From Staff Reports

Dalton State College and Whitfield school officials broke ground Monday for a 15,000-square-foot Technical Arts Center on the campus of the Whitfield Career Academy that will house college-level courses to benefit students from both the college and the county.

“We look forward to having our high school students mingle with college professors that will staff the new college building,” said Whitfield superintendent Katie Brochu. “I can’t say for sure, but I believe this is the only partnership of this nature in the state of Georgia.”

The center is scheduled to open for students in 2010. Bids are expected in December, and construction will begin in January.

The center is expected to cost around $4 million and has already been funded through the sale of general obligation bonds by the college. Technical and general education classes will be offered, although specific course names have not been selected.

The center will sit on 3.3 acres and include nine classrooms, two labs (one for computers), faculty offices and “communal space.” Students who attend classes there may be solely enrolled at Dalton State or dual-enrolled high school students who are receiving both high school and college credit.

Jim Jolly, a member of the state Board of Regents, said one of the goals of the university system is to strengthen partnerships with other educational agencies.

“The Technical Arts Center will be a concrete example, no pun intended, of the implementation of this part of our plan,” Jolly said. “Dalton State College, Whitfield County Schools and the Board of Regents have come together in this collaborative effort to benefit students. In the bigger picture, this center will benefit the whole region.”

The Whitfield County Board of Education donated the land in May and the Board of Regents approved the gift in October.

“I am proud today, and I’m sure you and I will continue to be proud tomorrow, as we witness the fruits of this cooperative effort,” Jolly said.