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Swearingen Guest Speaker at Rome Rotary
Carl Swearingen, Technical College System of Georgia board chair, was the guest speaker today at The Rome Rotary Club.
Swearingen praised the school systems in Rome and Floyd County and the partnerships forged between the systems and Coosa Valley Technical College. “The standards have been set and the bar has been put high by the entire team here in Floyd County and Rome. When you see your statistics, you wonder why everybody doesn’t want to come to school here, because they are simply outstanding,” stated Swearingen.
Rotarians heard from Swearingen that the Technical College System of Georgia has an economic impact of a little over a billion dollars across the state, 33 colleges, 6500 instructors, and 150,000 students.
Swearingen stated that 7,000 students drop out of school everyday in the United States .
“A piece of information that should really capture our attention is that between 80 and 100 thousand adults are trying to get their GED today. That really puts adult literacy into perspective when you have 50,000 students not graduating,” added Swearingen.
“The technical colleges can be both their safety net and their catalyst. When they drop out, we’ll try to catch them and help them get a GED. We can be their catalyst to get them what they need to move forward,” commented Swearingen.
Swearingen also talked about the customized training technical colleges provide.
“Expansion Management magazine rated Georgia number one in training. Our Quick Start program provided 1.5 million hours in customized training, and yet, that is a little known fact when you look at the role of technical colleges.”
Swearingen told Rotarians the keys to having a strong community are knowledge, skill, and diversity.
Swearingen was appointed to the Technical College System of Georgia Board by Governor Perdue in August 2006 and was elected to be board chairman in July 2007.
Swearingen began his telecommunications career with Southern Bell in 1972 in Tucker, Georgia. In 1977 he was named as the company’s general public relations manager in Georgia, and in 1985 he became assistant vice president of public affairs for BellSouth Telecommunications in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1989 he was named president of BellSouth Telecommunications in Georgia, serving in that position for nine years. In 1998 he was promoted to Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary for the BellSouth Corporation. He retired from BellSouth in 2001.
Swearingen is a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned bachelor and master degrees in journalism in 1967 and 1969, respectively. He also received a masters of science degree in management from MIT in 1985. As a University of Georgia Air Force ROTC cadet, Mr. Swearingen was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the United States Air Force. He served on active duty as an Air Intelligence Officer in Cam Rahn Bay and Saigon, South Vietnam and at Homestead AFB, Florida. He received the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.
He has been quite active in community affairs serving as a member of the Atlanta Kiwanis Club and on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the University of Georgia Foundation, and Berry College. He has been chairman of Governor Miller’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology, chairman of the University of Georgia National Alumni Association, chairman of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, chairman of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, and chairman of the National Board of Advisors of the Museum of Aviation located at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. Additionally, he has been involved in many fundraising projects including the United Way, Boy Scouts, American Cancer Society, and Zoo Atlanta. He served as the chairman for Governor Sonny Perdue’s Transition Team following the Governor’s election in November 2002. Governor Perdue appointed him as special advisor on military affairs in May 2003 and to the Commission for a New Georgia in June 2003.
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