December 4, 2020
Dr. Victoria Seals Touts College’s Accomplishments, Impacts Across the Region
[Atlanta, GA] Many organizations were forced to shift their daily operations due to a global pandemic that redefined the landscape of businesses and communities worldwide. During the annual stakeholder address known as Progress & Priorities, Atlanta Technical College (ATC) President Dr. Victoria Seals reflected on a year that, despite its challenges, has allowed students and the college to thrive through innovation and ingenuity.
This year’s address, titled “Reimagined: The Atlanta Tech Effect,” focused on the college’s ability to adapt to new constraints due to COVID-19 while readying an essential workforce for a reimagined world. “What ATC has accomplished this year has been nothing short of amazing,” said Seals, who is beginning her fifth year at the helm of the 53-year-old higher learning institution. “We all had to shift the way we approach training, teaching, engaging and advancing our critical and high-demand programs while not sacrificing the quality of education or compromising our students’ and staff’s safety in any way.”
Touting ATC’s 99% job placement rate and a nearly $201.5 million regional economic impact, Seals also addressed challenges and concerns that touched on national issues related to social justice and economic instability. During the 40-minute presentation, Seals and other school leaders and community partners also discussed the college’s success in graduating nearly 1,900 students and awarding close to 3,100 technical certificates of credit, diplomas, and associate degrees. “One of the biggest benefits of ATC is not just the impact it has for its students, but the benefit it has on you in our economy,” said State Representative Debra Bazemore. “The return on investment is invaluable. ATC helps to make Georgia one of the best to do business in, partly because of the product that ATC produces.”
“It’s been a banner year for ATC marked by tremendous student success, underscored by the tenacious leadership of our faculty and staff and supported by our corporate partners and community stakeholders,” said Seals. “In 2020, we found ourselves at a major crossroads where we needed to supply essential workers to shore up the regional and national supply chain and serve on the frontlines in various healthcare fields to combat the coronavirus. We rose to the occasion with the launch of our limited lab technical training approach that provided a reimagined model for a safe way to provide the needed hands-on training to our students.”
While evoking the words of Susan Young, Seals defined the act of “reimagination” as the birthplace for vision and change. Noting the success of the recently launched Center for Workforce Innovation and the growth of ATC’s commitment from business partners to the life-changing impact of ATC’s foundation, the presentation also focused on the college successfully achieving reaffirmation for the next 10 years by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
To view this year’s Progress and Priorities program, click here.
At A Glance: ATC’s 2020 Progress and Priorities Highlights
- $201.5 million regional economic impact, representing more than 3,000 jobs
- 99% job placement rating for ATC graduates
- 1,880 graduates (in 2020)
- 3,089 technical certificates of credit, diplomas, and associate degrees awarded
- Provided more than $300,000 in financial support through the ATC Foundation to enable 625 students to continue their education
- Center for Workforce Innovation experienced exceptional growth and expanded list of corporate partners
- Successful transition to online and hybrid learning throughout COVID-19 pandemic
- On the Horizon: Center for Transportation and Logistics
