Posted on
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
The TJC Lindale Center Opens For Classes July 14
By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
LINDALE — Lindale residents wanting a Tyler Junior College education soon won’t have to go far to attend a TJC class.
Staff Writer
LINDALE — Lindale residents wanting a Tyler Junior College education soon won’t have to go far to attend a TJC class.
Officials from the Lindale chamber, economic development corporation and school district joined TJC officials Thursday morning to celebrate the opening of the Tyler Junior College Lindale Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The TJC Lindale Center, in the Identity Center at 2808 South Main St., opens for classes beginning with the Summer II semester, which begins July 14.
Subjects to be offered during Summer II include English, biology and speech. English and biology courses are currently scheduled for the fall 2008 semester.
The TJC Lindale Center contains two large classrooms, one of which is also a state-of-the-art computer lab outfitted with 30 computers. In the lab, computer screens and keyboards rest beneath a glass inset in specially designed desks.
“I think what we’re seeing is the making of history,” TJC President Dr. Mike Metke told the crowd gathered Thursday. “Lindale is a city on the move. We’ve gotten tremendous response here. I think someday some of us, at least, will be sitting in rocking chairs saying we were a part of this, and remember when it was just two classrooms and look at what we have now.”
The TJC Lindale Center is the product of a partnership between TJC, the Lindale Economic Development Corporation and Lindale ISD.
“Welcome to Lindale,” Col. James K. “Red” Brown, chairman of the Lindale Economic Development Corporation and president of the Lindale ISD board, told Metke and other TJC officials Thursday.
“The education of our children and our adults — there’s nothing more important that we can do for the economic development of our county and our community,” Brown said. “We’re excited about the future.”
He said Tyler Junior College is a “jewel.”
“We’re excited about bringing it out here to Lindale because we think we can impact a lot of people’s lives by physically having a campus here,” Brown said.
“We’re excited about bringing it out here to Lindale because we think we can impact a lot of people’s lives by physically having a campus here,” Brown said.
Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Surratt, also a graduate of TJC, said the school district is excited about the opportunities this will provide its students.
“They will be able to take some evening classes, some Saturday classes …,” Surratt said. “We have a goal, a vision, where we have students when they walk across that stage and get that diploma, they also can get that two-year degree from TJC. We’re going to make it happen with this partnership.”
Having the center in Lindale will provide chances for students to obtain more college credit hours to put toward achieving that two-year degree.
“It’s just a huge cost savings to parents,” Surratt said.
He also said it’s a benefit to the parents and community members who can use it for continuing education.
It was also noted Thursday that Lindale ISD has committed to paying half the cost of TJC dual-credit courses for students who cannot otherwise afford it. The TJC Foundation is paying the other half of the cost, officials said.
“I want you to know that other districts have been calling us asking about the Lindale model,” Metke said. “We really appreciate what you’re doing.”
Officials said Lindale ISD offers more dual-credit courses than any other high school in TJC’s district.
Metke and TJC Provost Dr. Mark Escamilla began looking for a possible Lindale satellite location for TJC in January, according to TJC.
The new facility is part of an effort to “take our college to the people” and to increase TJC’s presence north, west and south of Tyler, Metke has said.
It took 45 days to transform the former dollar store into a facility with two classrooms and a faculty office, as well as a place that was ADA compliant with two bathrooms.
The contractor on the project was Randy Reynolds, of HGR General Contractors of Tyler, and the project manager was Dean Rodgers, of HGR Contractors.
The Lindale Economic Development Corporation is paying the rent for the facility for three years and also paid for the remodel of the space. Rent is $2,500 a month and the remodel was about $50,000, Brian Turman, director of purchasing for TJC, said.
TJC spent about $70,000 for the computers and furnishings and will pay the faculty salaries, Turman said.
TJC Board Member David Hudson, who served as TJC board president through the development of this project, said they are delighted at how the facility turned out.
“We’re especially pleased to partner with Lindale,” Hudson said. “These are our friends. They’re our taxpayers. They’re our source of students. We want to work with them in every way possible.”
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