News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Roane State Community College administration hopes to build a permanent satellite campus for Fentress County.
College president Chris Whaley said all the other counties Roane State services has a stand-alone facility except for Fentress.
“Fentress County needs one, deserves one,” Whaley said. “I couldn’t obviously give you a time frame, you know, how long it will take to get there. Both of us, the county executive and I, both know that with the strong support from the state that we’ve always received, at some point we will have a stand-alone facility.”
Whaley said Roane State is additionally working toward a partnership with TCAT. He said having a facility that could house both colleges would provide more higher education opportunities in a rural demographic.
Whaley said the permanent campus depends on two things: the availability of land and applying for the Capital Projects List. Whaley said the list provides funding for development if the higher education institution qualifies. He said until that point, he is pleased with the new Fentress facility.
“For the particular goal that we have of sharing space with TCAT, industrial space is a little bit different than traditional classroom space,” Whaley said. “So whereas classrooms like we have in this wonderful facility are great for most of the things Roane State does, those industrial type training programs, industrial maintenance, welding, et cetera-you have to have a little bit different space.”
A new Fentress County Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday. Fall 2020 classes have already begun in the new facility which includes six classrooms and a computer lab.
