A Legacy of Opportunity: The History of Savannah Technical College

The Opportunity School started through the sponsorship of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce. The original location was on Wright Square at Bull and State Streets in the building that would become the Wright Square Post Office.

The school outgrew its first quarters and moved to the second and third floors above McCrory’s at Bull and Broughton Streets. Courses were offered in general continuing education, distributive education and shop for boys. At the close of the 1930-31 year, 466 students were enrolled.

An Evening Trade Extension program started at the Savannah High and Cuyler Street schools and is later transferred to Beach High School.

The school moved to the old Sunday School Building of t he Independent Presbyterian Church at Bull and Hull Streets. During World War II, in addition to the regular business education classes, war production and shop classes were offered at the Bay Street location.

Chatham County voters approve a $750,000 Bond issue to match state construction funds for two area vocational-technical schools. In a joint venture between the Chatham County Board of Education and the State Board of Education, the school combined with the Harris Area Trade School to become the Savannah Area Vocational-Technical School.

The Savannah Area Vocational-Technical School was officially dedicated to serve the five-county area of Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, and Long counties.

Plans were drawn up and the Savannah Chatham County Board of Education acquired 37.5 acres of surplus property from Hunter Army Airfield to construct a consolidated vocational-technical post secondary school.

Ground breaking ceremonies were held.

Construction was completed at an approximate cost of nine million dollars. Regular classes started for summer quarter and adult evening classes started that fall.

The Savannah Tech Foundation and Advisory Council was created to raise money for scholarships, endowments and research grants. A 22,000 square foot building was renamed and dedicated the West Chatham Technology Center as a “Quick Start” Industrial Training Center to train employees for new and existing industries

Diploma programs for military personnel were established through the Army Education Center at Fort Stewart, Hinesville with 53 students.

Fall Quarter, Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education and the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education approved an official name change to Savannah Technical Institute.

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) granted accreditation to award Associate Degrees and Diplomas.

The office located at the Army Education Center at Fort Stewart closed, moving operations to the General Screven Way in Hinesville.

Savannah Technical Institute came under the governance of the State Board of Technical and Adult Education on July 1, 1997, as the fifth largest of 33 technical institutes.

On July 6, 2000 Governor Roy Barnes officially announced th e name change to Savannah Technical College. The mission continues to focus on contributing to the economic, educational, and community development of Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties by providing quality technical education, continuing education, customized business and industry training, and adult literacy education.

Savannah Technical College was recognized as the third fastest-growing two-year college of its size in the country by Community College Week. Enrollment climbed to more than 3,500 students.

An era of unparalleled growth continued as construction was completed on two new state of the art instructional facilities on the Savannah campus,  the Crossroads Technology Campus opened in Savannah, and construction began on a new Liberty Campus in Hinesville.

The Liberty Campus opened on Airport Road at Technology Drive in Hinesville. The Savannah Technical College Foundation honored former Governor Zell Miller with the first annual Opportunity Award.

Savannah Technical College regional economic impact determined to be $87.5M annually; the College received Georgia Focus Recognition Award for organizational performance.

• New facilities open on the Savannah Campus – an expanded Campus Shop and new one-stop Student Success Center bring new services to students.
• Enrollment at Liberty Campus sets records; overall enrollment pushes 4,000.
• College earns re-accreditation through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
• The Rene Kemp Industrial Technology Center on the Liberty Campus was named in honor of the late Liberty County legislator; Savannah Technical College opened a storefront office in the Paul R. Smith Army Education Center at Fort Stewart

Effingham Campus opens with 11,716 square feet. Crossroads Technology Campus opens eight new state-of-the-art wireless classrooms.

The Liberty Campus Library was posthumously named in honor of longtime campus administrator, Glenda Giddens.

Academic Commons opens on Savannah Campus adding 23 new classrooms, labs and faculty offices, marking the first building designed using green sustainable technology.

Savannah Technical College named by Community College magazine as one of the top 25 fastest-growing 2-year colleges of its size in the country, placing 22 among colleges serving between 5,000 and 9,999 students.

Student Enrichment Center completed on the Savannah Campus, funded in part through private gifts to the Savannah Technical College Foundation. The 19,312 sq ft building includes 12 classrooms, self-paced labs an d tutoring facilities.

• STC Department Head of Culinary Arts Jean-Yves Vendeville is awarded Technical College System of Georgia Instructor of the Year.

• Savannah Technical College President Kathy Love, Ed.D. and Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel, Ph.D. signed an articulation agreement for Logistics Management between the two institutions of higher education. The articulation agreement lays the foundation for students to complete a new 74-credit hour associate of science degree in Logistics Management at Savannah Tech. Students will then be able to articulate or transfer their coursework in its entirety to Georgia Southern University toward the bachelor’s degree in business administration, logistics and intermodal transportation.
• Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Institute of Savannah created a new culinary baking and pastry program. The Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree and diploma are based on curriculum from the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the program offers students a second culinary associate degree or diploma option at Savannah Technical College.
• Dental Hygiene Clinic opens at Savannah Campus. The new facility is a mix of renovated space (7,745 square feet) and new construction (6,407 square feet). It includes a clinical lab with 24 dental hygiene stations, four radiology rooms, a dental materials lab, two classrooms, specialized spaces for records, sterilization, and patient reception, as well as six faculty offices and an administrative area.
• Savannah Technical College joined area public education leaders along with leaders from business and human service agencies to launch CAMINO, designed to double the number of Latino students who enroll and complete college in the Coastal Empire. The local announcement followed on the heels of the Lumina Foundation’s national announcement of its Latino Student Success efforts, including a $600,000 investment in CAMINO as the only program selected in Georgia. CAMINO, the College Access Mentoring Information and Outreach program will double the number of Latino students matriculating at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah State University and Savannah Technical College by 2015.

• Aviation Training Center at Crossroads Campus opens to offer programs include certificates and diplomas in aircraft structures manufacture and repair, luxury craft cabinetmaking, and aircraft electrical equipment repair and installation. The nearly 30,000-square-foot facility at STC’s Crossroads Campus has a 5,000-square-foot hangar, four labs designed and equipped for hands-on instruction and spacious classrooms.
• Liberty Campus space is renovated to create Cosmetology and Barbering suites. The new suites were designed by Lott + Barber. The Cosmetology and Barbering suites share a retail entrance near the south parking lot of Liberty Campus. Cosmetology suite includes 17 cosmetology styling stations, six backwash shampoo stations, six hair dryers, two nail technician stations, two massage/facial stations and a demonstration lab. The Barbering suite includes 10 barbering stations, two shampoo stations and two hair dryers. The suites will be open to the public for services during class sessions.
• In keeping with its leadership role in green technology instruction, Savannah Technical College unveiled a 2013 Chevy Volt – the first alternative fuel vehicle in Southeast Georgia purchased exclusively for Automotive Technology instruction. This alternative fuel car represents the type of technology that is poised to influence this sector of the automotive market for the next 10 to 15 years.By combining the internal combustion engine with an electric drive system and state-of-the-art battery management technology, the range of this vehicle has been extended beyond a purely gasoline engine.
• United Way of the Coastal Empire selected Savannah Technical College as a strategic initiative partner for economic independence with a grant for $290,000. The goal of this grant is to build career pathways that provide career advancement opportunities for lower-skilled workers and job seekers to obtain family-supporting wages. The Board of Directors of United Way of The Coastal Empire (UWCE) set aside $290,000 from last fall’s annual charitable giving campaign for a Strategic Initiative; an opportunity to identify and invest in an innovative strategy that effectively addresses a need in the community.
• The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia announced today that its members have chosen Savannah Technical College as its 2013 college of the year. Dr. Lynn Cornett, chair of the TCSG board, presented Savannah Technical College President Kathy Love with the Perdue Award for the TCSG Technical College of the Year during the board’s monthly meeting in Atlanta.

• In fiscal year 2012, Savannah Technical College had an economic impact on its four-county service area of nearly $57 million with spending directly or indirectly related to the college, according to a new study released by the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.
• Criminal Justice Associate of Science was approved to offer pathway to Armstrong Bachelor of Science. The University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents and Georgia board of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) approved the first completely transferrable degree between Savannah Technical College and Armstrong with STC’s Criminal Justice Associate of Science Degree. This 65-hour program offers students a seamless educational pathway for criminal justice students to continue their education at Armstrong.
• Savannah Technical College was granted Federal Aviation Administration approval in May 2014 to teach the Aviation Maintenance Technology program, making it the eighth college in the state and the only one in Coastal Georgia authorized to offer this training.
• Jean Yves Vendeville, CEPC®, department chair and instructor at Savannah Technical College, Savannah, Ga., received the American Culinary Federation (ACF) 2014 Chef Educator of the Year Award during the 2014 ACF National Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri, July 25-29. The ACF Chef Educator of the Year award, established in 1998, pays tribute to an active culinary educator whose knowledge, skills and expertise have enhanced the image of the professional chef, and who, by example, has given leadership, guidance and direction to students seeking a career in the culinary profession. This person demonstrates the ability to help students define and develop their careers by using their skills and abilities to provide a strong foundation for their future success.
• Savannah Technical College established the Center for Traditional Craft, a new initiative for the College’s Historic Preservation department. The Center is organized in three distinct but intertwined components; education, research, and community outreach. Traditional education through the department’s accredited programs will be supplemented by Continuing Education programs, short course offerings and expanded visiting artisan programs
• STC began offering combined first responder training with EMS certifications and Fire Science for a Firefighter/EMS diploma.
• Savannah Technical College was selected as one of four finalists for the 2014 TCSG Technical College of the Year.

• The Savannah Technical College Foundation announced a $10 million major gifts campaign to support Savannah Technical College. At the announcement in February 2015, the campaign had raised $4.4 million through early corporate commitments.
• Savannah Technical College named its executive boardroom in memory of J. Richard Henry, Jr., who passed away in January 2015. He was a long-time treasurer of the Savannah Technical College Foundation.
• Savannah Technical College was ranked fourth in the U.S. by Military Times with the 2016 rankings Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges 2016 rankings.
• STC Drafting student Michelle Methot designed the exterior signage at the College. The sign was installed at the Savannah Campus in Fall 2015.
• Savannah Technical College developed the Upholstery and Trim TCC (aviation).

• Savannah Technical College joined the Georgia Film Academy, as one of four locations in the state partnering with the Academy to develop a skilled workforce for the growing film industry. As a member of the Georgia Film Academy, Savannah Technical College will offer the Academy’s two-course certification program specifically designed to provide students with a basic level of on-set film production skills, knowledge and experience with film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures. The first course, offered at Savannah Technical College this summer, will provide an introduction to the skills used in on-set film production, including all forms of narrative media which utilize film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures.
• Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Institute of Savannah has established a partnership with the Lycée des Métiers Lautréamont through an agreement by the Academy of Toulouse in France to facilitate educational exchange for STC Baking and Pastry Arts students.
• Savannah Technical College was ranked first in the U.S. by Military Times for Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges 2017 rankings. The organization made up of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times focused on culture and curriculum that caters to military veterans when conducting and scoring the annual survey of schools that self-identify as career and technical colleges.
• The Savannah Technical College Foundation announced it has raised the most money ever in private funds to support the College – $7.27 million – at its 13^th annual Opportunity Gala. The Campaign, “Where Excellence Meets Opportunity” showcased the College’s excellence in instruction through opportunities it provides students. The campaign focused on five key areas: precision manufacturing, health sciences, culinary arts/heritage tourism, technology and student support.

• Skylar Huggett, STC Welding student, received 2017 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) honoring the technical student of the year.
• Savannah Technical College was ranked first in the U.S. by Military Times with the new rankings Military Times Best: Career & Technical Colleges 2018 rankings for the second year in a row. This ranking is formerly known as Best for Vets. The organization, made up of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, is focused on culture and curriculum that cater to military veterans when conducting and scoring the annual survey of schools that self-identify as career and technical colleges.

• Savannah Technical College Foundation has purchased 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for an expansion of Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Arts program. The expansion will more than double the available instructional space for Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. Entry-level (first year) students will continue to take courses in the teaching kitchen and classrooms at the College’s campus on White Bluff. The bakery (breakfast/lunch) and restaurant (lunch/dinner) will be staffed by Culinary Arts and Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism Management students and faculty, hospitality interns and students as a part of their instructional programs. The hands-on, real-world experience in the restaurant will allow students the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use, complete a required field placement, and gain first-hand experience in running a restaurant and serving the general public.
• Liberty Commercial Truck Driving Range begins use for Fall Semester 2018. The new range includes overhead lighting to allow night courses, a half-mile shifting track and a 2.8 acre driving pad to accommodate six simultaneous truck maneuvers.

• Two new Avionics certificates (Avionics Installer; Avionics Technician) are developed by the College thanks to partnerships with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and other industry leaders. The curriculum is new for the state of Georgia.
• Historic Preservation students presented a lecture for the Preservation Trades Network International conference in Stirling, Scotland. The lecture featured student involvement designing, developing and fabricating a collar repair bracket used to repair damaged historic markers.
• Cybersecurity AAS degree is approved to start Spring 2020.
• Groves High School Aviation Manufacturing & Service Choice Program (Savannah Tech, SCCPSS, Gulfstream) was announced.
• Advanced Aviation Maintenance supports military grant received.