About CPTC

Coastal Pines Technical College offers associate degrees, diplomas, and technical certificates of credit, as well as continuing education opportunities, economic development services, and adult education courses. The CPTC service delivery area covers 7,431 square miles in the southeastern region of Georgia. In addition to the main campus in Waycross, the College has six other sites, one in each of the following cities: Alma, Baxley, Brunswick, Hazlehurst, Jesup, and Kingsland. Over 200 full time employees carry out and oversee operations.

The College operates over 500,0000 square feet of state-owned or leased existing facility space.

History

Coastal Pines Technical College (CPTC), a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), was officially established on July 1, 2014, following the merger of Altamaha Technical College (est. 1989) and Okefenokee Technical College (est. 1965).

CPTC offers associate degrees, diplomas, technical certificates of credit, as well as adult education, continuing education, and workforce development programs. With more than 200 full-time employees, the college serves as a vital hub for technical education and economic advancement in Southeast Georgia.

The college’s main campus is located in Waycross, with additional instructional sites in Alma, Baxley, Brunswick, Hazlehurst, Jesup, Kingsland, and Waycross. CPTC’s service delivery area spans 7,431 square miles, covering 13 counties—Appling, Bacon, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Ware, and Wayne—the largest service area of any technical college in Georgia.

Because both Altamaha and Okefenokee Technical Colleges were accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the newly formed CPTC retained accreditation. On April 15, 2014, CPTC submitted its Substantive Change Prospectus to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. The merger was officially approved on June 19, 2014, and in October 2014, a SACSCOC Substantive Change Committee visited to confirm CPTC’s compliance with accreditation standards ahead of reaffirmation in 2019.

The college name and mission statement were developed collaboratively by the local boards of ATC and OTC and approved by the TCSG State Board on October 3, 2013.

The leadership team played a key role in shaping the new institution. Dr. Glenn Deibert, former President of OTC, was appointed as CPTC’s first president and served until his retirement in 2021. Lonnie Roberts, former Acting President of ATC and CPTC Provost, was named President on February 1, 2021.

The merger of ATC and OTC was part of a broader TCSG initiative launched in 2009 to improve administrative efficiency and expand student access. Between 2009 and 2014, TCSG reduced the number of technical colleges from 33 to 23 through a series of strategic consolidations.

In the year leading up to the merger, Deibert and Roberts, in partnership with TCSG, guided stakeholders through the development of key institutional elements, including the mission statement, strategic plan, organizational structure, policies and procedures, logos, departmental plans, manuals, and calendars.

July 1, 2014, marked the official beginning of CPTC. Students enrolled at ATC and OTC during the summer semester completed their studies under the new Coastal Pines Technical College name. The first official CPTC semester began on August 18, 2014.