Paulding Rotary Club Welcomes Chattahoochee Tech Scholarship Recipients and College Representatives

Missy Cusack of Chattahoochee Technical College and fellow Rotarian took the podium. Mrs. Cusack started by introducing her guests. She introduced Jennifer Nelson Vice President External Affairs for Chattahoochee Technical College and three students Breanna Cooper, Noah Guyton, and Rose Middendorf who were Rotary scholarship recipients. Mrs. Cusack took the time to explain some facts about Chattahoochee Technical College. CTC is a fully accredited college providing two-year Associates degrees for students who then usually apply to other colleges to continue their education. Also, Chattahoochee Tech provides technical certifications for those seeking skilled positions.
Mrs. Cusack explained that her role was to oversee incoming students records, coordinating with financial aid, and also outgoing students. She and her staff provide the first impression of the local campus to the new incoming students. Chattahoochee Tech currently has eight campuses in six counties and this fall they expect an average of 10,000 students to attend. The Paulding campus as an average of between 700-1000 students. The average age of students for CTC is around 25 years old. The range in age varies as Chattahoochee Tech offers what range of technical certifications, online courses and accredited class hours to be applied to the student's core curriculum for transfer, as they move on to another 4-year College.In years prior there was some stigma attached to two-year universities and technical colleges. Mrs. Cusack assured everyone that the Chattahoochee Tech College was fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges. Additionally, as there are no community colleges available Chattahoochee Tech fills that need for students looking to join the workforce quickly as well as students in need of a more cost-effective alternative for satisfying their core requirements. In comparison, Chattahoochee Tech offers 15 credit hours for the tuition price of $1600 as compared to Kennesaw State College's $3600. Mrs. Cusack stated that CTC has a very positive relationship with Kennesaw State but the savings to students is self-evident.
The primary goal of Chattahoochee Tech is workforce development. Simply put, offer students graduating high school training in technical and scientific certifications that will serve them in finding quality employment quickly. Chattahoochee Tech Paulding's flagship program since 2015 has been their Associate of Science in Nursing program. The National Registry Test average passing rate for Associates degrees is 81% and Bachelors degrees 87% throughout the US. Chattahoochee Tech's average passing rate is 92%. The CTC Nursing Program is consistently ranked one of the best in the state. In addition to nursing, the Paulding campus has added Welding certifications and testing to its curriculum. Under the direction of Jim Thomas, 54 students are currently enrolled. Immediately, upon offering the Welding certifications these classes have been maxed to capacity for the space available. Plans are in the works to expand available space to accommodate more students. Thanks to a donation from BLD Rolloff Containers owner Brian Stover of certified equipment, the Paulding campus will also be able to offer certified testing as an additional source of income for the College.Mrs. Cusack passed the floor to Jennifer Nelson. Mrs. Nelson introduced herself and an extended the appreciation of the College and its Foundation for the support of the local Paulding County Rotary Club and club member Ford Thigpen. The Paulding Rotary Club has been a supporter of the Chattahoochee Tech foundation of which Mr. Thigpen is a board member. The foundation helps to secure scholarships and grants. So far that assistance has reached $84,000 and keeps their goal of $100,000 insight.
Mrs. Nelson introduced the Rotary Club scholarship recipients from Chattahoochee Tech. All three of the students addressed the club members with their appreciation for the scholarship that they had received. Additionally, they explained how this helped and encouraged them by providing them with the opportunity to continue their education at the Paulding campus.
In closing, Mrs. Cusack answered some questions for the Rotary Club members. Club president Travis Miller presented Mrs. Nelson a $4000 dollar check from the Paulding County Rotary Club for the CTC Foundation.