Oconee Fall Line Technical College Merge
Sandersville, Heart of Georgia Technical Colleges Become Oconee Fall Line Technical College on July 1
Sandersville/Dublin - Sandersville Technical College and Heart of Georgia Technical College in Dublin have consolidated their administrations and will officially join together on July 1 as Oconee Fall Line Technical College.
This is the latest in a series of mergers over the last two years involving several colleges in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The mergers have been designed to save on college administrative costs while improving the student learning experience.
Like all of the previous mergers, Oconee Fall Line Technical College students should see little or no interruption to their classes and studies, since no campuses, buildings or classrooms were closed as part of the consolidation. Instead, the emphasis is on enhancing student access to the shared program resources of both colleges.
The colleges have been working together since last fall to guarantee a smooth transition for their students and employees.
“The TCSG has proven that combining some of our colleges is a sensible and cost-effective business practice that makes the best use of taxpayer and tuition dollars while at the same time improving education opportunities for our students,” said TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson. “The merger of the administrations of Sandersville Technical College and Heart of Georgia Technical College is another positive step that ensures the very best technical education programs and improved job prospects for students in the areas served by these great colleges.”
Dr. Lloyd Horadan, the president of Sandersville Technical College since 2005, will lead Oconee Fall Line Technical College (OFTC) and will maintain offices at both the Dublin and Sandersville campuses. Beth Crumpton, the executive vice president of Heart of Georgia Technical College and the college’s interim president since last October, will now report to Horadan as the provost of the OFTC South Campus in Dublin.
“Our faculty and staff have worked diligently over the last few months to make this merger successful,” said Horadan. “The world in which we live is constantly changing, and our new college has a wider range of credit programs, providing a greater depth to our academic and professional disciplines and a competitive edge for our graduates as they seek employment.” “We are committed to the personal and academic success of every single student,” continued Horadan. “You’ll see, hear, and feel this commitment all across OFTC.”
Last year, Sandersville Technical College enrolled 1,776 students in certificate, diploma and degree programs, and Heart of Georgia enrolled 2,973 in those programs. The creation of the Oconee Fall Line Technical College means that the TCSG has now merged 15 colleges into seven since 2009. Combining the colleges saves the state about $6.5 million annually, mainly through reduced personnel costs resulting from the elimination of duplicate positions in higher-level management.
With this latest merger, there are now 25 TCSG colleges offering a wide variety of technical education, workforce training and adult education programs on the same campuses and at the same locations that were once 33 colleges. Enrollment throughout the TCSG has surged by almost a third over the past few years, growing from 146,000 students in 2008 to more than 191,000 students in 2010. TCSG colleges offer more than 600 certificate, diploma and degree programs. Georgia technical college tuition is among the lowest in the southeast and most of the cost can be paid for using the HOPE grant or scholarship, the federal Pell Grant, and other forms of college financial assistance.
Eldorado Stone Building
The Eldorado Stone building was previously used as an Eldorado Stone manufacturing facility. The building has been renovated over the years to encompass 60,000 sq. ft. and can be expanded depending on needs.
