Augusta Technical College President Jermaine Whirl has been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
The AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges nationwide, representing more than 1,000 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., inside the National Center for Higher Education building, the AACC works closely with directors of state offices, federal departments — such as the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Homeland Security, and the National Science Foundation — to inform and affect state policy.
Whirl aims to use this new position to promote resources for Augusta Tech in particular, and U.S. community colleges in general.
“The appointment to AACC is an incredible opportunity to not only represent Augusta Tech, but the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) at the national level,” said Whirl, who looks forward to sharing best practices of ATC, while also bringing back new ideas to Augusta.
Whirl is also looking to increase Augusta Tech’s and TCSG’s network of corporate partners nationally, to improve workforce developments.
Since his appointment as president of the college in 2020, Whirl has already shaken things up, implementing a full rebrand and starting six new academic schools including a new School of Health Sciences Campus at Summerville via a partnership with Piedmont Augusta.
He’s also secured some $45 million in state funding to build a new 81,000 square foot advanced manufacturing training center, and partnered with the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta for the development of and microenterprise incubator center downtown with $2 million in congressionally-directed funds.
Last November, the school received a $1 million donation from the Knox Foundation for one of its other major capital projects under Whirl’s watch: a 65,000 square foot automotive training facility in the Laney Walker area.
These are among the projects Whirl has been pursuing to put ATC and Augusta on the map as a significant area in the growing Southeast electric vehicle manufacturing corridor.
“I’m confident I’ll connect with presidents who have developed world-class facilities similar to what we’re creating,” he said. “I know our local plans for automotive and manufacturing already align with federal initiatives such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs and CHIPs and Science Acts.”
Whirl’s position with the lobbying group also puts him in the middle of talks the AACC is having regarding several initiatives on the horizon for two-year colleges, a major one being a proposed short-term Pell grant expansion for workforce education programs.
“Higher education is moving to shorter-term programs of study that can be completed in a matter of weeks,” Whirl said, noting training in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, information tech or even CDL truck driving, that can be completed in two or three-week sprints. Financial aid is currently only available for programs of study lasting whole semesters or quarters. “If we’re going to accelerate offering badges, micro-credentials, and other short-term programs, students will need to have access to federal aid to offset these expenses.”
Whirl’s three-year term on the AACC Board of Directors will begin on July 1.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
