Aiken Technical College

= Introduction =

[http://www.atc.edu Aiken Technical College] is one of the 16 colleges in the South Carolina Technical College System and has been serving the community for more than 30 years. More than 3,400 students enroll in credit courses annually, and ATC’s non-credit offerings reach over 10,000 people each year.

Nearly three decades after its founding, ATC has grown into a multi-service, two-year comprehensive college offering numerous educational opportunities in college transfer credit and noncredit health, public service, business, industrial engineering and computer technology programs.

History

Classes for what is now Aiken Technical College began in temporary facilities in Aiken in the fall of 1972. One hundred and seventy-seven students enrolled in the first class of what was then the Aiken Technical Education Center. The current campus opened in the winter of 1973.

The original ATC campus consisted of three buildings constructed at a cost of $2.3 million — $80,000 provided by Aiken County and the remainder from federal education grants.

Ashley J. Little

Founding President Ashley J. Little led ATC from its beginning as a vocationally based training center to its accreditation as a two-year technical college in 1975. The College’s name was changed to Aiken Technical College in 1977. President Little also presided over the campus’ second phase expansion, a $3.5 million addition of buildings, classrooms, laboratories and a greatly expanded library. President Little served ATC and the South Carolina Technical College system for 14 years before his retirement in 1984.

The Aiken Technical College Foundation was chartered in 1977 as a South Carolina nonprofit organization. While fiscally and organizationally separate from ATC, funds for the Foundation are distributed to benefit and advance the College and the encouragement and subsidization of ATC students and faculty.

Dr. Paul L. Blowers

Dr. Paul L. Blowers became the second president of ATC in July 1984. During the decade that Dr. Blowers presided over the campus, ATC grew from 1,104 academic and continuing education students to more than 3,300 students. ATC also increased its course offerings, added two college transfer degrees and built a $3 million Student Activities Center financed by student fees. Dr. Blowers retired in 1994.

Dr. Kathleen A. Noble

Dr. Kathleen A. Noble became the third president of ATC in June 1994. During her tenure, ATC added many allied health, business and industrial management and safety courses and programs to its curriculum. The College also developed new partnerships that allowed ATC to provide around-the-clock training and educational services on plant sites. Dr. Noble was a major force in matching College services with areas of the community that might best take advantage of them. The College also broke ground on the $5.375 million, 40,000-square-foot Dale Phelon Information Technology Center during her tenure. Dr. Noble left ATC in 1999.

Dr. Susan A. Winsor

Dr. Susan A. Winsor became ATC’s fourth president in September 1999. She oversaw the construction of the Dale Phelon Information Technology Center that opened for classes in the fall of 2000. She also oversaw the construction of the $3 million, 30,000-square-foot CSRA Manufacturing and Technology Training Center that came on-line in the summer of 2001. Under Dr. Winsor’s tenure the $7.6 million, 52,000-square-foot Health and Science Building was constructed with classes beginning in fall 2003. The addition of this building allowed the College to offer Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technology, and the Medical Coding programs. The Associate Degree in Nursing program became available there in fall 2005. With the completion of the Health and Science Building, a student commons was created and dedicated to Senator Thomas L. Moore in 2004.

The 700-800 Building was renovated in 2003-2004 and opened for classes in 2005. The renovation created multi-media classrooms, a state-of-the-art Testing Center, and an inviting and well-equipped Academic Success Center.

ATC launched a women’s fast pitch softball team in the 2004-2005 academic year. The team participates as a division one team of the National Junior College Athletic Association. A softball field was completed on the College campus in 2005 for the team’s inaugural season.