The City of Columbia, Tennessee has passed a resolution supporting Columbia State Community College’s new Southern Regional Technology Center. The city will be providing funds to help the school pay for construction and other expenses.
Columbia State Community College has announced that the City of Columbia has recently passed a resolution pledging their support for the school’s new Southern Regional Technology Center, which will be built on its Columbia campus.
Speaking with the Williamson Source, Bethany Lay, Columbia State’s vice president for advancement and executive director of the Columbia State Foundation, was quoted as saying, “It was a pleasure to attend the City Council meeting and hear the expressed commitment to continue the strong partnership between the City of Columbia and Columbia State. The SRTC will bring opportunities for education and training necessary to strengthen workforce skills.”
The mayor and board of Columbia approved a first year payment of $25,000 at their September meeting. Columbia State Community College will get similar payments for the next three years following another vote by the mayor and the board.
The governor’s 2022 budget contained state funding for the Southern Regional Technology Center and was subsequently approved by the Tennessee legislature. Currently, the project is in the design phase under the air of Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design. Construction is expected to begin at the end of next year, and classes are expected to start up at the center at the beginning of 2026.
Columbia State Community College’s President, Dr. Janet F. Smith, was also quoted by the Williamson Source on the support from the city, saying, “Today was another example of the proud partnership that exists between the City of Columbia and Columbia State for educational options for our citizenry and the economic development of our community. Their commitment to the SRTC will result in opportunities for occupations that can change a life.”
The building will be just under 100,000 square feet and will house several Columbia State programs such as EMS, veterinary technology, respiratory care, nursing, radiologic technology, engineering technology, and medical lab technology. The building will also share its space with the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology’s Hohenwad and Pulaski programs, housing automotive, practical nursing, and industrial maintenance from Hohenwald, and HVAC, industrial maintenance, welding, and CNC machining programs from Pulaski.
The Southern Regional Technology Center will be located on the west side of Columbia State Community College’s Columbia campus. The facility will allow for a central location in the area for students to get the education and training needed by employers in the region. Programs held there will focus on connecting students not only with the education and training they need, but with the employers themselves to better make connections between the workforce and educational systems. The facility is expected to cost over $50,000,000. The State of Tennessee has required Columbia State Community College to match whatever the community chips in. So far, over $1,000,000 has been given or pledged to the project from various lead partners and general community support.
Students interested in Columbia State Community College in general can find more information about the school on its website.