North Georgia Technical College
Encyclopedia
North Georgia Technical College is the oldest technical college in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, and is part of the Technical College System of Georgia
Technical College System of Georgia
The Technical College System of Georgia , formerly known as the Department of Technical and Adult Education , is the body which supervises the U.S...

. Its main campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...

 is in Clarkesville
Clarkesville, Georgia
Clarkesville is a city located in the center of Habersham County, Georgia. It is also the county seat.-Geography:Clarkesville is located at ....

, with additional campuses in Toccoa
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...

 (called the Currahee campus after nearby Currahee Mountain) and Blairsville
Blairsville, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 659 people, 226 households, and 101 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.7 people per square mile . There were 261 housing units at an average density of 245.4 per square mile...

. The college serves Habersham
Habersham County, Georgia
Habersham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 15, 1818, and named for Colonel Joseph Habersham. As of 2000, the population was 35,902. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 42,272. Clarkesville is the county seat.Chartered in 1823, the...

, Stephens
Stephens County, Georgia
Stephens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 26,175. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 25,268. The county seat is Toccoa.-History:...

, Union
Union County, Georgia
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 17,289. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,968. The county seat is Blairsville.Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001....

, Fannin
Fannin County, Georgia
Fannin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on January 21, 1854. As of 2000, the population was 19,798. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 22,580...

, White
White County, Georgia
White County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 22, 1857, from part of Habersham County. The county was named for Newton County Representative David T. White, who helped a Habersham representative successfully attain passage of an...

, Rabun
Rabun County, Georgia
Rabun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 15,050. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 16,519...

, Towns
Towns County, Georgia
Towns County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on March 6, 1856. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,319. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 10,894. Its county seat is Hiawassee.-History:...

, and Franklin
Franklin County, Georgia
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It became Georgia's ninth county, incorporating on February 25, 1784, and was named in honor of patriot Benjamin Franklin...

 counties.

NGTC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

 to award associate degrees, and is also accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education
Council on Occupational Education
The Council on Occupational Education or is national institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education. Originally founded in 1971 as a regional accrediting agency of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, COE became a national accrediting agency in 1995...

.

History

North Georgia Technical College's Clarkesville Campus originally was the home of the Georgia Ninth District School of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (The A&M), which was active from 1907 until 1933. From 1938 to 1943, the campus was home of "Habersham College" and the National Youth Administration, one of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's programs during the Great Depression.

Recognizing the need for occupational training for Georgians, the State Legislature created a vocational division in the State Board of Education, which approved a plan creating a system of state vocational schools in October 1943. The initial location for North Georgia Trade and Vocational School was chosen in 1943, and the school accepted its first student in February 1944.

As the demand for technical training grew, more courses were added. In 1962, the name of the school was changed to North Georgia Technical and Vocational School. On July 1, 1985, North Georgia Tech was placed under the governance of the new state board, which today is called the Technical College System of Georgia. In 1987, the name was changed to North Georgia Technical Institute.

The Clarkesville Campus of North Georgia Technical College is located in a mountain setting off Georgia Highway 197 one and one-half miles north of Clarkesville, the county seat of Habersham County. It is situated on 339 acres with the campus covering approximately 40 acres. It is 30 miles northeast of Gainesville, 50 miles north of Athens, and 90 miles northeast of Atlanta off Interstates 85/985 and 365.

As part of former Governor Zell Miller's pledge to bring a postsecondary institution within 40 miles of every Georgian, the 1995 legislative session appropriated 5.5 million dollars to build a state-of-the-art facility to be located on 25 acres along the Zell Miller Parkway just outside the town of Blairsville. Union County graciously donated the land on which the Blairsville Campus is located. The 45,000+ square foot facility was built on a knoll with a dramatic view of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Classes began September 30, 1998, for the Blairsville Campus of North Georgia Technical Institute.

July 1, 2000, House Bill 1187 was made into law. This paved the way for Georgia’s technical institutes to become technical colleges! North Georgia Technical Institute became North Georgia Technical College on October 10, 2000.

In Summer 2007 the College celebrated its 100th birthday. The new Transportation Center and Visual Technology Center opened Summer 2007 on the Clarkesville Campus. The Currahee Campus of NGTC was completed in southern Stephens County in 2005. This campus is a 45,000+ square foot state-of-the-art facility and located in the Haystone Brady Industrial Park.

External links

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