Trident Tech Campus Offically Open

Trident Technical College officially opened its Mount Pleasant campus this morning with a throng of supporters on hand during a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new campus, which had a soft opening in mid-August, has an enrollment of roughly 350 students, said Dean Mike Patterson. It offers roughly 57 classes and there are plans to expand the facility within the next year.

Trident Tech is in a “growth mode,” said President Mary Thornley, but the economic recession has all but erased state funds needed to grow the Charleston-area college.

“So when Mayor Billy Swails contacted us about this facility, I don’t think anyone slept that night,” Thornley said.

Mount Pleasant acquired the building at the corner of Hungry Neck Boulevard and Highway 17 and leases it to the college for $1 annually. Thornley made a point to present Swails with a $1 bill during Wednesday’s ribbon cutting.

The expansion allows Trident Tech to grow while also placing a college in an area that never had one previously. Trident has touted the campus as not just serving Mount Pleasant but all the residents east of the Cooper River.

“We didn’t just do this for the Town of Mount Pleasant,” Swails said. “We did this for all the people east of the Cooper.”