We went over to the new Pellissippi State Community College Blount Campus this afternoon for an open house. We missed the dignitaries and speechifying, but got a grand tour of the new facility. It is beautiful and impressive.

Visitors were greeted by PSCC staff bearing snacks and refreshments, handouts, tour maps and other giveaways. According to Peggy Wilson, vice president of College Advancement and executive director of the Pellissippi State Foundation, the new campus took just over two years to build and was completed ahead of schedule by general contractor Messer Construction. It was funded through public-private partnerships with state and local government, the Pellissippii State Foundation, and private donations.

According to Ms. Wilson, PSCC Blount County expects enrollment of about 1200 students when classes begin on Aug. 28th. She said the school can support enrollment of up to 1800 students. There is also room to expand on the school property at 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway.

There are numerous computer labs and state of the art, computer-equipped classrooms. There are distance learning labs and computer-equipped "transitional" (i.e. remedial) math and reading labs/classrooms. There's also a library, an auditorium, an art studio, a bookstore, and a dining room.

New programs in the expanded Blount County facility include manufacturing technology and an Associate of Applied Science Nursing program. Asst. Dean Holly Burkett said students will be able to complete most or all of their courses at the new facility without having to travel to the Knoxville campuses.

The manufacturing tech lab is outfitted with a solar/wind power training simulator, state of the art welding equipment and vented booths, and machine tools in the process of being installed. Instructors said the welding classes are already booked. PSCC works directly with local industry for job placement, and managers from area businesses come in to provide students with real-world training.

The nursing program has an extensive chemistry/biology lab and nurse training facility. Nursing program coordinator Katerina Hill said the program qualifies graduates to sit for the state RN exam and provides an accelerated path to a B.S.N. degree. She demonstrated Sim-Man, a computer-controlled patient simulator who can be programmed to exhibit a variety of medical conditions and reactions. It breathes, has reactive pupils, can produce tears (and yes, messy bedpans that have to be cleaned) and speaks a variety of phrases.

There is also an all-too-realistic live-birth simulator that can simulate various complications. No photos of that. I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies and I don't want to. Finally, there's SimNewB, a simulated newborn with capabilities similar to Sim-Man.

We were thoroughly impressed with the new Pellissippi State Community College Blount County facility. It will be a tremendous asset to Blount County and the region.

Click here for a photo gallery...