A grant of $12,000 was announced September 15 by Rural Development Area Director Faye Rodgers and Columbia State President Janet Smith. The Rural Business Enterprise Grant will supplement $7,600 provided by Columbia State to fund the installation of software and provide instructor training in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) programs. Columbia State can then provide classes in GIS to help local governments and agencies in Maury, Hickman, Wayne, Marshall, Lawrence, Giles, Lewis, and Perry Counties. GIS can help governments answer questions and solve questions by looking at their data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.

Want a degree in less than 18 months? "We should be shouting from the rooftops that working adults can get their degree fast and conveniently through Columbia State’s Accelerated Business Management program," says student Deborah Schubert. Classes are available at all five Columbia State locations: Columbia, Williamson County, Lawrence County, Lewisburg and Clifton. Classes are held one-night-per-week for the entire program. Each class is five weeks long and includes an internet component. The same group of students are together the entire program and classes are predetermined. For more information, call (615) 790-5676 or e-mail hbrew@columbiastate.edu.