Salina Area Technical College celebrates its independence

By MICHAEL STRAND

Salina Journal

It was appropriate, Salina Superintendent Rob Winter said, that Salina Area Technical College was celebrating its new independence just days before the country's Independence Day.

The former technical school, a part of the Salina School District for decades, became legally separate from the district Wednesday and celebrated by inviting the community to the facility.

"The transition from a technical school to a degree-granting institution was a 2Ôªø1âÑ2 year process" that started in January of 2007, Winter said.

Among the first steps was determining what to do after the Kansas Board of Regents said the state's remaining technical schools had to either become technical high schools, merge with an existing college, become independent or close.

"In my 25 years as a superintendent, I have not seen a board of education work as hard as this board did on that decision," Winter said.

The board heard merger proposals from Kansas State University at Salina, Cloud County Community College, Hutchinson Community College and North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit. In September 2007, the board voted 4-3 to pursue the independent college route.

Winter recounted the flurry of activity over the next few months that led to the Regents approving a plan in early 2008, the appointing of a transition team and the creation of the college's new board of trustees last summer.

Goode the 1st president

This past February, the trustees hired Greg Goode as Salina Tech's first president.

"USD 305 has valued the relationship with this college over the years and looks forward to continuing to work together," Winter said.

Salina School Board member Gary Denning recalled that after being elected eight years ago, he took "the 50-cent tour" of the school, and as a board member, he listened to the semiannual reports from the school.

But in between dealing with No Child Left Behind, the concerns of 7,000 students, school construction and other matters, Salina Tech was seldom at the forefront, Denning said.

"I wasn't terribly happy," Denning said, when he learned the state was requiring the tech school break its ties to the district.

It was the right decision

But, he said, he now thinks it was the right decision.

Mike Haug, chairman of the college's board of trustees, said that when the board was appointed, the list of tasks that had to be accomplished before independence ran five pages.

"I'm excited about the future," Haug said.

He said that just before the celebration, the trustees had approved a strategic plan for the college, the result of six months of work involving staff, students and community members.

"We've accomplished so much, in the past four months, that I now think we can accomplish anything," Goode said.

He said the list of tasks Haug mentioned was "five pages, single-spaced and small type."

Goode said he understands that students, staff and the community have high expectations for what Salina Tech will become, and he plans to meet them, turning the college into "an economic catalyst for this community."

n Reporter Mike Strand can be reached at 822-1418 or by e-mail at mstrand@salina.com.

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