The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia voted today to approve Commissioner Ron Jackson’s selection of Craig Wentworth to be president of the college that will be created by the merger of Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC) and Moultrie Technical College (MTC).

The motion to accept Jackson’s choice was made by Judge Richard Porter of Cairo, the TCSG board member representing the state’s Second Congressional District.

Wentworth, current president of Southwest Georgia Tech, and Jim Glass, the acting president of Moultrie Technical College, are currently leading the process to merge the administrations of their respective colleges. The consolidation will be complete in July 2015.

Jackson told the TCSG State Board that Wentworth has provided outstanding leadership for SWGTC since he was first appointed to the position in 2010.

“Dr. Wentworth is passionate about his students and cares for his faculty and staff. He’s constantly working to provide them with the best programs in a quality learning environment, and I know that the merged college will be well-managed under his direction,” said Jackson.

Jackson also had high praise for the work of Glass, who became the acting president of MTC after Tina Anderson departed in June 2013 to become the president of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.

“I’m very grateful to Jim Glass for providing Moultrie Technical College with expert guidance and careful attention over the last year. He will continue to play an important leadership role during and after the merger process,” said Jackson.

MTC has two campuses in Moultrie and additional campuses in Tifton, Ashburn and Sylvester. SWGTC has its main campus in Thomasville and others in Cairo and Camilla. Last year, the two colleges enrolled 5,121 students in credit classes.

Students at MTC and SWGTC should experience little change in the day-to-day operation of their campuses throughout the merger, according to a press release from the Technical College System of Georgia. They will, however, gain from the benefit of a larger regional college that is more efficient financially and makes better use of shared instructional and technical resources.