For media information, contact:
Dana Urrutia, 678-495-3638
durrutia@gwinnetttech.edu

September 27, 2011

Legacy of Lives Campaign Rallies Business and Community Support for Healthcare Education

GTC Partners with Healthcare, Business & Civic Leaders to Boost Life Science Workforce

Gwinnett Tech launched its Legacy of Lives campaign in January of this year, rallying business, healthcare and civic leaders to support the education and training of the healthcare professionals needed for the region. The cornerstone of the campaign, GTC’s new Life Sciences Center, opened its doors to students in August, a vivid example of strong partnerships between business and education and the resulting quality of life benefits for the community.

Delta Airlines President Ed Bastian, the campaign’s honorary chair, explains the mission. "Gwinnett Tech's Legacy of Lives campaign is all about the role of healthcare in our lives, and about the lives touched by our healthcare providers. Over the next four years, to serve our residents, our region will need to add 27,000 healthcare jobs –nurses, surgical techs, paramedics and first responders, respiratory therapists and more. But first, we need to educate and train these providers. That's the crucial role Gwinnett Tech plays," says Bastian.

Joined by campaign co-chairs Jim McGean, who recently retired from his role as president of Verizon Wireless; Kim Ryan, chief executive officer of Eastside Medical Center; Gwinnett Tech board members and Gwinnett Tech Foundation trustees, plus other concerned business leaders, the college showcases a facility and programs that directly benefit the community at this week’s building dedication.

“This is about quality of life for everyone – our students and their families certainly, the patients who’ll be seen by our graduates, the employers and providers who’ll hire these professionals, and the residents who live in a thriving community with a highly skilled workforce and strong job growth,” says Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Bartels.

The three-story, 78,000-square-foot facility will enable Gwinnett Tech to accept more students into its healthcare and life sciences programs and to add new program offerings. The college has already doubled the size of its registered nursing class and added new programs in health information technology, diagnostic medical sonography, cardiovascular technology and for patient care assistant. Six existing health science programs are also being expanded.

The campaign has raised over $24 million to date, about 50 percent of its $50 million goal, with early support from leaders in healthcare, technology and the private sector including the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation, Eastside Medical Center, Delta Air Lines, Gwinnett Medical Center, Clyde and Sandra Strickland, the CDC, McKesson, Cisco and the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, among others. (A complete list of Legacy of Lives campaign donors is provided below.)

While state issued bonds fund the construction of the center, GTC must raise the additional funds needed to equip and operate the facility and to hire faculty and staff. Health science programs are among the most expensive to operate – about three to six times more expensive than traditional college programs.

GTC offers more than 50 degree, diploma and certificate programs that can be completed in two years or less.  For more information, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu or call 770-962-7580.

Get the latest news about Gwinnett Tech: http://www.gwinnetttech.edu/news

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LEGACY OF LIVES

MAJOR DONORS

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About Gwinnett Tech
Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia's largest technical colleges, is committed to delivering relevant knowledge to meet the workforce training needs of its community. The college offers more than 50 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs and hundreds of seminars, workshops and courses providing specialized training. GTC is Gwinnett County's largest provider of corporate training and now serves residents and businesses in north Fulton County. Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097,404-679-4500, www.sacscoc.org for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. For more information, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu.

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.