New courses at Alpharetta campus provide fresh alternatives for students

Since its beginning in 2000, the Alpharetta Center has continuously grown to offer an increasing number of program options for students living above the perimeter in the North Fulton area.

This fall, the satellite campus, managed by the J. Mack Robinson College of Buisness, will be offering additional courses in criminal justice and social work to join the already established courses of accounting, marketing, education, nursing, and business. Constructed last year, the building at the center of the new Alpharetta Center replaced the former complex next door, which was also shared with Georgia Perimeter College, Craig Wertz, the project man-ager for the building's construction, says the building was constructed with a view towards the environment and includes several "green" features.

"Storm water from the building and parking lots is captured in small marsh like ponds to diminish impacts on a nearby stream," Wertz explained. In addition, LED lights are used in the parking lot to reduce energy and sensors were installed in classrooms to decrease the amount of air conditioning used for empty rooms.

There are already plans to expand the new Alpharetta campus by adding two more stories. The expansion will also include another classroom, and, possibly, a backup data center for the Georgia State downtown campus computer network.

Although the Center broke away from Georgia Perimeter College the previous year, they maintain a cordial relationship with surrounding corporate, business, and civic groups by allowing them to use the Center's conference rooms and providing their meetings with complementary snacks.