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New Cartersville campus opens

By Sarah Abercrombie
[email protected]
Assistant Editor

Participants in the ribbon cutting ceremony pose as the ribbon is cut for the new Georgia Highlands campus in Cartersville.

A ribbon cutting ceremony held on Aug. 26 marked the official opening of the Georgia Highlands College Cartersville campus. Former Governor Joe Frank Harris, who now serves as a member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, referred to the event as a �historic day.�

�This is not only a great day for the Georgia Highlands College family and other supporters who have worked diligently and whole-heartedly to bring this project to fruition,� said GHC President Dr. Randy Pierce. �This is a day of great celebration for the entire Bartow county community.� Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown said, �Kennesaw College could have been in Bartow County�. We got a second chance.�

At the ceremony, Thomas Meredith, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, stated, �Buildings serve as beacons of hope for everyone who goes by them.�

Meredith praised Harris as the source of inspiration for the new Bartow county campus. According to Meredith, �Behind the dream is the dreamer and behind the dreamer is the doer.�

Other speakers at the ceremony included Cartersville Mayor Mike Fields, State Sen. Preston Smith, State Rep. Jeff Lewis and Co-Chairs Danny Gibbs and Jerry Norman of the Georgia Highlands College Foundation.

The $20 million, 100,000 square-foot building was designed by architects Cooper and Carry. The facility sits on 50 acres and is currently the academic home of 1,200 students.

The Bartow campus was built with an eye for future enrollment growth and is currently equipped to serve 1,500 students. The campus boasts room for additional buildings and future expansion is being considered if indicated by enrollment growth.

�You�re sitting on an old cotton field. It�s the same ground for almost the same purpose, only now young people can harvest their minds and turn it into something new,� said Smith.

The new Cartersville campus now has the capacity to hold 1500 students. The new facility includes 20 classrooms complete with audio-visual technology including wireless Internet access, science labs, conference rooms, faculty and staff offices, administrative offices, a bookstore, several computer labs, a testing center, a student services hub and two terraces. The library features an open beam ceiling and stone fireplace and has the capacity to hold 20,000 books.

The Cartersville campus, located on Georgia Highway 20, across from Wal-Mart, has the support of the local government. �This building is representative of our community. It will draw more industries and help our community enhance itself,� said Fields.

In conclusion, Pierce believes the expansion of the college�s reach in Bartow County is �Just the beginning of a major contribution of a growing state.�

The new addition opened its doors for students and faculty on August 20.