The Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce’s young professionals committee, HYPE, toured Gulf Coast State College’s new Advanced Technology Center on Monday, May 20th. Dr. Stephen Dunnivant, the Interim Dean of the ATC, led the tour that consisted of a state-of-art culinary facility, hack-a-thon classrooms, production studios, and a breathtaking roof top terrace.
The ATC offers a brighter and clearer future for the host of students currently underserved in career and technical education, creating a new sector of the American workforce capable of taking applied technology to profitable market endeavors in record time. “We are ensuring a secure local future by providing an exceptional facility that trains and teaches students at a local university,” Dr. Dunnivant insists. “We need to stop having our young talent go elsewhere for employment and keep them in our area!”
The ATC’s focus is on programs and training that appeal to a wide variety of students such as those who may not fit “traditional” college pathways. The foundation of the ATC lies in an entrepreneurial spirit that continually adapts to the changes in the regional and global economy, enabling the formation and expansion of jobs leading to an increased quality of life throughout the area. “To me it shows that a lot of influential people in the area believe in the potential and the future that Panama City can bring,” Panama City Beach Chamber HYPE member, Sterling Scott, states.
Positioned within a state college, the ATC will accelerate the idea-to-market continuum through the college’s many existing relationships with workforce and economic development entities. We look forward to the change and innovation this building will bring to Panama City and our global workforce. A special Grand Opening for the ATC will take place on Friday, October 11th.
