|
Education |
|
Education always has been a main concern in McMinn County, which hosts a four-year liberal arts college, a state vocational training center, 16 schools operated by county and city governments and three private schools. There are seven other colleges and universities within a 60-mile radius of the county, as well as one of only two accredited Japanese high schools in the United States.
Colleges Tennessee Wesleyan College, located in Athens, is a private, independent, coeducational institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 20 majors and pre-professional programs to its 1,000 plus students. About 68 percent of the faculty holds doctoral degrees and the school boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 15-to-1. Evening school programs are offered on the Athens campus with branches in Knoxville, Cleveland and Chattanooga. A sister school, Nagasaki Wesleyan, is located in Isahaya, Japan. Each year, several Nagasaki Wesleyan students transfer to TWC to complete their degrees. Located in nearby Madisonville, Tennessee, Hiwassee College is a private junior college operated by the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. The curriculum, designed for transfer to Tennessee Wesleyan College, Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, includes pre-medicine, business, agriculture and computer science. 
Cleveland State Community College, located in Cleveland, Tennessee, offers associate's degree and one-year certificate programs in areas such as banking, accounting, computer and information systems, industrial electronics, industrial maintenance and office careers. Several off-campus courses are offered in McMinn County. The McMinn County Workforce and Educational Complex is affiliated with Cleveland State Community College. The complex offers local, state and federal career programs in a single location and workshops and training for both employees and employers. The complex can be reached at (423) 745-9332. Roane State Community College, located in Harriman, Tennessee, has similar career training and transfer programs. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (The main campus of The University System) is the largest higher education system in the state. There are 10 major schools at the university offering more than 300 degree programs. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers 45 undergraduate programs and 13 graduate programs of study. Its schools specialize in business administration, engineering, education, arts and sciences and health and human services. Elementary and secondary schools Through its School Board, McMinn County government operates seven elementary schools, two high schools and a vocational high school. The system, with an enrollment of about 6,000 students, operates on an annual budget of about $30 million. Athens operates four elementary-level schools and a junior high school on an annual budget of about $14 million. About 1,750 students attend the city's school system. Etowah operates a single elementary school with an enrollment of about 360 students. Three private schools are also available in McMinn County. Fairview Christian Academy is a K-12 school that offers students the choice of a regular degree, a college preparatory degree emphasizing math and science, and a business degree. Liberty Christian School is a K4 through 12 school certified through the Accelerated Christian Education Program. The Seventh-day Adventist Church School offers first through eighth grades. All three schools have a Bible-based curriculum. Several local industries participate in the Adopt-A-School program offered in most of the school systems. The program places industries in the role of mentors for the schools, which provides for improved educational opportunities for the children and valuable public relations for involved businesses. Vocational Education The Tennessee Technology Center at Athens, located on Vo-Tech Drive in Athens, provides valued skills training in several job fields. Both evening and day classes are offered on a quarters system. The courses of study taught by the 22 full-time faculty members at the school include auto body and mechanics, drafting, electronics, machine shop, practical nursing, business systems technology and welding.
|
