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The growth of TCAT through the years
In July 1966, construction of the Oneida State Area Vocational-Technical School began at the corner of Eli Lane and Burchfield Avenue in Oneida.
Forty years later, TCAT Oneida/Huntsville — as the vocational school is known today — is celebrating the opening of its sixth building with a ribbon-cutting at the new Fentress County Higher Education Center on Monday.
Much has changed in four decades. When the original Oneida State Area Vocational-Technical School opened for classes in early 1967, only three programs were offered: Office Occupations, Welding, and Electronics. Today, that number has swelled to two dozen — and is still growing, with Telecommunications and Underground Construction Technology set to begin this fall, and Dental Assisting soon to follow.
The 26,000-square-foot Fentress County Higher Education Center, which is located in south Jamestown and is a shared space with Roane State Community College, gives TCAT Oneida/Huntsville a permanent home in Fentress County. Classes have previously been held at York Institute and Clarkrange High School — and some classes will continue to be held there.
Today, TCAT Oneida/Huntsville offers post-secondary programs in three counties: Scott, Fentress, and Morgan. It dual-enrolls high school students in six counties: those three, plus Campbell, Anderson, and Union. And its footprint continues to expand as Tennessee places increased importance on technical education.
The main campus has been located in Huntsville since 1997, when a 35,000-square-foot facility was built on the hill above Scott High School. That facility, which is named for the late Arvis Blakley, long-time president of TCAT Oneida/Huntsville, houses TCAT administration and student services. But the largest number of students can be found at the Oneida extension campus, as things have officially moved full circle.
After sitting nearly empty for the better part of a decade after the opening of the Huntsville campus in 1997, the Oneida campus was revitalized by President Dwight Murphy, who retired earlier this year after more than 20 years at the helm of the college. Also this year, two brand-new buildings were officially opened on the Oneida campus, significantly expanding the campus’s capacity.
With the move of Practical Nursing and Allied Health from Huntsville to Oneida, all of TCAT Oneida/Huntsville’s health-related programs are now under the same roof. The list includes Pharmacy Technology, a Nursing Aide program for high school students, and will soon include Dental Assisting.
Also offered at Oneida are the Power Line Construction and Maintenance program, Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology, Building Technology, Truck Driving, Criminal Justice: Correctional Officer, and another new program, Aviation Maintenance Technology.
Programs that are still offered at Huntsville include Computer Information Technology, Cosmetology, Automotive Technology, Machine Tool Technology, and Welding Technology. With the move of the LPN and Allied Health programs to Oneida, there are two empty spaces at Huntsville — with new programs already in the works to eventually occupy those spots.
At the Fentress County Higher Education Center, meanwhile, Practical Nursing is already underway and the brand-new Telecommunications program is soon to follow. Later, Industrial Maintenance, Building Construction Technology, and Allied Health will be added. York Institute will continue to house evening programs for Welding, Farming Operations Technology, and Automotive Technology.
Not yet mentioned are Clarkrange High School and the Morgan County Career and Technical Center. At Clarkrange, evening classes are offered in Cosmetology and Culinary Arts. Morgan County’s facility, located in Wartburg, houses evening programs for Culinary Arts and Farming Operations Technology.
TCAT Oneida/Huntsville also offers several options for correctional inmates. Through a partnership with the TN Dept. of Corrections, five different programs are offered at the Morgan County Correctional Complex: Digital Graphics Design, Building Construction Technology, Truck Driving, Welding, and Culinary Arts. And, through a partnership with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, two evening programs are offered for jail inmates at the Huntsville campus: Automotive Technology and Welding Technology.
From its modest beginnings in 1967, the vocational school moved under the guidance of the Tennessee Board of Regents in 1983. The name changed to the Tennessee Technology Center Oneida/Huntsville in the 1990s, and to Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville in 2013.
The only original program that has survived for 60 years is Welding Technology. However, several other programs have been around for most of the college’s history: Machine Tool Technology began in 1968, and Practical Nursing was added in 1970. Automotive Technology began in 1976, as did Building Construction Technology.
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
• Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)