employees to further their education from a regionally accredited college and enhance their knowledge and capabilities,” Sheriff Jim Hammond said in the news release. “It is a collaborative partnership that will allow our people to have greater access to higher education, which in return will benefit them greatly in their career at the HCSO and their personal lives.”
Brewton-Parker is a small Christian college serving close to 600 students a year, according to its website. It was founded in 1904.
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Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.