Southern Crescent Technical College emerged as the unanimous decision for the new name of the combined Flint River Technical College (FRTC) and Griffin Technical College (GTC) by the members of both Boards of Directors in a meeting held January 14, 2009, in Griffin. The first joint meeting of these boards gathered with the primary task of selecting a new name for the combined colleges. The members began with a list of 28 names proposed by board members, trustees, faculty, staff, and students of the two colleges and narrowed down the list to four names for serious discussion. The boards decided that the name of the new college should be something that uniquely defined and represented both colleges, as well as one that would be easy to identify and remember. Southern Crescent Technical College surfaced as the top choice once these factors were taken into consideration. The name Southern Crescent defines this geographic area and is representative of the region that the new college will serve. Stretching from Jasper County to the east and Taylor County in the southwest, the area comprises the southern arc or crescent of the Atlanta region. This name has been approved by Ron Jackson, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, and will soon be presented to the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia for final approval. The State Board voted in September to merge the administrations of 13 of the state’s 33 technical colleges. Flint River Technical College and Griffin Technical College were on the list to be merged, and Dr. Robert Arnold, current president of Griffin Technical College, was named in early December as the new President of the combined college, effective July 1, 2009. The Senior Management Team for Southern Crescent Technical College will consist of the following administrators: President ‘“ Dr. Robert Arnold; Provost ‘“ Jim Wheeless; Vice President for Academic Affairs – Brent Mayes; Vice President for Administrative Services ‘“ Miriam Byrd; Vice President for Advancement ‘“ Barbara Jo Cook; Vice President for Economic Development ‘“ Mark Andrews; and Vice President for Student Affairs ‘“ Lynn Futral. Administrators from FRTC and GTC have been working diligently in recent months in order to ensure that the proper procedures are in place for a seamless transition to the combined technical college. Dr. Robert Arnold recently stated, ‘The emersion of Southern Crescent Technical College is certain to be a winner for students, offering a myriad of new opportunities for students from both current colleges. We are enthused about the merger and the expanded opportunities it will afford current and future students, as well as local business and industry. Above all, we are committed to making this unique educational process a win-win for everyone.’ As its name suggests, Southern Crescent Technical College will serve the workforce and community needs of the over 500,000 citizens in the ten counties of the South Atlanta region including Butts, Fayette, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Pike, Spalding, Upson, Talbot, and Taylor counties. The merger will be completed by July 2009 with Southern Crescent Technical College emerging as a flagship technical college in the state, expected to have a combined student population of over 5,000 credit students per quarter. Southern Crescent Technical College will also serve an additional 2,500 students per quarter in Adult Education and Continuing Education programs. Southern Crescent Technical College will offer over 100 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs on five campus locations with more sites expected in the near future.
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