Officials will cut the ribbon on the new Effingham campus of the Savannah Technical College sometime soon, but in the meantime, they’re preparing feverishly for the start of classes.
Current student registration is set to start Monday and STC leaders can’t wait to get going.
“We are pleased to finally be here,” said Dr. Reg Hendricks, executive vice president.
Savannah Tech leaders met with Effingham County representatives a decade ago to discuss the concept of an Effingham campus. The building, which has been under construction for about a year, opened Aug. 1 and began registering students.
Savannah Tech officials are expecting 100-150 students for the initial fall term, which begins Sept. 28. Already, there are 30 Effingham high schoolers taking certified nursing assistant instruction at STC. Savannah Tech also conducts criminal justice and cosmetology courses at Effingham high schools.
“We need healthcare workers,” Effingham interim campus director Carol Paulk said, “and that’s a high demand profession.”
Getting the doors open Aug. 1 took some work, too.
“We had a good bit of preparation to do,” Hendricks said. “But we had a great team and pulled it together.”
Paulk said STC staff is processing financial aid and admissions and administering placement tests. For now, they’ve got borrowed furniture in the building.
“We’re taking delivery of furniture later this month,” she said.
Paulk said the campus is preparing to add more staff and determining where best to allocate the positions. Open student registration starts Sept. 26 and new student registration starts the following day.
“We’re looking forward to opening the doors for new students,” Paulk said. “Students for fall quarter should come in now. That way they’ll be ready to see an advisor.”
The Effingham campus of Savannah Tech will offer an associate’s degree in management and supervisory development and a diploma in business office technology. It will offer certificate programs in certified nurse assistant, patient care technician, computer support technician, technical communications specialist and industrial production line and basic mechanics operator. STC will expand its programs to meet enrollment.
“One thing a technical school stresses is the practical application, being able to actually do the work when they learn it,” Paulk said.
STC also can tailor programs to meet the needs of businesses, and the campus is almost directly across Highway 21 from the existing Effingham Industrial Park.
“We’ll spend time over the next several months finding out the needs of Effingham businesses,” Paulk said.
The Department of Technical and Adult Education, which oversees the state’s technical school system, has a variety of approved programs. The state’s tech schools choose from that list the programs to offer the students and that are needed in the community. Effingham’s STC locale will have a driving track for commercial drivers license training.
Savannah Tech also is exploring a partnership with Effingham schools for the school system’s career academy, if the state approves the placement of one in Effingham.
The Effingham campus — which is 16,100 square feet and sits on 70 acres — also has a community room that can accommodate 100 people.
“We need folks to come see us,” Paulk said. “We want to get the word out we’re ready for business.”
A grand opening will be held once Paulk can line up the schedules for dignitaries and DTAE board members.
