Augusta Technical College

In less than a year, Augusta Tech has received four $1 million gifts. While the previous three gifts from the Knox Foundation, Augusta National Golf Course and Jim Hudson Automotive Group all enabled the Augusta Tech Foundation to acquire a facility that will become the Jim Hudson Automotive Technology Institute, the new gift from the T. R. & N. Reddy Foundation will support advanced manufacturing and engineering technology through student scholarships, academic programming, and some capital projects.

The donation from Mr. and Mrs. Reddy comes on the heels of the college’s recent announcement of the development of a new 81,000 square foot advanced manufacturing and engineering technology building that will be built in Columbia County, Georgia with support from Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia State Legislature.

"My wife Niranjini and I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the growth of Augusta Tech and its contribution to Augusta in general, particularly the young population, to equip them with technical qualifications, be it for their careers and/or to become entrepreneurs," stated Mr. T.R. Reddy. "We hope these funds will help those who otherwise may not be able to acquire the skills."

In honor of this pledge, the college's academic school will be renamed the T.R. Reddy School of Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Technology.

"The Augusta Tech Family is elated and appreciative of this transformative gift provided by T.R. and his wife Niranjini. This gift is timely as the college seeks to grow the workforce exponentially in the areas of advanced manufacturing, industrial, and engineering technology. This gift will leave an indelible legacy for the next generation of Augusta Tech graduates for years to come," stated College President Dr. Jermaine Whirl.

"You may not be born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but you can get one and decide how long you want your spoon to be.” Those words were passed down to Diane Cook-Jackson from her grandmother.

“Additionally, my mother instilled in us that education would open doors for us and give us a job,” Ms. Cook-Jackson recalls. “We could get our own silver spoon.” As African American women, they were committed to advancing themselves and their families.

Her mother made sure all three of her children went to college, even though her own education had been delayed. She retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and thought she might be too old to go to school. Instead, she received academic credit for her years of experience and went on to complete her degree.

“She made better grades than all of us!” Ms. Cook-Jackson remembers with a laugh. Her mother also helped provide access for others. She led the NAACP youth chapter and encouraged young people to get an education. She went out of her way to find scholarships for them, too.

So, when her mother passed in 2015, Ms. Cook-Jackson knew exactly how she should use some of the money her mother left her: she started a scholarship fund at Augusta Tech in her memory. Having worked for decades in Adult Education at the college, Ms. Cook-Jackson has helped people of all ages who are pursuing their GED. She set up the Annie L. Henderson-Cook Scholarship to encourage students who complete their GED to enroll in for-credit college programs.

“Augusta Tech can provide that silver spoon for every student and give them an opportunity for a better life,” she says. “If you come to Augusta Tech, you can have the lifestyle you want, leave here with little or no debt, and, if you want, you can continue to go even further with your education.”

Delester Brown Jr. is always thinking ahead. As a teenager, he chose Augusta Tech after witnessing his mother Denise J. Davis’s experience as a student here. “I knew I would get the kind of hands-on experience with professors who were actively working in their fields that I couldn’t get at a four-year institution.”

Now, he’s planning even further ahead for his daughters, three-year-old Ziva and one-year-old Eleta. Before they were born, he and his wife Felicia saw a report that the average 35-year-old woman has the confidence of a nine-year-old. It influenced their parenting decisions. “We want to build our daughters up. We want them to be comfortable with problem solving,” he said. To that end, they are investing in their daughters’ education. In addition to baby dolls and dress up, they have books and toys to learn about block chain, economics, STEM and more. Ziva and Eleta even have little doctor’s uniforms. “Representation matters,” their father says. “Diversity matters. My own education has a lot of variety because it helps me see how the world is changing and be better prepared for it.”

In addition to his AAS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Augusta Tech, Dr. Brown has earned a B.S. in Electronic Engineering Technology from DeVry, an M.S. in Network and Communications Management from Keller School of Management, and a Doctorate in computer science from Colorado Technical University. “My professors at Augusta Tech introduced me to a broad spectrum in engineering. They helped me understand that I needed to learn more if I wanted to be in full control over my own projects.”

Today, as the Chief Data Officer for the National Guard Bureau, Dr. Brown brings these values to his work. “I always try to build a diverse team with a wide range of skills because we can solve more problems that way.”

Last year, Dr. Brown was one of 10 alumni to be inducted into the second class of Augusta Tech’s Den of Distinction.