Congrats! Now let’s do some more work!

Published 10:51 pm Wednesday, September 16, 2015

First and foremost, we’d like to congratulate Margaret Venable on being named president of Dalton State College.

Normally, this would include a “welcome to the community” for the new president. However, Venable has already been a part of the Dalton community for the last nine months. Welcoming her to the community would seem redundant.

It is for this reason that we are glad to see her given the position. Venable has already reached out to the community, established contacts and seems to already have a plan in her mind of how she’d like to see Dalton State succeed.

In a previous editorial, we called Dalton State the key to community success in Dalton. Both local government officials and business owners in the city seem anxious to see it continue to expand. Even the students say they feel the college has come a long way.

Now that the Board of Regents has chosen a president for Dalton State, it seems time to see some plans formulated and presented. Venable and Mayor Dennis Mock have said that the city and college have been speaking and planning new initiatives.

Jodi Johnson, vice president of enrollment and student services at the college, said the administration has been “meeting quarterly with the mayor.” Venable herself said downtown expansion is on the radar. We think this, coupled with a new capital campaign for Dalton State on the horizon, could lead to huge developments.

Granted, Venable has much more on her plate than just physically expanding the college.

Her first responsibility is of course to the college and its students. However, we are just as excited for the possibilities as the students, community leaders and business officials.