Germanna Community College President Frank Turnage speaks to a crowd yesterday to mark the opening of the nearly $12 million Center for Advanced Technology in Culpeper. SCOTT NEVILLE/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Related Stories Germanna plans parking deck at new building (11/21/2009) • Germanna plans three-level parking garage with new academic building at Spotsylvania campus It's an employers' market (11/19/2009) • Area employment experts give tips and cite trends during panel discussion at Germanna Community College Colleges at end of H1N1 line (11/18/2009) • Few college students, including those at the University of Mary Washington, have been offered the H1N1 vaccine Job seminar today at Germanna (11/17/2009) • Germanna holding job fair for employed, underemployed NNEKA BRINGS UNIQUE STYLE FROM NIGERIA (11/14/2009) • Nneka's album invokes a spin of several different emotions NNEKA BRINGS UNIQUE STYLE FROM NIGERIA (11/13/2009) • Nneka's album invokes a spin of several different emotions ROCKERS CARE: THROUGH NOV. 15, GUITAR CENTER IS HOSTING A FOOD DRIVE--BRING SOME NONPERISHABLE FOOD AND GET 10 PERCENT OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE! (11/5/2009) • A calendar of events coming up in the Fredericksburg area Public invited as Germanna Foundation celebrates 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall (11/4/2009) • Public invited as Germanna Foundation celebrates 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall Sources say Germanna placed dean on leave (11/2/2009) • Germanna dean of arts and sciences placed on administrative leave during probe of improper conduct Hospice gala brings in $55,000 (11/1/2009) • Hospice holds major fundraiser Germanna probes sexual harassment allegation (10/30/2009) • Germanna dean previously fired for sexual harassment under investigation for similar claim here TALK BACK (10/30/2009) • Talkback: Who/what is your favorite vampire? Refuge tracts to temporarily close for hunting (10/29/2009) • Refuge tracts to temporarily close for hunting Projects make a difference (10/18/2009) • Make a Difference Day is Saturday NAMES & NOTES (10/18/2009) • Names & Notes Military Notes (10/13/2009) • Military Notes NEW FOUND GLORY 'FIGHT' SEEMS LOST (10/9/2009) • New Found Glory seems to have lost originality on latest album Web chat put focus on health (10/8/2009) • MediCorp CEO Fred Rankin answers questions on health care Bloggers question supervisor candidates at forum (10/6/2009) • Bloggers debate draws good crowd of candidates Dangerous depression: The warning signs (10/6/2009) • Depression and suicide: Oct. 8 is National Depression Screening Day. By Kevin B. Handley. VDOT seeks comments on its plans to improve U.S. 29 (10/5/2009) • Traffic signal optimizations planned for Route 3 Opening up a dialogue on depression, suicide (10/2/2009) • Panel to address suicide, depression and bipolar disorder REV IT UP: SATURDAY, HEAD TO CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT SPOTSY COURTHOUSE FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL CAR SHOW: CLASSIC CARS, FOOD AND MORE! INFO: 540/785-4451. FREE TO LOOK! (10/1/2009) • A calendar of events coming up in the Fredericksburg area 'Pillar talk': Sweeter with political vision (10/1/2009) • Looking forward during this economic challenge for the Fredericksburg region, by Charles W. Payne STEVE PRZEPIORA (9/30/2009) • The Deal: Steve Przepiora, Dshane Professional Carpet Care Pedestrians might find Lafayette friendlier someday (9/28/2009) • Will the new Bragg Road in Spotsylvania have two lanes or four? ACADEMIC EPIDEMIC >> Schools respond to concerns over H1N1 spread (9/25/2009) • Schools react to threat of swine flu Germanna seeks local money (9/23/2009) • Germanna Community College president makes plea for local funds for new academic building on Massaponax campus Kappas start mentoring JM student-athletes (9/22/2009) • Service fraternity mentors academically at-risk high school athletes Career, technical center eyed by Orange schools (9/21/2009) • Orange schools move forward on tech center

Center offers latest technology training

Germanna's advanced technology center opens in Culpeper, classes to begin Aug. 21.

By MELISSA NIX

Date published: 8/5/2006

By MELISSA NIX Just off U.S. 29, and around the corner from a rolling pasture dotted with round bales of hay, a brand-new brick and glass building rises up from the pastoral landscape.

The Germanna Center for Advanced Technology opened yesterday--bringing state of the art technology and educational opportunities to Culpeper.

Area residents will now be able to satisfy that hankering to build a computer from scratch, master new skills for work, or make that final step towards an industry certification.

GCAT, as the center is often called, is part of Germanna Community College, and will offer credit and noncredit classes beginning Aug. 21.

Students can take "bread-and-butter classes" in the humanities or sciences that transfer to four-year schools, or noncredit classes toward vocational certifications, said John Donnelly, Germanna's dean of instruction.

But GCAT sets itself apart from Germanna's other campuses with its primary focus--advancing the technological skills of the area's work force and meeting the technology needs of businesses.

Each of its 14 classrooms is fully equipped so that the computer-to-student ratio is one to one. There are several conference rooms with video-conferencing technology and large touch-screen computers. A 700-seat conference center has multiple video projection screens and wireless Internet access throughout. The manufacturing technology lab can accommodate large industrial equipment for training purposes. And there are computers everywhere.

The idea is to be "super-responsive to industry needs," Donnelly said.

If a company decides its em- ployees need a business communications course to better deal with people on the phone, GCAT can design a curriculum to meet that need, he said.

Culpeper Town Manager Brannon Godfrey agreed that GCAT's opening shows a commitment to economic development.

"It will serve as a recruiting tool for new businesses and technology, while enabling existing businesses and industry to expand their work force," he said.

Michael Shareck, vice president with Von Holtzbrinck Publishing Services, served on a citizen task force that looked at the possibility of Germanna opening such a high-tech center.

He said the center will have an enormous impact.

"GCAT will be able to provide targeted training for our employees," Shareck said. "And through GCAT and our educational assistance program, many of our employees will be able to improve their lot in life."

Follow us on

Date published: 8/5/2006