McKenzie Campus Hosts Groundbreaking

McKENZIE (June 25) — Tennessee College of Applied Technology Henry/Carroll hosted a groundbreaking for its new academic and administrative building on June 25 at the McKenzie campus.

Dr. Flora Tydings, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, said the new facility will replace the one that was held together by ‘duct tape’, a common practice for TCAT officials across Tennessee who know how to innovate. A new influx of state funding of $1 billion will help TCAT centers across Tennessee to modernize facilities. She complimented the McKenzie campus for its operations since the 1960s and Willie Huffman for his service as president.

Willie Huffman, president of TCAT-McKenzie and TCAT-Henry/Carroll in Paris said the new facility will provide modern facilities for the 59-year-old campus. The new complex will be situated in front and right of the existing administrative building. Once complete, the existing administrative building will be razed.

Huffman said the instructional wing to the rear of the campus will remain. That is where welding, automotive technology, heat and air conditioning, industrial maintenance, and information system technology classes are held.

A walkway will connect the current classrooms to the new administrative/classroom building.

Speakers at the event included: Dr. Flora Tydings, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents; Willie Huffman, president of TCAT-Henry/Carroll; State Senator John Stevens, State Representative Tandy Darby, McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin, Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler; John Penn Ridgeway- president-elect of TCAT Henry/Carroll; Monica Heath, Executive Director of the McKenzie Chamber of Commerce; Brad Hurley, President of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, TCAT student Maddie Parks, and principal architect Mary Haizlip.

TCAT-McKenzie is soon to bear the name TCAT-Henry/Carroll along with its sister campus in Paris.

TCAT-McKenzie offers welding classes at a Dresden campus and residential building maintenance and welding at the Carroll County Technical School. For high school students, the latter is in Huntingdon as part of a dual enrollment program.

Advanced manufacturing technology is offered as dual enrollment at Clarksburg High School, and classes at the Benton County Vocational School provides dual enrollment in automotive technology.

Full enrollment at the McKenzie campus is estimated at 135 students in the various classes.

Tennessee’s investment of nearly $1 billion in technical education is becoming a reality as several groundbreakings — including McKenzie — recently took place in June. The funding, approved in 2022 by Governor Bill Lee and the General Assembly, has provided new capital outlay and maintenance investments for six new Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses, seven outdated facilities, and the expansion and improvement of 16 existing campuses. This historic statewide revitalization for technical education across the state increases accessibility to our graduates and assures local businesses & industries have the highly skilled workforce they need to fill jobs.

The following groundbreakings below will take place in August/September:
TCAT Oneida, New Automotive and Collision Repair Building.
TCAT Livingston, New Academic and Administration Building.
TCAT Upper Cumberland, New Academic Building & New Truck Driving Facility.
TCAT McMinnville, Coffee County Facility.
TCAT Upper Cumberland, Bledsoe County Facility.
TCAT Chattanooga, New Academic Building.
TCAT Nashville, Allied Health Building.
TCAT Knoxville, Union County Campus.

A History of TCAT-McKenzie
The construction of the McKenzie school began in the spring of 1964 and was completed in 1965. It began operation under the local direction of Guy R. Kirk, who was appointed superintendent of the school by then Assistant Commissioner of Vocational Education in Tennessee, Charlie Dunn. The School enrolled its first students in July of 1965 in Automotive Mechanics, Drafting and Office Occupations. The first students to graduate from the Center did so in 1966.

In 1999, the Center underwent a two-million-dollar renovation project. This project included building new shop classrooms, installing a new heat and air system and an electrical system in the industrial building, renovating the administrative building, and connecting the two shop buildings to the administrative building by adding two new classrooms.