BY THE NUMBERSGeorgia Northwestern Technical College4: Current campuses in Floyd, Gordon, Polk and Walker counties2: New campuses planned in Whitfield and MurrayDalton State College bachelor’s degrees13: Currently offered bachelor’s degrees ranging from business and education to math and English1 or more: Four-year degree in nursing to be added; others being discussedSource: Dalton State College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Dalton State College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College are shifting roles as one seeks a more universitylike path and the other goes all out for technical training with two new campuses.
An agreement finalized this month between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia supports Georgia Northwestern’s plans to open facilities in Whitfield and Murray counties, an expansion of bachelor’s degree programs at Dalton State and a cooperative effort between the two institutions to improve offerings across the region.
Georgia Northwestern President Craig McDaniel said the result at the technical college will be programs tailored to meet needs of employers in the region.
A growing demand for technical training stems from job losses, incoming new jobs and an increasingly technical setting for existing industries across the Northwest Georgia/Southeast Tennessee region, McDaniel said.
“We’ve shown some expertise in being very flexible in working with businesses and industries in developing those kinds of programs,” he said.
Georgia Northwestern won’t introduce new programs as much as it will customize existing training for the specific needs of employers, he said.
He said Georgia Northwestern and Dalton State are working on an arrangement to share facilities where possible to make the most of what the schools offer.
“Dalton State is becoming a more residential and traditional bachelor-degree college,” Dalton State President John Schwenn said. “Adding more four-year programs will help us progress further, faster.”
Some existing programs could be modified to offer four-year degrees, he said.
“Over the fall semester, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Sandra Stone and the faculty and deans have been working on a master plan to determine which programs we should add, which ones we should eliminate and which ones will be revised,” he said.
The process could be completed in January, he said.
Enrollment has grown considerably at both institutions over the past couple of years. This fall, Georgia Northwestern had a 12.3 percent increase and Dalton State’s rolls increased by 4.6 percent over 2009. Officials say they expect more growth with the coming changes.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.