William Harris is Chair of the State Board of Technical and Adult Education. Harris has lived in Americus most of his life. From the Commissioner (FTC) met with him recently in President Jon Johnson’s conference room at South Georgia Technical College. What follows are edited excerpts from that interview. The complete interview — in which Mr. Harris reflects on his life and business career in rural Georgia as well as Georgia’s technical college system — is available here.

FTC: How did you first become associated with the technical education system?

WH: Well, I was on an advisory committee.

FTC: An advisory committee for [South Georgia Tech]?

WH: Yes, it was a business advisory committee and then I got involved in adult literacy. We also helped with “Learning is for Everyone,” the adult literacy program. My wife and I served as first chairman of that, and so we got really involved then. I guess as things developed, I was nominated by Governor Zell Miller to serve on the board, this was in, I guess ’93. So it has been a great experience, and I feel fortunate to have been involved in it at a time when things are just going great as far as technical education is concerned. It’s been a great experience.

FTC: It really is amazing. When you think about the system now, what do you see as some of the challenges and maybe the greatest challenge?

WH: First of all, I think Georgia has the best technical education system in the United States and even in the world. I don’t think that can even be challenged. I think it’s been proven year after year that we really do have the best. I know people in other states are interested in what we have because they consider ours the best. And our Quick Start program, there’s no question about that. It’s the best.

The challenge is if we continue to increase our enrollment like we have been over the last couple of years and it increases fifteen to twenty percent (I think the actual figure is more like twenty-one percent for this past year) then five years down the road, I think enrollment will have doubled. And so funding — facilities, equipment, and, of course, instruction — is going to be a major concern. We’re turning away people right now. So I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge we’ll have.

FTC: Let’s talk more specifically about being a state board member. WH: Well, I’ve thought about this a lot. To me, it’s almost a higher calling. It’s more than just numbers and percentages and all that. When you go into a school, you may see 20 or 30 people — all of them with their own computer, all of them so intent on learning what’s going on, and they’re from all walks of life. It’s almost a spiritual thing when you think that many of those students are going to be out in the workforce in just a few months. What we’re doing is helping them to improve their quality of life. It’s more than just numbers and all that. It really is — it can get emotional, just thinking about it, what you’re doing to try to help people. I think that’s the part that really is just amazing to me — how we are directly affecting so many people’s lives and improving their quality of life. Read the entire interview.

Publication Information From the Commissioner Spring 2002 Vol. 1, No. 2 Published quarterly by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education 1800 Century Place Atlanta, GA 30345 Kenneth H. Breeden, Commissioner Editor: Donna Maddock-Cowart dm-c@mindspring.com