Sharp, dean of the Abilene campus of Texas State Technical College, recalled when 40 students began sessions in 1985 at an old downtown garment building. Sharp's worries now center on finding space for a college whose enrollment, offerings and funding are growing rapidly. In the past year, the campus' enrollment has jumped by 84 students.
School administrators say the growth is just beginning.
The Abilene campus plans to add three new programs with the funds. Classes in telecommunications, biomedical instrumentation, airplane composite repair and multimedia systems should begin within the next two years, Sharp said. Administrators have their sights set on taking advantage of what they hope will be a growing industrial base in West Texas. State Sen. Troy Fraser, an advocate for the state's technical college system, said the development is coming to the regions that have the employees available. The senator, a Republican from Horseshoe Bay, said most technology businesses in Texas have grown up around Interstate 35.