Twenty years may be a long time, but it has gone by in the blink of an eye.
It was 1989 when I came to Knoxville to become president of South College, then Knoxville Business College. We then had a staff of 16 and a narrowly focused business curriculum.
We poured our heart and soul into improving facilities and expanding our course offerings. We were very proud of the improvements we made to our building on N. Fifth Avenue.
Our enrollment grew quickly as our course offerings grew more diverse. Our goal has always been to meet the business and economic needs of our community through professional and career focused academic programs. We want our students to be able to turn their education into a great career. In 2001, we changed the name of the school to South College to reflect these program changes.
South College moved into our new state-of-the-art building on Lonas Drive in 2006. We have grown now to a staff of 161, increased our course offerings by 175 percent, and this year our enrollment exceeded 1,000 students. We have expanded significantly from a strictly business curriculum, adding such diversified programs as paralegal and legal studies; criminal justice; medical assisting; physical therapist assistant; nursing; radiography; nuclear medicine; pharmaceutical science; elementary education; and physician assistant studies. Our programs are offered at varying degree levels, and we have just received approval to add doctorate level-programs, starting with a doctor of pharmacy program.
Over the past 20 years, South College has grown from a small business school to a regionally accredited institution. I drove past the old building that we were so proud of the other day and it reminded me of how far we have come.
I want to thank the Knoxville community for 20 years of support for South College. We are committed to growing in directions that best help our students succeed, providing an incredible value not only to our students but the whole community as well.
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