Chattahoochee Technical College celebrated the opening of the Superior Plumbing Veterans Education and Career Transition Resource (VECTR) Center at the college’s Marietta Campus on Tuesday, Oct. 4, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house.
Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston and Sen. Michael Rhett joined with TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier, Superior Plumbing President Jay Cunningham, dozens of community leaders, college representatives, and members of the public to mark the occasion. Also participating in this event was the South Cobb High School JROTC color guard.
“Let me thank Commissioner Dozier and all the leadership of our Technical College System of Georgia for their work to prepare Georgians for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said House Speaker Ralston. “Our TCSG is a key part of our overall workforce and talent development initiatives and education. Among the system’s institutions is this shining star, Chattahoochee Tech.”
Through the Superior Plumbing VECTR Center, Chattahoochee Tech will help veterans translate military skills and experience into training programs for high-demand and meaningful careers. It will provide active and retired veterans with a place to assist them as they transition into the civilian workforce and into post-secondary education institutions. “My colleagues in the General Assembly and I, along with Gov. Kemp, take seriously the state’s responsibility to help active duty military and veterans,” said House Speaker Ralston. “While we can never repay them for their service or sacrifice, we can ensure that they have every opportunity for success when they enter the civilian workforce.”
The TCSG State Board approved naming this facility the Superior Plumbing VECTR Center in honor of a $500,000 donation presented by Jay Cunningham to the Chattahoochee Tech Foundation. This donation worked in conjunction with a $2.25 million appropriation from the General Assembly for establishing a VECTR Center at Chattahoochee Tech. This is the second VECTR Center in the state, following the establishment of the first VECTR program near Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins.
The Superior Plumbing VECTR Center is also home to the Jim Cunningham Veteran Services Center, which is named for Jay Cunningham’s father, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. This facility provides a supportive environment for the college’s vast student population of veterans and military-affiliated students.
In an additional expression of gratitude to the Cunningham family for their many years of steadfast support, Chattahoochee Tech President Dr. Ron Newcomb announced at this event that the first floor of the college’s Health Science Building on the Marietta Campus has been named the Jan Cunningham Nursing Wing in honor of Jay Cunningham’s mother. She served for over 50 years as a nurse, working everywhere life took her as a military wife. Her nursing career highlights include being named the 1973 Red Cross Volunteer Nurse of the Year in Europe. She later worked for 27 years in the operating room at Northside Hospital in Atlanta.
“We’re grateful to be part of the VECTR journey,” said Jay Cunningham. “This idea of supporting the VECTR Center starts out with honoring my parents. I’m very fortunate to have parents who have been married for 67 years. It goes without saying I was blessed by God with great parents.”
