The college offers over 190 different credentials, giving students numerous options to succeed in their desired career field. Our staff are constantly innovating and aiming for a higher quality of education for all students. We offer classes in a variety of formats, making it easier for you to finish your career at a faster pace.
Overview
Mission
Athens Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, provides educational programs and services through traditional and distance education methods to foster lifelong learning, facilitate workplace success, and promote economic development.
Vision
As the college for the community, we provide transformational experiences that enable our students to advance educationally and to remain competitive in an ever-changing world.
Accreditation
Athens Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Athens Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Core Values
Student Centered
We pledge to place students at the center of all we do, and we commit to helping them attain their goals.
Trust
As a matter of integrity, we create a safe, reliable place for students to learn.
Communication
We pledge to be open, transparent, and responsive to our community’s needs and concerns.
Respect
We deem all the members of our Athens Tech community to be worthy of respect for our unique contributions.
Teamwork
We will continually strive together toward the achievement of the common goals of the Athens Tech community.
President’s Welcome
On behalf of the faculty and staff, let me welcome you to Athens Technical College and congratulate you on your decision to further your education. Learning is a life-long process and we are excited to partner with you on your journey.
Our college is a growing, vibrant institution dedicated to providing high quality educational programs and the support services students need to achieve their educational and career goals. Our overall enrollment exceeds 5,500 students annually with students hailing from over 90 counties in Georgia, more than a dozen states throughout the United States, and over 10 different countries. Students can choose from more than 130 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs offered.
As a result of our efforts to meet the needs of the community and business, the college has experienced a remarkable 133% growth in enrollment over the past 12 years. Every person at the college is committed to helping students achieve their educational and career goals.
Our faculty use a variety of instructional delivery models such as traditional classroom/lab, on-line, live on-line and hybrid formats. Instructors are not only equipped with excellent educational credentials, but they have years of real-world experience in their given fields and stay attuned to local industry needs.
Workforce development is an integral part of our state and our business climate. Nearly six in 10 jobs in today’s labor market are held by workers with at least some postsecondary education or training. And 60% of projected job openings by 2025 will require at least some college education. Americans turn to community colleges – institutions that currently enroll close to half of all undergraduates in the United States – to address major shifts in America’s needs by providing the education that leads to greater economic opportunity and improved quality of life.
As you contemplate your future, I encourage you to visit our college in order to explore the many opportunities available to you here at Athens Technical College. We want your educational experiences to be positive and rewarding. I wish you every success as you begin one of the most important journeys of your life.
Respectfully,
Dr. Andrea Daniel, President Athens Technical College
The History of Athens Technical College
1943 
The State Board of Education approved a master plan for a system of area trade and vocational schools, the forerunners of today’s technical colleges.
1944
The first of these institutions is opened in Clarkesville, GA.
1958
After extensive deliberation, the board adopted a new set of policies to open additional institutions throughout the state.
The Clarke County School District opened one of these institutions and named it Athens Area Vocational-Technical School, a name that would remain in place for the next 29 years.
1966
Approval of a school bond referendum by the citizens of Clarke County in the mid-1960s allowed Robert G. Shelnutt, the first director of the institution, to consolidate the Pope Street and Winterville operations at a permanent campus. At the time, Athens Area Vocational-Technical School offered only 13 programs of study.
1970-1971
A construction project funded by Clarke County, the State of Georgia, and the Economic Development Administration doubled the size of the campus facilities, which in turn provided space to introduce 10 additional programs.
1980
Another construction project expanded campus facilities to more than 155,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories, shops, and administrative offices.
1983
Governor Harris established the Georgia Vocational Education Task Force shortly after his inauguration. The governor charged the task force with the responsibility of identifying ways to improve the governance structure, funding, and quality of the area vocational-technical schools.
1986
Athens Area Vocational-Technical School was one of the first five institutions to transition to state governance. This change in governance led to the renaming of the school in 1987 to Athens Area Technical Institute.
1991
Athens Area Technical Institute became the first technical institute in Georgia to receive approval from the Georgia Board of Nursing to develop an associate degree program designed to prepare students for licensure as registered nurses. The first class of students entered this program in 1991.
1995
Dr. Kenneth C. Easom oversees the first expansion of campus facilities in 15 years. In 1995, a 34,000-square-foot facility opened on the north end of the Athens Campus. It contains a lecture hall, a library, and administrative offices.
1997
The institution held groundbreaking ceremonies for the Elbert County Campus. Elberton executive Frank Coggins donated nearly 43 acres of land 1.1 miles west of Elberton on Georgia Highway 72 for the new campus.
1998
A dedication ceremony for a technical education center in Greene County occurred in July 1998. The Greene County Board of Commissioners, local businesses and industries, and a community development block grant from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs provided the funding needed to construct a 10,000-square-foot facility; the Greene County Development Authority provided land for the center.
2000
The college acquired 10 additional acres of land and an 8,000-square-foot building directly across U.S. Highway 29 from the Athens Campus. This facility houses an adult education laboratory and classrooms. A ceremony on July 6, 2000, brought Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor to Athens to officially change the institution’s name to Athens Technical College.
2003-2005
Dr. Flora Tydings arrived from Central Georgia Technical College to serve as the third chief executive of Athens Technical College from August 2003 until July 2015.
Construction on the 41,000 square-foot Business and Technology building began in May 2003. The building, which is located on the north end of the Athens Campus, opened in January 2005 and includes 18 classrooms, a lecture hall, instructional technology and computer network centers, and offices for faculty.
2008-2010
This academic year marked the beginning of another period of growth for the college. Construction began on the Athens Campus of a new $15.4 million, 67,500 square-foot facility for the college’s Life Sciences programs. The Life Sciences program opened in 2010.
2011
Athens Technical College was one of just 30 community colleges nationwide to receive an invitation to join the 2011 cohort of Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. Athens Technical College was the first institution in Georgia to participate in this national effort aimed at improving student success, closing achievement gaps, and increasing students’ persistence and graduation rates.
2016
Dr. Andrea Daniel assumed the role of Athens Technical College’s fourth president on April 1, 2016.
2020
In 2020, under Dr. Daniel’s leadership, Athens Technical College was approved to design a new Industrial Systems / Economic Development Building. This 49,000 square-foot building would include programs HVAC/Air Conditioning Technology, Industrial Systems, and Mechatronics, as well as Economic Development manufacturing training space.
Leadership at Athens Tech
Dr. Kristen Douglas
Vice President of Academic Affairs & Institutional Effectiveness
Al McCall
Vice President Economic Development & Elbert Campus
Dr. Fabersha Flynt
Executive Director for Adult Education and Walton County Campus
Antoine Boynton
Vice President of External Affairs and Institutional Advancement
Our Board of Directors
The following individuals are all Certified Board Members.
Dr. Reginald “Reg” Woods
Chair | University of Georgia (Retired)
Watkinsville, GA
Philip Bettendorf, Jr
Vice Chair | Synovus Bank
Athens, GA
Douglas Kyle Brown
Owner, Broad Farms
Tignall, GA
Thomas S. Denny
FAA District Manager – Retired
Elberton, GA
Judge Cheveda McCamy
Superior Court Judge, Alcovy Circuit
Covington, GA
Ruth Tellano-Daniel
Nurse Practitioner
Lavonia, GA
Michael Sale
The Commercial Bank
Crawford, GA
Tony Ferguson
Georgia Power
Athens, GA
Jean Mullis
Jackson EMC
Hull, GA