Harvey Shannon, Judy Shannon, Eva Hines, Lawrence Hines, Savannah Hines Coker, Shianne Hines, Scott Hines, and Marla Hines celebrated the 10th anniversary of Roane State’s Morgan County campus.
Oct. 30, 2018
By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer
WARTBURG, Tenn. – Residents and Roane State officials recently celebrated the vision and generosity of those who helped launch the community college’s Morgan County Higher Education Center a decade ago.
“Ten years? That’s hard to believe,” Roane State President Chris Whaley told supporters gathered in the center’s lobby.
“We are so thankful for each of your contributions of time, talent and treasure in helping make Roane State’s Morgan County campus what it is today,” Whaley said
The $1.5 million center opened in 2008 with 68 students. Today, about 180 students attend classes there, campus director Michelle Adkisson said. Some 50 courses are offered each fall and spring semester.
Guest speaker Dr. Randy Schulte, vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Tennessee Board of Regents, likened college to a demanding long-distance run and urged attendees to “support and encourage this marathon.”
Among those recognized during the Oct. 17 event were Margaret (Schubert) Solomon and her late husband, Wayne Solomon, whose early financial support of the Morgan County campus was integral.
The road leading to the center is named Solomon Drive in their honor. Margaret Solomon served on the Roane State Foundation Board for 10 years.
Also recognized were Lawrence and Eva Hines, who donated land for the center. That contribution was made “because of their passion for the future education of young people in Morgan County” and to honor their granddaughters, Whaley said.
Roane State alumni Savannah Hines Coker, Shianne Hines and Seth Stewart spoke at the 10th anniversary celebration of Roane State’s Morgan County campus.
Those grandchildren, Savannah Hines Coker and Shianne Hines, attended the Morgan County campus. They are two of three former students who went on to successful careers and told attendees how the Morgan County Higher Education Center positively affected their lives.
“I’m honored to be an alumni,” said Savannah Hines Coker, now a RN instructor at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and about to obtain her master’s degree from Tennessee Tech. She also expressed thanks for what she called the “strong foundation” she received at Roane State.
Shianne Hines is a radiology technician at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. “I’m thankful for the opportunity provided me here at Roane State,” she said.
Another graduate, Seth Stewart, now an RN at Methodist Medical Center, told the audience “how proud I am to be a Roane State alumnus.”
During the celebration, the student lounge in the center was officially named the “Iva Mae Lavender Phillips Student Lounge” in memory of the former editor of the Morgan County News. She died earlier this year.
She was married to Paul Phillips, former executive director of the Roane State Foundation and a member of the foundation board. Phillips has established a scholarship in his late wife’s name “to recognize her many contributions to the citizens of Morgan County,” Whaley said.
A new sign is located on Solomon Drive, the road that leads to Roane State’s Morgan County campus. The road was named to honor Margaret (Schubert) Solomon and her late husband, Wayne Solomon. Their generosity was crucial to the establishment of the campus.
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