Jay Neal

For better or worse, two area schools will become one on Wednesday.

When news broke about the upcoming merger of Northwestern Technical College and Coosa Valley Technical College, “we were all upset,” said Rep. Jay Neal, R-LaFayette. “As we began to dig in and get answers, we became more convinced that this was the right thing to do.”

Last September, state leaders announced that 13 of Georgia’s 33 technical colleges would consolidate into six. The move was presented as a cost-savings measure, although officials later said the mergers had been part of the technical college system’s master plan for some time.

The news of Northwestern’s Rock Spring, Ga., campus merging with Coosa Valley in Rome, Ga., wasn’t well-received by some legislators and technical school leaders, including Dr. Ray Brooks, who has just retired from Northwestern after 22 years as president.

In September, after some public dissent, the board of the Technical College System of Georgia reconsidered the move before confirming the original decision to consolidate schools.

The new North Georgia school, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in April. It will be the state’s fifth-largest technical school.

tech school evolution

Most voices of opposition have silenced and spokeswoman for Coosa Valley Technical College Amber Jordan — who will soon become spokeswoman for the consolidated school — said that officials have had an optimistic outlook about the merger from the beginning.

“As far as Georgia Northwestern Technical College is concerned, we have received positive feedback from the communities we serve,” she said in an e-mail.

LaFayette, Ga., resident Randall Richardson agreed that the move will be good for the area, despite initial worries from some community members that having a main campus in Rome would detract from the momentum and name recognition Northwestern developed over the past two decades.

In 1966, Mr. Richardson was the first student to enroll in Walker Technical College, which later became Northwestern Tech. He said he has watched the school evolve and grow.

When he began, there were only a few programs offered, such as mechanics or business. Now the combined school will offer 200 programs.

Initially, all those programs won’t be available at all locations, but Rep. Neal said the goal is to eventually allow students to take any class from any location via the Internet, but he wasn’t sure of a timeline.

Mr. Richardson took one business class before employees at the school helped get him an office job with a construction company. He said his time there meant a lot to him and he thinks the merger will be a good change.

“It will make the school stronger,” he said.

preparing to merge

Officials have been working to finalize many details of the merger, from rebranding the new school to assigning administrative positions, Ms. Jordan said, but the move will have very little impact on students.

“A good deal of work has been done on blending the technology systems and we will be completely merged by July 1,” she said. “This includes student records, accounting paychecks, receivables, payroll and inventory management.”

Leaders also have developed a catalog for Georgia Northwestern Tech, which is now available to staff, students and faculty.

A new logo has been created and commercials advertising Georgia Northwestern Tech are being broadcast on TV.

Some worried that the cost to rebrand the new school would surpass the savings, but Ms. Jordan said the rebranding efforts have come in under budget at $341,655.

With another new satellite campus planned to open in 2011 or 2012 in Catoosa County, Rep. Neal said he is pleased with the progress.

“I feel good about where we are going,” he said.