For more information on Tomorrow's Workforce... Today, the capital campaign, visit the Columbus Technical College Foundation's website

CTC to Welcome Governor, State Officials for Health Sciences Groundbreaking Ceremony

A dream that has been about six years in the making is about to come true at Columbus Technical College. The College will be breaking ground for the Dr. Robert L. Wright, Jr. Health Sciences Center on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. at the site of the future campus on River Road. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue will be on hand at the ceremony. So will the Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, members of the local legislative delegation, and many other civic and community leaders.

The Dr. Robert L. Wright, Jr. Health Sciences Center represents a public-private partnership at its best. The State of Georgia committed more than $16 million to the project and the first private capital campaign benefitting the college, Tomorrow's Workforce... Today, has so far raised in excess of $9.5 million.

The Director of the Tomorrow's Workforce... Today campaign, D.L. “Buddy” Merrill said, “The partnership is the first in the Technical College System of Georgia and will serve as a role model for others to follow.”

“This is an historic day for Columbus Technical College,” said Columbus Technical College President J. Robert “Bob” Jones. “Our institution has always prided itself on training and educating members of our community based on the greatest need. The healthcare industry has been plagued with nursing and other shortages for years. This is the future and Columbus Technical College stands ready to respond.”

Larry Sanders is the Chairman and CEO of Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Inc. He is looking also forward to the future.

“Columbus Technical College has been a long time partner with the Columbus Regional family,” Sanders said. “Our hospitals are ready and willing to hire more graduates from this fine institution. They always come to work with the latest skills and training. Knowing we'll soon have a much larger pool of applicants from Columbus Technical College will help keep our healthcare workforce going strong for years to come.”

Once this facility is built, manned and furnished, Columbus Technical College will be able to educate and train more than twice the number of health sciences students that it can currently. In 2006, for example, Columbus Technical College's School of Health Sciences graduated 316 students. Two years after the new health sciences center is completed, 784 students will be able to graduate. That's a 248% increase!

Construction on the approximately 84,000 square foot facility is scheduled to begin in the fall of this year with completion scheduled for mid-2010.

Please join us for the groundbreaking ceremony and refreshments afterward. May 20, 2008 will be an important day for Columbus Technical College and for the greater Columbus community.

For more information, please contact Cheryl Myers/Director of Communications, Columbus Technical College at (706) 649-1290 or email cmyers@columbustech.edu.