Dalton State College will begin construction early next year on a 75-foot bell tower which will serve as a “tangible symbol for the transformation of the College,” officials announced today.

The bell tower is the first of the College’s “brick and mortar” projects to be funded through the efforts of the DSC Foundation’s $20 million capital campaign.

The “Fulfilling the Vision” fundraising campaign began in January 2006 and aims to provide financial resources to strengthen academic programs, expand the campus, enhance student opportunities, and bring the campus and community together.

“The bell tower project is a fitting tribute to the College’s 40-year history and a symbol of great things to come,” remarks David Elrod, Director of Institutional Advancement for Dalton State.

“Every institution has its icon,” he continues. “The University of Georgia has its Arch and Georgia Tech has Tech Tower. The bell tower will become our icon and, we expect, a visible point of pride for the campus and the entire community. But even more important than its becoming an icon is the fact that the bell tower and the quadrangle that will surround it will serve as powerful recruiting tools for Dalton State and will create a more traditional campus atmosphere.”

The bell tower will be situated on the hill behind the Westcott Building between the Pope Student Center and Sequoya Hall. The surrounding grounds will be transformed into a more typical academic quadrangle, creating an area that will serve as a natural gathering space while providing an aesthetic foreground for the institution’s new classroom building, slated to begin construction in 2012.

The Bell Tower will contain a full set of 24 bells, which can be programmed to play tunes electronically. In addition, it will contain a keyboard which will enable the bells to be played manually by a professional carilloneur. The familiar Westminster Chime will strike the time at the top of each hour.

Additional features include a 30 by 50 foot performing arts stage at the foot of the tower that will face the quadrangle, making it an ideal space for musical and theatrical performances for student and community audiences. The bell tower will be illuminated at night, enhancing the visibility of the campus for students and passersby.

“Construction on the bell tower and the quadrangle will take place more or less simultaneously, and we expect work to begin in early 2008,” says Dr. Jim Burran, President of Dalton State, noting that pedestrian traffic on campus will have to be rerouted during certain periods of the construction phase. Burran says that he anticipates that the project will be completed prior to fall semester 2008 and will cost approximately $700,000 to construct.

“We expect that the bell tower will be the centerpiece of the entire campus and will represent a tangible symbol of the College’s projected growth and development,” he says.

“Once it is completed, we are confident that residents of Northwest Georgia will be just as excited as we are about this wonderful addition to the campus and to the life of the community.”