Gallatin’s Vol State $57M plan to create Wilson County campus moves ahead, gains partner

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Hartsville has joined Gallatin’s Volunteer State Community College in efforts to establish a joint campus in Wilson County.

The proposed Wilson County Higher Education Center would be a facility built on property along East Division in Mt. Juliet — assets Vol State already owns.

The Wilson County school is one of three capital outlay requests approved in June by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The request now moves on to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for review. The commission will decide whether to recommend that Gov. Bill Lee’s administration includes it as part of the overall state budget — to be approved the Tennessee General Assembly during its 2024 session.

Vol State President Orinthia Montague believes the Board of Regents approval and the shared space model with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology “are positive steps,” Vol State spokesperson Tami Wallace said.

The proposed Wilson County Higher Education Center is estimated to cost around $57 million.

The request for the 2024-25 fiscal year approved by the Board of Regents is for $54.8 million, which leaves $2.2 million the schools would have to provide if the funding request is ultimately approved.

The location is approximately 10 acres and about a half-mile east of the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce building. A portion of the land was donated to Vol State; the school purchased the remainder.

Both Vol State and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology would utilize the Wilson County center as an expansion to their current sites and programs to “provide much-needed workforce education to Wilson County residents,” Wallace said in an email.

Vol State also has campuses in Springfield, Livingston and Cookeville along with the main Gallatin campus. Vol State's Gallatin campus had more than 5,400 students. An estimated 680-800 of those students traveled from Wilson County.

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Hartsville also has a campus in Lebanon at the former Wilson County vocational building, school President Mae Wright said. The Hartsville campus also has a dual enrollment program for students at Green Hill High School in Wilson County along with a Tri-County Extension campus in Red Boiling Springs.

A Wilson County Higher Education Center “won’t change anything we have,” Wright said about present campuses and programs.

Welding and personal services training such as cosmetology, nail tech and aesthetics that students “typically go to Nashville for,” are among the program options that will be considered by the Tennessee College of Applied Technology for the new Wilson County Higher Education Center if approved, Wright said.

Vol State will look at academics such as logistics, allied health and subjects that suit area labor market needs for the Wilson County campus, Wallace said.

The Wilson County center building could also extend opportunities for dual enrollment students at Green Hill if a class isn’t offered by the high school.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vol State gains partner on Wilson County Higher Education Center