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The Buzz of Northwest Georgia (click)
Monday's Focus: Big numbers, big projects on campus(es) click
-Berry opens 2 dorms, expands Krannert Center; enrollment jumps.
-Shorter: More students, more majors, more on the way (nursing).
-Georgia Highlands: Enrollment surges -- as do number of campuses.
-Georgia Northwestern: Merger brings growth, $60M in projects.
-Chattahoochee Tech: Three-in-one college sees student boom.
Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia Click
-Valley: Government's 'handling' of cash for clunkers.
-Valley: Demise of D Morgan's in Cartersville
-Peak: The spirit of minor league baseball (just ask Santa)
Gingrey town hall meeting on healthcare set for Aug. 19: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey will hold a town meeting on healthcare in the commissioners' room of the Georgia State Patrol in Cedartown from 2-3:30 p.m.> Details
Tuesday's Druck Report broadcasts at 7:50 a.m. on WBHF 1450 AM
Weather:
-Monday: Mostly sunny, high of 93, low of 66.
-Tuesday: Sunny and hot, high of 93; low of 68.
-Your extended forecast> Weather / Local radar > Radar
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable
-Think Penn State might have a chance to run the table this season?
-Sunday's game rained out. Next up: Sand Gnats at Rome, 7 p.m. Tuesday.
-Latest Braves' photos by Mills Fitzner> Gallery
High School football schedules/courtesy of Georgia Prep Country
| Armuchee | Coosa | Darlington | Model |
| Pepperell | Rome | Unity |
-Latest updates from Georgia High School Football Daily> Click
Shorter Hawks football: 2009 schedule> Click Hawks
A mini 'power center?' Italian, latte, ribs, ice cream ... and massages
The sign is up at the new day spa and massage storefront coming to RiverWalk at Turner McCall and Riverside Parkway just down from Shane's Rib Shack. Work was continuing on the interior of the shop Friday morning. Several spots in the strip center are available as is the pad that was to be home to Steak N Shake. RiverWalk's big draw, Olive Garden, opened two years ago this month.
Monday Focus:
What recession? Boom time for local colleges
-Berry opens 2 dorms, expands Krannert Center; enrollment jumps.
-Shorter: More students, more majors, more on the way (nursing).
-Georgia Highlands: Enrollment surges -- as do number of campuses.
-Georgia Northwestern: Merger brings growth, $60M in projects.
-Chattahoochee Tech: Three-in-one college sees student boom.
By Natalie Simms
As local schools are gearing up for students this week, area colleges will also be welcoming students back in the coming weeks. From new programs and construction to new locations and mergers, college students have a lot that awaits them on campus.
Berry College
Students begin returning to Berry College on Aug. 19 with classes starting on Aug. 24. Final numbers on fall enrollment will not be available until classes begin but officials are excited about the upcoming freshman class.
"We are excited about a significant increase in the size of our freshman class this fall," says Gary Waters, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Berry. "Also, we anticipate retention to be strong for our current students."
When students arrive on campus, they will see lots of changes. The new Morgan and Deerfield Residence Halls will be open with 346 additional beds for Berry's upperclassmen. The estimated cost of the twin halls: $29 million (click).
"They were designed as small hall communities," says Debbie Heida, Dean of Students & Vice President of Student Affairs. "They have beautiful vistas, great common areas with outdoor fireplaces… they are truly amazing."
Berry is in the midst of several construction projects, all of which are efforts to improve students' experiences, Heida says.
"We want our students to have a positive experience, so we have been all about creating new spaces with our students in mind," she says. "We are really working to enhance both our outdoor and indoor spaces."
One of Berry's older residence halls, Dana Hall, is undergoing renovations. The central wing of the building will be ready for fall students. Renovations include new space, elevators and outdoor fireplaces.
"We have also made improvements in campus safety," she says. "We have installed a new electronic key card system in all our residences. The student ID cards have an electronic chip that gives students access to their buildings."
The Krannert Student Center also is growing. The dining hall is being doubled in size and will be finished by the time students arrive. The ballroom area also is being expanded and is expected to be completed in late September.
"We will also be working on the Kilpatrick Commons area between Krannert and The Cage Center," Heida says. "It will be an outdoor sitting area with fountain. We expect it to be completed in December."
With all the new construction comes the need for more parking. An additional 230 new spaces have been added behind the Science Building and townhouses.
"We also have several additions to our athletics venues," she says. "We are building a new softball field that will be ready later this fall and we have added a new field for lacrosse and soccer."
Photos: Images of the twin residence halls about to open behind Hermann Hall. The photos were taken last week.
Shorter College
Student athletes begin reporting to campus this week for fall practice, while Freshman Orientation Week runs Aug.15-23. The first day for Shorter students is Aug. 24.
"At Shorter, we feel good about our outlook regarding fall enrollment. July was busy with incoming freshmen attending Summit sessions and getting registered for classes," says Dawn Tolbert, Director of PR at Shorter. "They brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm with them when they came to the Hill, so we know it's going to be an exciting fall. Our enrollment projections continue to be on track to surpass last year's record enrollment."
In early June, Shorter had 313 deposits from new students, including freshmen and transfers. In addition, more than 750 students, who were enrolled at Shorter this spring, have registered for classes for the fall semester. Shorter had 450 new students enrolled in fall 2008.
"We are also welcoming a number of new faculty to campus this fall," Tolbert says. "Andrea Strauss, a veteran director of bands at Georgia Tech, will be leading Shorter's marching band program. And in the next couple of weeks, we will introduce new faculty members from other disciplines across campus to the Rome community."
There will be several new music faculty members who will be joining their colleagues for the first event of the School of the Arts season, "The Music Faculty Gala" on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the DeSoto Theatre. Ticket information, along with a list of season events, is available online by clicking Arts.
Shorter College has a strong reputation in the performing arts, most notably in music. This fall, the school will be adding a degree program in Instrumental Music that will include training for certification as a band director.
"Also coming this fall is the second class of pre-nursing students," Tolbert says. "The development of Shorter's Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program has been met with amazing success to date. The facility, faculty and curriculum are coming together into an impressive school that will have a significant impact on the future of health care in Northwest Georgia."
Shorter Athletics already is gearing up for an exciting football season. The Hawks open up their season on Aug. 29 in Hickory, N.C., against Lenoir-Rhyne. The home opener will be Sept. 12 against LaGrange. Shorter is ranked No. 8 in the College Fanz NAIA Football Preseason Top-25 Poll. (Football)
"New in athletics is the launch of Junior Varsity football headed by
Coach Paul Pitt," Tolbert says. "Head Football Coach Phil Jones (left) and Pitt are quick to point out that the Junior Varsity team will provide a unique opportunity for players to gain valuable experience with field time that was not afforded them in past seasons. Such opportunities only figure to accelerate the meteoric rise and development of the Hawks' football program, which captured its first Mid-South Western Division crown in 2008, just its fourth year in existence."
Photos: Top photograph shows some of the renovations under way with Shorter's dining hall over the summer (details). To the left, Head Coach Phil Jones talks with his players. The team's fifth season begins Aug. 29 on the road. Photos from shorter.edu.
>Shorter hosts Business Before Hours this Tuesday morning: The chamber gathering is from 7:30 until 9 a.m. in the Austin Moses Room at Shorter College. To register: Click
Georgia Highlands College
Students will be returning to campuses on Aug. 19. Officials are predicting a 15-20 percent increase in the number of students over last year with estimates around 5,000 for all six campuses and online classes. There were 4,674 students in fall 2008.
"Traditionally when the economy is down, you will see enrollment go up at two-year and technical colleges because people are out of work and need skills," says Dana Davis, Director of Public Relations at Georgia Highlands.
Another reason for the increase is the expansion of Georgia Highlands into Paulding County and Douglasville. These two new locations will be accepting their first students this fall.
"Paulding County donated two buildings on the square in downtown Dallas," says Davis. "We are almost finished with renovations to the first building and will begin the second one when enrollment there reaches a level where we need more room."
To date, the Paulding campus has 78 students enrolled for fall 2009. A ribbon cutting is planned for the Paulding campus on Aug. 14 at 11 a.m.
"As for Douglasville, we just settled where we will be last week," she says. "We will start out at Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, in a modular facility behind the high school. We will have five classrooms plus a few offices for the faculty and staff. We will offer about 20 classes of core curriculum."
In the meantime, contract negotiations are being finalized on leasing the old Cub Foods facility at 5893 Stewart Parkway in Douglasville. Once that is complete, renovations will begin with expectation of classes being moved there for spring semester 2010. To date, there are 37 students enrolled at the Douglasville campus for fall.
The tough economy and state budget cuts have forced staff to make extreme budget cuts and take furloughs.
"We're trying to look ahead and our future looks bright," Davis says. "As Paulding, Douglasville and Marietta continue to grow, our enrollment will increase exponentially. We are still on the state schedule to break ground for the new building in Cartersville in 2011."
The building is expected to be a clone of the building now off Ga. 20 across from the Lowe's/Wal-Mart center.
"There is some concern about having to cap enrollments simply because we can't support the increases we're seeing," Davis says. "This is being felt throughout the system. It's ironic that we face the challenge of having to cut back when demand is increasing dramatically."
Photo: This building was donated to Georgia Highlands for use as the Paulding campus with classes starting this month. Source: highlands.edu.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Students are still completing summer quarter at this time with fall quarter beginning Sept. 29 at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. The college saw a 20 percent increase in enrollment this past quarter and expects the growth to continue this fall.
"I anticipate fall quarter to be in the neighborhood of 10% increase or maybe 15%," says Dr. Craig McDaniel, President of GNTC. "We could have up to 5,500 to 5,800 students at all our campuses. I wouldn't be shocked if we hit 6,000; that would be a 20 percent increase."
Last fall, Coosa Valley Technical College had 2,795 students, which was a 9.1 percent increase from fall 2007. Northwestern Technical College had 2,335 students, a 3 percent increase from 2007. Both schools merged to become Georgia Northwestern Technical College in July.
"The merger has really gone well," McDaniel says. "We now operate our own bookstore and I knew we would have some hiccups with that but we have worked some issues to help make fall quarter go more smoothly."
GNTC students will see some construction on various campuses this fall. Work is expected to begin later this year on a 46,000-square-foot addition to the Gordon County Campus. The building will provide much needed classroom space for several programs including Dental Assisting, Cosmetology, Banking and Finance, Early Childhood Care and Education, as well as new health programs and a small conference center.
"The project is out to bid right now and we expect to have bids back and select a contractor by September," says McDaniel. "Construction will start thereafter and the building should be ready by fall 2011."
School officials also are working on construction plans for a new campus in Catoosa County. GNTC already has received $3 million for the planning and development of the project. McDaniel made a capital outlay presentation in Atlanta on July 22 for an additional $16.9 million to construct the facility.
"We are hopeful that we will receive funding for this project in next year's legislative session," McDaniel says. "This project will provide much needed programs in automobile mechatronics that will train workers for the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga."
Mechatronics is a combination of mechanics and electronics in automobile maintenance.
Catoosa County officials have already donated 37 acres to GNTC for the new facility on Cloud Springs Road, a mile from I-75 and approximately 10 miles from the VW plant. If funding is approved next year, construction on the 65,000-square-foot building would begin next fall with completion in 2012.
"Our focus has been on planning programs that will supply the auto manufacturing industry with skilled workers," says Amber Jordan, Director of Marketing and PR. "But we also have the opportunity to look at needs in the energy generation industry, construction and service industries. This facility has the potential to benefit the entire region, not just Northwest Georgia. It will be an asset to industrial developers in our service area."
Construction also is continuing on the Culinary Arts facility on the Floyd County campus. The program will begin with students this fall quarter and will move into their new building in January.
Photos: Renderings show the new building that will join Georgia Northwestern's Gordon County campus soon. Source: GNTC.
Chattahoochee Technical College
Appalachian, Chattahoochee and North Metro Technical colleges merged to form Chattahoochee Technical College on July 1. The newly merged college has seven campuses over six counties and offers more than 100 associate degrees, diplomas and certificate programs.
Students are still taking summer classes and will start fall quarter on Sept. 30. The merged college experienced a 30 percent increase in enrollment compared to last summer quarter with a total enrollment of 7,544 students.
"Of our enrolled students, 1,488 are taking classes on multiple campuses," says Dr. Sanford Chandler, president, Chattahoochee Tech. "This says to me the merger was needed and welcomed by the students."
The school also recently was approved to offer the Associate Degree in Nursing program by the Georgia State Board of Nursing. The new program will begin in January 2010.
The GE land debate: Who's in, who's out?
Images above, below show how the Coosa Valley Fair group would use the GE land.
A year ago, we reported the deal for GE to present the city of Rome with ownership of much of the fronting acreage around the former plant was a done deal. 
That multisourced report was premature at best. But as negotiations continue, a separate issue continues to develop: custody of much of the land the city would receive.
The two primary camps are the Coosa Valley Fair Association (details) and a group of community leaders who see the site as a major recreational asset, especially for football.
With meetings continuing and ownership still pending, it appears there is plenty of time to decide the fate of the site off Redmond Circle near Shorter Avenue.
Another caveat: Some early talks put Barron Stadium on the GE site but that appears to have waned given interest in enhancing the current stadium venue as part of the Nov. 3 SPLOST initiative. Some $3,369,000 would go toward renovating and improving Barron Stadium at its current downtown venue.
One idea to solve the GE custody issue succinctly: Let both sides present their visions to the community (including specific funding formulas) and let voters decide during a referendum attached to the July 2010 Georgia primary ballot.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Valley to the handling of the cash-for-clunkers program: How stimulating! The program designed to take gas-guzzling older autos off the road and into the recycling heap runs out of cash, is put on hold, then resuscitated during its final days. The program did work in terms of boosting foot traffic and some sales at local car lots. But was all the confusion necessary? The best line we've heard on the situation was spoken by a patient in a doctor's office Friday morning: "And the government wants to run our health care, too?" Amen, brother.
Valley to the closing of D Morgan's: The signs were there -- a higher-end yet always 
pleasing restaurant in a somewhat small-town (re: not a suburb) downtown serving a distinguished audience amid recessionary struggles. We don't know for certain what caused Derek and Meredith Morgan to close their Main Street main stay as of Saturday night but D Morgan's already is missed. It was one of few destination restaurants in our market. Morgan and staff always provided great cuisine in a wonderful setting with unparalleled customer service. Here's hoping a D Morgan's 2.0 is brewing--and nearby. (We're also hopeful of Grace Bistro but given the Rome City Market track record these past two years . . . )
Peak to the Rome Braves and minor league baseball
Declynn gets a hug from Santa Claus during Christmas in July/Ernie 'K-Man' Studard
This is why we love minor league baseball: the crazy promotions that accompany a great afternoon or evening of baseball. Case in point: The Rome Braves hosted Christmas in July at State Mutual Stadium Friday night, including a visit by a very visual, Braves-clad Santa. Here's hoping Santa left the team a little rally cap on and off the field. The Braves are struggling in the second half of the season and attendance is down, courtesy of the economy (2,877 fans per game through July vs. a 2008 season average of 3,243). The Braves still offer the best total entertainment package in town--and that package is filled with visits by Santa and others to the ballpark through Friday, Sept. 4.
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