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Published Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in Local

Technical college close to expanding campus

By Winston Skinner

The Times-Herald

A major announcement regarding a local technical college will be made in May, according to Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of West Central Technical College.

"It's going to be a big announcement," said Sullivan, speaking to the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce Breakfast on Tuesday morning. He said a campus in Coweta was identified as a priority some time ago and fundraising efforts have already focused on that eventuality.

"Our desire is to build a fully-functional, stand-alone campus that will meet the needs of Cowetans," Sullivan said.

"We're full," he said of the space used by WCTC in Newnan. "What do we do? Where do we go?"

He said Coweta County is losing young people after high school who "go off somewhere because there's very little opportunity for them" to advance their education locally. Having a technical college campus in Coweta will mean many young people will stay in the area to study -- and then to live and work.

Pattillo Construction has given West Central a no-cost option on 25 acres in Pattillo-managed Coweta Industrial Park off Sharpsburg-McCollum Road.

"We are experiencing growth that is absolutely phenomenal," Sullivan said. He said West Central has grown from 2,500 credit students to 4,300. West Central has been the fastest growing technical college in the state for two years and is the eighth fastest growing two-year college in the country.

Sullivan said when the Coweta campus is completed, it "will be the largest campus" in the West Central-West Georgia Technical area. He estimated there will be 2,000-3,000 students -- compared to 700 in West Central's current Coweta programs.

Caryn Broome, emcee for the breakfast, said Sullivan's comments were part of the Economic Engagement Series, which the Chamber has had for breakfast speakers this year.

Sullivan has been president of WCTC, which has campuses in Douglas, Carroll and Haralson counties, since 2006. West Central also offers programs at Central Educational Center, where the breakfast took place.

Sullivan will be the president of the merged school being created when West Central combines with West Georgia Technical College, the state technical school in LaGrange. The merged school will be called West Georgia Technical College.

The technical school system is a state agency. Formerly known as the Department of Technical and Adult Education, it is now the Technical College System of Georgia.

Sullivan stressed the new Coweta campus would be in addition to what is now offered at CEC. "We are not trading in CEC. We are full," he said. "There are new programs that need to be added."

Sullivan said West Central has a three-fold mission of technical education, adult education and economic development.

The permanent Coweta campus will provide a permanent home for local adult education programs. Local adult ed classes have been held at CEC, then at Maggie Brown School on Kellog Street in Newnan. The programs have moved back to CEC, where they are housed in mobile units.

"We've bounced them around," Sullivan said. "Now, we're in double-wide trailers. What message are we sending?"

Sullivan talked briefly about Quick Start, a state program that allows technical schools to -- under certain criteria -- provide training to workers. Sometimes the workers are employed at a company relocating to Georgia. At other times, a Georgia firm is expanding.

For relocating firms, the employers "can have all of their employees trained before they open their doors," Sullivan said. Training being done in Troup County for the Kia plant is an example.

West Central has had as many as 14 Quick Start projects at one time in the past. "We don't have quite so many right now," Sullivan said.

Sullivan also talked about the importance of the technical college's foundation, which has taken the lead in raising money for the Coweta campus, provided $20,000 in scholarships to WCTC students and establishing a fund to build the number of health occupation programs. The foundation has a project under way to raise some $10 million, with the Coweta campus as the first priority.

Coweta businesswoman Jan Alligood is vice chair for Coweta County on the foundation board. "We'll look forward to the big, big announcement," she said.

Pattillo Construction sponsored the breakfast. Larry Callahan of Patillo commented on the education theme for Tuesday's meeting. School "connects us to the past and to the future," he said. The state's technical college system is "something that is very important to the future of our community," he said.

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