Celebrating a Year of Successes at Dalton State College 

As we close out 2024, Dalton State College has much to celebrate! Our Dalton State Roadrunners have made us proud by winning two national championships this year. Our men’s soccer team clinched the NAIA National Championship with a thrilling victory in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this December. This follows our men’s golf team championship win right here in Dalton back in May. Join us for a community-wide celebration of our national champion teams on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Dalton State belltower. Let’s come together to honor their hard work and dedication!

This week, more than 300 students graduated, ready to embark on their professional journeys. According to previous surveys, most of these graduates will stay in Northwest Georgia, contributing to fields like healthcare, manufacturing, business, education, and criminal justice. Their future looks bright, and we’re excited to see the positive impact they will have on our community.

We’re also thrilled to announce the expansion of our Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program to our Mountain Campus in Ellijay, Ga. Thanks to a grant from the Georgia Legislature through the University System of Georgia, we will be able to increase the program’s cohort capacity by approximately 20% starting this spring. This expansion will help meet the continued demand for nurses in our region and state.

In our ongoing effort to provide more opportunities for students, we’ve partnered with Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Georgia Highlands College to create Northwest Georgia Connect. This partnership allows GNTC students with associate degrees in certain programs to seamlessly transition into related bachelor’s degree programs at Dalton State or Georgia Highlands to continue their education.

We believe that education transforms lives and family trajectories for generations. That’s why we’re committed to offering more opportunities for students to achieve their educational goals and thrive. To ensure our programs align with state and regional workforce needs, Dalton State, in partnership with Georgia Northwestern Technical College, will host the inaugural Northwest Georgia Workforce Development Summit on Jan. 10. This summit will explore regional opportunities and strategies to enhance our economic and workforce competitiveness. For more information or to register, visit daltonstate.edu/workforce-summit.

Northwest Georgia is poised for strong economic and job growth over the next 20 years. Together, our schools, colleges, and businesses are working to support student success, create a well-trained workforce, sustain healthy communities, and generate long-term positive impacts.

Here’s to an even brighter 2025 with more good news to celebrate!