KANATA, ON | MACON, GA – January 12, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Education has signaled a transformative shift in the future of American higher education, awarding $50.8 million through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to accelerate AI adoption.
Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) has emerged as a national leader in this initiative, securing $3.99 million, one of the five largest awards granted. In partnership with student success platform QuadC, CGTC will launch the “STEP-AI” (Strengthening Technical Education Programs through Artificial Intelligence) project to redefine how students prepare for Industry 4.0.
“We are delighted to have been selected by the US Department of Education to expand our use of AI in higher education and to harness its capabilities to help improve teaching and learning. We look forward to the partnership with QuadC to help us achieve our goals.” said Allison Repzynski, Executive Director for Library & Academic Support Services, CGTC.
As the STEP-AI initiative begins, CGTC and QuadC are setting a scalable example for how technical colleges can adopt AI at scale for the benefit of educators and students.
"QuadC is proud to partner with CGTC on this transformative initiative," said Will Li, CEO of QuadC. "Our focus is on more than just software; we are building the infrastructure to integrate machine learning into technician education and empowering faculty to lead in an AI-driven economy."
The 2025 FIPSE awards focused on two critical "Absolute Priorities" that will serve as the blueprint for the STEP-AI initiative:
CGTC is one of only 18 institutions selected nationwide for funding under the category “Advancing the Understanding Of and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology in Postsecondary Education”. The full list of awardees includes:
Research Universities: Howard University, Savannah State University, Temple University, The University of Texas at Dallas, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wright State University
Colleges and Community Colleges: Atenas University, Cochise County Community College District, Columbia State Community College, Dallas College, Hillsborough Community College
Technical and Vocational Schools: Central Georgia Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Educational Boards and Research Foundations: Board of Regents NSHE (Desert Research Institute), Educational Testing Service (ETS) Research Institute, Idaho State Board of Education, San José State University Research Foundation
Central Georgia Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, offers credit instruction, adult education, and customized business and industry training through traditional and distance education delivery.
QuadC is a leading student success and academic support technology provider. Their platform specializes in streamlining the student journey through AI-powered scheduling, tutoring management, and data-driven interventions.
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