By Mike Sparks
Motlow Buzz
Reporter
SMYRNA, Tenn. -- It is no surprise
that the Smyrna Motlow State Community College Center is Tennessee’s fastest
growing college with 2,500 students this spring semester, much to the credit of
Gov. Bill Haslam’s vision of Tennessee Promise.
Haslam’s Tennessee Promise has been a
resounding success. With that success has come a fast-paced 32 percent rate of
growth between the fall of 2014 and 2016. The two-building Smyrna Motlow State
Community College campus currently has only 33,000 square feet. The classrooms
are packed with 35 students each, teachers sharing small closet-sized offices,
no area to host large lectures or a large gathering, and a small overcrowded
library. The need for this new addition is greater now than ever before.
The rapid enrollment at the Smyrna
Campus has led to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Board of
Regents both prioritizing the Smyrna Motlow’s third building as the number one priority
in Tennessee for higher education.
The cost of the new 79,443-square-foot
building is $27 million. The college is required to raise $2.7 million or 10
percent from local sources such as nonprofits, local county, and municipal
governments.
The new three-story building will be
located at the northwest corner of the campus. It will host a much-needed 22 classrooms,
one-stop shop for recruiting and financial aid, physics lab, general biology
lab, computer science lab, art lab, chemistry lab, anatomy and physiology lab, EMS
lab, nursing lab, medical technician lab, mechatronics lab, 15 private faculty
offices, and additional office space. Students will be pleased with the new Cyber
Café, which will provide seating for students to interact, study, eat, and much
more. In order to be more efficient with space, rooms can be utilized together
to accommodate up to 350 students. The new library will boast over 6,500 square
feet and be available to the general public as well.
“I’m very excited about the new library,
which will host 60 computers, open space for 60 students, eight group study
rooms, stack space for up to 10,000 volumes and more,” said Campus Librarian
Paige Hendrickson. “The students are extremely excited about not only the new
library, but also the new Cyber Café.”
In 2014, Tennessee was the only state
offering a wide-reaching program that gave recent high school graduates the
chance to go to community college without paying tuition. With the ever-increasing
cost of a college education, Tennessee Promise came as a relief to many
struggling families and students. College tuition debt has amassed to $1.4
trillion today, leaving the average college graduate with roughly $37,000 in
student debt, up 6 percent from last year, according to the Federal Reserve.
Educational experts say Tennessee's
example as a higher education trailblazer could help shape higher education
policy for years as students move through the education pipeline. The Tennessee
Promise is an increasingly popular model as Tennessee plays an important role
in the education debate.
Many may not be aware that the campus
library is open to the general public, which helps with those who may not have Internet
access and who may want to apply for jobs online, email or other needs. For more information on how to get involved
with Motlow State and the great things that are happening, visit www.mscc.edu or call (615) 220-7800.
Haslam’s ‘Drive to 55’ Initiative sets the goal to
increase the percentage of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential to meet
Tennessee’s current and future workforce and economic needs. The governor has championed both his tuition-free college
and the Drive to 55 initiative. For more information on Tennessee Promise
or Drive to 55, visit www.TnPromise.gov or www.Driveto55.org
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