Columbia State looks at past, present and future
By Carole Robinson, staff writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
In an effort to rise above the radar, the administration at Columbia State Community College’s Williamson County campus gave a group of community leaders a glimpse of the past and present as they reached out for help with planning the future — the dream of a modern Higher Education campus
CSCC’s Williamson County campus.
Since opening more than 30 years ago what was once a vocational school building, Columbia State has continued to grow, CSCC President Janet Smith told the group of mayors, commissioners, aldermen, state representatives and other community leaders Tuesday after a quick tour of the campus. Prior to moving to the Claude Yates Drive location, a few classes were held in area high schools or anywhere an empty room could be found, but students still had to commute to Columbia for most of their credits.
Once the school found a home, the eight-acre cß∑ampus grew in population and program offerings. In 2009, the student population is 1,488 growing 15.6 percent over last year, with 68 percent of those students Williamson County residents. Although area high schools are the primary feeders, programs like EMT training and partnerships with area universities have raised the average student age to 26 with 56 percent considered part time.
“What I see [CSCC] means to me when I see Columbia State graduates in the work force is that they stand out,” said Williamson County Franklin Chamber President/CEO Nancy Conway, who was one of the community leaders who lobbied 30 years ago for a campus in Williamson County. “To the business community, when we look at economic development – this is what it’s all about. Without Columbia State, we would not have the rankings we have today.”
However, the 35,000-square-foot Williamson County campus is about to burst at the seams and there is nowhere to grow.
“Our future is a new campus – a facility where faculty, staff, students and the community can come – the higher education center of Williamson County,” Smith said.
The dream is of a 25- to 30-acre “green” campus that will accommodate an 89,000-square-foot modern, state-of-the-art facility for 2,600 students and room to grow. The $31 million campus plans include added career programs in biotechnology, information technology, healthcare, business, clean technology and engineering and partnerships with area universities for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs and area school systems to address community interests, business expansion and industry training.
The reality is that a new campus in Williamson County is ranked ninth out of 17 on the Tennessee Board of Regents’ priority list over other major higher education projects and while Gov. Bredesen created a program that allowed colleges to raise money towards their projects to move up the priority list, the program sunsets in March.
“On paper it’s going to take awhile before we get there, but in our hearts, it’s not that far away,” Smith said, adding she hopes the community will raise the funds needed to move CSCC up the list. “If we had land purchased and a plan done, that would go a long way to moving us up the list. The past has been glorious, the present is wonderful, the future is exciting.”
Carole Robinson can be contacted at crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Posted on: 11/19/2009
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