Dr. Kathy Love has been the president of Savannah Technical College for the past five years. Prior to that, she served as president of Flint River Technical College in Thomaston, Ga. All told, Love has almost 30 years in the Technical College System of Georgia in various leadership capacities. She holds a Master of Science from Georgia Southwestern University in Americus, Ga., a post-graduate Specialist in Education from Columbus State University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Northcentral University in Thomaston, Ga.

Savannah Technical College, founded in 1929, is a part of the Technical College System of Georgia. For decades, Savannah Tech, as it has come to be known, along with the rest of the Technical Colleges in Georgia, was seen as a trade and vocational training system. It was considered a step below conventional colleges and it was widely assumed that students go to Technical Colleges–Savannah Tech among the rest–because they are not bright enough to handle the challenges of a four-year liberal arts institution. “That is simply not the case,” said Love. “If you’re not smart enough to go to a traditional college then you probably won’t make it in our programs here, either.” Love said that the school is seeing the education level of its new applicants rising all the time. “We have new students enrolling with bachelor’s degrees that just don’t have a foot-in-the-door in their field of study,” she said. “Clearly, this is not the trade school of the past. People should visit and see what we’re doing.”

So, what are they doing at Savannah Technical College these days? Well, in addition to the traditional vocational and trade programs Savannah Tech has always offered, the school, under Dr. Love’s leadership has turned its focus on careers rather than simply jobs–careers that will give graduates the top-level skills needed in their fields–careers that are matched with the ever growing employment needs of our area. Fostering and retaining a skilled workforce is a major goal of all economic development entities in the Savannah area, and schools are listening. They are tailoring programs to meet the demands of employers that are already here as well as those kinds of industries they seek to attract.

One example is Savannah Tech’s Aviation Department. The course offering includes a state-of-the art aircraft structural program, a custom upholstery track, and custom cabinet making classes. These course offerings can lead to extremely high-paying jobs in customized private aircraft interiors with companies such as Gulfstream and the newly-formed Southern Aviation Parts & Services, which, like Gulfstream, is located at the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. Creating the custom luxury interiors for new Gulfstream jets is a highly-skilled task, and Southern Aviation, which does multi-million-dollar custom interiors for airline-sized private jets, last November, pledged a $15 million to $17 million investment in the area and at least 200 new high-paying jobs over the next five years.

Add to this one of the most exciting programs in aviation training at Savannah Tech, the new Airframe and Power Plant (A&P) Mechanics Program, slated to be fully vetted and operational sometime in March of this year. This program requires mechanical, technical, and engineering knowledge at the highest levels, as lives depend on the competency of these graduates when they enter the workforce, and there are plenty of opportunities right here in the Coastal Empire for qualified, skilled A&P mechanics.

Another program at Savannah Tech that is making great strides under Dr. Love’s administration is the Culinary Arts program. This is not where they train short-order cooks. This is The Culinary Institute of Savannah at Savannah Tech, and is a highly-respected culinary training center that produces top chefs and expert bakers whose products are second to none. It is quickly earning the respect of the industry and it is considered an excellent choice for a culinary education. At a recent soiree hosted by a popular Savannah publication, students from the Culinary Institute offered chocolate confections that stopped passersby in their tracks. Not only were these treats decadently delicious, they were dazzlingly beautiful and impressively original in design. They were almost too pretty to eat, but alas, when it comes to such dainties, the tongue trumps the eye every time.

But it’s not all candy and pastries. The Culinary Institute is in rapid expansion mode. Love and her leadership team are about to open a restaurant in historic downtown Savannah where second year culinary students will learn all aspects of the restaurant business first hand. They will staff and manage the main kitchen, table service, onsite bakery, and all related business functions of a first-rate, profitable eatery. They will also attend their classes in the restaurant facility. “It’s something I hope to expand into some non-credit class offerings,” said Love. “Tell people to come to Savannah for a week and take some cooking classes. Culinary tourism is becoming very popular around the country.”

Love says that the most exciting thing about her work is that no day is ever the same as another. “I get immediate positive gratification from what we do here,” said Love. “This morning, I spent the first half of my day with our Aviation Programs. In the afternoon, it was the Culinary Arts Program and Baking and Pastry Arts.” Love enjoys interacting with the businesses that provide internships for students and hire her graduates. “I get to see how what we do at Savannah Technical College impacts their lives,” she said. “I also get to see how our graduates impact the vibrancy of our area employers. Nothing is the same from one day to the next. I really enjoy that.”

Savannah Tech doesn’t waste resources on slick sales techniques, according to Love. “We spend our money on teachers, equipment, supplies, and infrastructure,” she said. “We make sure that our students keep in touch with the employers they have worked with during their academic program, so that they have a job. If they want to work, there’s a job out there for them, and we help place them.”