by David Morgan, Lawrence County Executive
You may have already seen reports highlighting all the good news from our education partners at Southern Tennessee Higher Education Center.
Local media covered a meeting last Thursday, September 12 featuring reports from Tennessee Tech University, Columbia State Community College, and UT Southern. We also heard good news from the Chamber, our school system, Education Foundation, and others.
I was proud to help host the gathering, along with the Southern Tennessee Higher Education Commission. I won’t rehash what we heard there, since you can read or listen to those reports elsewhere. But the day celebrated Lawrence County’s rich history, the exciting times we are living in now, and our bright future.
I am extremely proud of our community and all we accomplish by working together. Our story is not common. Very few communities see their elected officials, business, industry, churches, civic groups, and citizens consistently cooperate for the common good. I see that happen every day. Granted, most examples are smaller than Abigail’s Plan, the Education Foundation, or a college branch, but small acts of cooperation create the groundwork for projects that affect many.
Construction of the first Columbia State branch in Lawrence County was an enormous cooperative project, but I didn’t know it when I was a student there. I was just a kid who needed to live at home and work to pay for college. Spending priceless hours with my dad, I learned to be an electrician and a minister while I earned my Associate’s degree. I left Lawrenceburg for a Houston, Texas Bible College and work as an electrical contractor. I owe so much to Columbia State and the head start it gave me.
Today, we have not only Columbia State in Lawrence County, but two schools offering junior- and senior-level classes. Tennessee Tech’s Bachelor’s degree program is designed for working adults. UT Southern is taking the lead in Tennessee’s Grow Your Own program, which provides assistants in our school system a direct pathway to a teaching degree. If you choose to earn an MBA through UT, you can take a portion of the classes here.
I never thought opportunities like this would exist in Lawrence County. People my parents’ age never thought they could earn a degree from Columbia State in Lawrence County. Few people in the generation before them had the luxury of thinking about college at all.
I am so thankful to live in a community focused on providing better opportunities for every generation. Thank you for allowing me to serve this great county.
