Gainesville College Athens Center to take over Truett-McConnell's Watkinsville campus

ATLANTA - The Board of Regents approved a $7.25 million deal Wednesday to move the Gainesville College&#39;s Athens Center to the Truett-McConnell College Watkinsville Campus.<br> <br> &#34;We&#39;re very happy to be able to be moving to the campus, and we&#39;ll be working closely with Truett to endure a smooth transition,&#34; said Gainesville College President Martha Nesbitt.<br> <br> &#34;We believe that Truett-McConnell College has had significant impact upon the lives of thousands of students and their familes and upon the Watkinsville and Oconee County region.&#34;<br> <br> The board said the new facility will have 51,000 square feet of space for expanding the Athens Center, including room for wet labs, a library, classrooms and administrative offices. <br> <br> Gainesville College&#39;s move to the Truett-McConnell campus will allow several hundred more students to attend. Students will also be offered a full slate of curriculum offerings and support services at the Athens center. <br> <br> As a two-year institution of the University System of Georgia, Gainesville College&#39;s Athens Center had 219 students in its initial fall semester in 2001. For 2002, enrollment mushroomed to 650 students.