Former Dalton State College president Venable to be honored with portrait on Jan. 30

Brady Hix, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·3 min read

Jan. 21—Former Dalton State College president Margaret Venable may have retired following the spring semester of 2023 but her dedication and contributions to the college are still felt today.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Dalton State College will honor that dedication and Venable with a portrait and an unveiling ceremony.

Open to the public, the ceremony will include a reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with remarks at 5 p.m.

The ceremony, presented by the Board of Trustees of the Dalton State Foundation and current Dalton State College President John Fuchko III, will take place on campus inside Gignilliat Hall, named after the college's first president, Arthur M. Gignilliat, along with his wife Elizabeth.

"President Venable provided exceptional leadership at Dalton State College and propelled Dalton State to become one of the top state colleges in the Southeast," Fuchko said. "Her dedication to our students and to the Northwest Georgia region have improved access to higher education and enhanced the regional workforce."

Becoming president in January 2015, Venable served for eight years before retiring at the end of May 2023. On June 1 of that year Fuchko became interim president and he was named president in October.

Venable, who served as the college's fifth president, was also Dalton State's first female president. He portrait will be on the wall of Westcott Hall among the other past presidents: Gignilliat (who served from 1966-70), Derrell C. Roberts (1970-1994), James A. Burran (1995-2008) and John O. Schwenn (2008-2015).

"During her eight-year tenure Venable('s) focus for the college was to provide broad access to high-quality education that transforms lives," said Kate Maine, Dalton State's vice president for marketing, communications and workforce development, in a news release.

"Under Venable's presidency in 2018, Dalton State received the designation of Georgia's first Hispanic-Serving Institution, which allowed the college to receive and implement a $2.1 million federal Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education," Maine said in the release. "Since then, the institution has obtained federal grants totaling $10.5 million to provide critical resources to support students."

While serving as president Venable held many other roles within the community, including serving on the boards of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities and the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia.

"The Dalton State main campus also transformed significantly under Venable's leadership," Maine said in the release.

Dalton State saw the renovation of four buildings on campus, including the Health Professions building and the Pope Student Center (both in 2016), Sequoya Hall (2018) and Gignilliat Hall (2019), "which included an expansion to house the C. Lamar and Ann Wright School of Business," Maine said in the release.

Venable also oversaw the opening of Mashburn Hall, Dalton State's first student housing facility, in 2016, as well as the initial renovations to add a student recreation and wellness center to the college's Bandy Gymnasium, which began in early 2022 before reopening shortly after Fuchko's arrival in 2023.