The Surry Community College Yadkin Center celebrated 10 years in Yadkin County on April 18. Community leaders, Surry Community College staff and board members and Yadkin Center staff and supporters gathered to honor a major milestone in the Yadkin community.
“We’re very grateful for the support that we receive from our trustees, the county commissioners and the citizens of Yadkin County for the support that they’ve given,” said Dr. David Shockley, President of Surry Community College. “Without your support this would not be possible. It would just be an idea.”
A table filled with the history of the center was on display for attendees at the celebration. The table featured newspaper articles, the study that led to the idea of the center and posters, flyers and handouts from fundraising efforts.
The Surry Community College Yadkin Center celebrated 10 years in Yadkin County on April 18. Community leaders, Surry Community College staff and board members and Yadkin Center staff and supporters gathered to honor a major milestone in the Yadkin community.
The Surry Community College Yadkin Center celebrated 10 years in Yadkin County on April 18.
Community leaders, Surry Community College staff and board members and Yadkin Center staff and supporters gathered to honor a major milestone in the Yadkin community.
We’re very grateful for the support that we receive from our trustees, the county commissioners and the citizens of Yadkin County for the support that they’ve given,” said Dr. David Shockley, president of Surry Community College. “Without your support this would not be possible. It would just be an idea.”
Yadkin County Chamber of Commerce Director Bobby Todd told the audience that 20 years ago an the SCC Yadkin Center was only an idea. In 1996 the county conducted a Yadkin County Labor Force study and from that study the idea for a local community college location was spawned.
“The study showed that the industry in the area wanted to see a community college in the area,” Todd said. “That led to many, many meetings with the steering committee, the manufacturing industries committee and Jimmy Hutchens was instrumental by making the first donation to the capital campaign for both this center and the YMCA.”
Today the Yadkin Center sits just inside of Yadkinville off Highway 601. Its 25,000 square feet houses a learning center, automotive shop, teleconference rooms and computer. It also is home to the Yadkin Early College, corporate and continuing education programs and general education classes for SCC curriculum programs.
Dr. Shockley shared his vision of what the next 10 years at the Yadkin Center will look like. He has plans to have 1,000 curriculum students enrolled at the center.
“We want this to not be a center, but by our crediting body standards, a campus,” Dr. Shockley said. “We want it to serve Yadkin County.”
Dr. Shockley said that he would like to see 5,000 students pursuing a continuing education path such public safety, business or industry.
“To do this we have to put resources here,” Shockley said. “We’ve been meeting for the past week to discuss how we can put more human resources here at the Yadkin Center so that we will have a day to day presence here to help us continue to grow and achieve that vision that’s been laid out ahead of us.”
A large effort to growing the campus will be the construction of the proposed Agriculture Center. The center will feature classrooms for Surry Community College students and Yadkin Early College students, a 300 person meeting area and offices for county agricultural offices and staff.
“Our foundation has launched a campaign to help the county commissioners and help the residents of Yadkin County to furnish the building after it’s built,” Dr. Shockley said. “Building the facility is just half the battle, we know it requires considerable resources to furnish the building and meet the needs of the educational programming that will have to happen in this building.”
Yadkin County Commissioner Chair Kevin Austin closed out the celebration with a nod to the commissioners who came before him.
“I heard a lot of thank yous to commissioners today, but there are a group of commissioners who really do deserve a big thank you for this building,” Austin said. “Those commissioners who made the commitment to build the existing building were a very brave bunch of commissioners and now they look like one of the smartest bunch of commissioners that we’ve ever had. I really want to give the recognition to that board of commissioners.”
Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@civitasmedia.com.
Post a Comment
