Albany Tech proposes on‑campus veterans 'Vector Center' as interim step while larger renovation seeks state funding

Albany Technical College presented a plan April 14 to open a veterans-focused Vector Center on its Albany campus as an interim step while the college continues seeking state funding for a larger criminal justice training center.

Dr. Emmett Griswold, president of Albany Technical College, told the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners the college identified about 8,000 square feet in Artesian Hall that can be retrofitted for the Vector Center and aims to begin operations in time for the fall 2025 semester. He said the center would provide veteran services, enrollment and financial-aid support, career-transition assistance, computer-equipped classrooms and counseling rooms.

The college proposes a donor-naming model similar to a privately funded site in Marietta and has already moved the college’s Department of Veterans Services on campus to provide an administrative footprint. Griswold said the project is intended to retain and attract veterans — he cited U.S. Census 2020 data showing roughly 10,000 veterans in Dougherty County — and to expand participation in Department of Defense SkillBridge training programs that Albany Tech is certified to host.

Why it matters: Griswold said the interim Vector Center will allow Albany Tech to deliver workforce and veteran transition services locally while the college continues to seek state capital-outlay funding to renovate the Old Albany YDC building on Newton Road into a larger criminal-justice/public-safety training facility. He told commissioners the renovation was estimated at about $20 million two years ago and that construction costs have since risen; the college intends to continue pursuing that “Plan A” even if the Vector Center opens.

Key details: Griswold said the college and partners have identified potential program offerings for SkillBridge participants, including commercial truck driving, firefighting, HVAC, welding and barbering; the college is discussing additional certificates (logistics/supply chain, electrical) with other technical colleges. He said initial local funds of approximately $350,000 have been identified and that the City of Albany has verbally committed $250,000; the college will solicit local industry sponsorships to cover retrofit costs estimated preliminarily in the $1.5 million range.

Local response and next steps: Commissioners on the dais expressed support. Commissioner Clinton Johnson (finance chair) and others pledged to help identify funding. Colonel Matthew McKinney of the Marine Corps Logistics Base and Sheriff Hayes were noted as local supporters present at the meeting. Griswold said the college will meet with an architect the week after the presentation to firm up cost estimates and will include county and city partners on the funding list when he submits the final proposal to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).

Budget and timeline: Griswold said Albany Tech will seek funding for four full-time staff positions through TCSG and hopes to launch the Vector Center by fall 2025 (about 6–8 months from the April presentation) if local sponsorships and retrofit work proceed as planned.

Quotes (selected): "It is our top capital outlay project for FY '26," Dr. Emmett Griswold said of the larger Old Albany/YDC renovation, adding that the Vector Center is a pivot to deliver services now. Commissioner Newsom said, "Anything we can do to support you, we're 100 percent behind."

Ending: The college asked the board to list Dougherty County in the final state funding application as a local partner and to help solicit private sponsors; the county staff and several commissioners indicated willingness to assist. The college plans to submit a final proposal to TCSG that will list confirmed partners and funding commitments.