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Dr. John Hutcheson, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and
Ms. Sandy Ott, Director of the Gilmer County Center
in Ellijay, hold the ribbon while Dalton State College
President Dr. John Schwenn
cuts the ribbon during the recently-held Open House
ceremony.
An Open House showcasing Dalton State College’s new 10,000
square foot Gilmer County Center took place on Tuesday in
Ellijay, giving area residents and current and prospective
college students an opportunity to tour the new facility.
Beginning next month, Dalton State students living in Gilmer,
Fannin, Pickens, and Dawson counties can take classes leading to
an associate degree in general studies at the Gilmer County
Center without having to travel to the main campus in Dalton.
The Center is located at 103 Dalton Street in the former Gilmer
County Library building in downtown Ellijay.
The Open House
was attended by residents of Gilmer and surrounding counties,
and included Dalton State representatives, area legislators,
educators, community leaders, business leaders, parents, and
prospective students.
“We are pleased to be here this
afternoon and are really excited about what is about to happen
at the Gilmer County Center,” Dr. John Schwenn, the President of
Dalton State, told a crowd of about 100 onlookers during an
afternoon ceremony.
“We are here to reaffirm a long-term
commitment to you and to this community with the establishment
of this new facility, and we’re pleased to offer a full array of
courses leading to an associate degree as well as the support
services that students need to be successful.”
Senator Chip
Pearson, who represents Georgia Senate District 51, called the
event “a great day for Ellijay and Gilmer County. We will
remember this as a watershed day when we look back to the
beginnings of this center which will soon be teaming with
students.”
And Representative David Ralston, representing
Georgia House District 7, called the center a “beacon, which
will lead the way in terms of our growth.”
“People who in the
past could not have taken advantage of the opportunity to
further their education will have that opportunity now,” Ralston
said.
The instructional site will primarily serve students who
reside in Gilmer, Fannin, Pickens, and Dawson counties,
providing a much more convenient access to a public institution
of higher learning than has been available in the past, College
officials say.
Beginning in January, students who enroll at
the Dalton State College Gilmer County Center can enroll in
classes ranging from biology to history to physical education.
About 17 classes will be offered during the Center’s first term.
Students may take day and/or evening classes in the facility,
which has been remodeled over the past six months to include six
general education classrooms, a science lab, a computer lab, and
faculty offices.
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