Pierpont Community & Technical College (Pierpont) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

Fairmont, West Virginia Fairmont is a city in and county seat of Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Fairmont Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marion County, a ...

. Founded in 1974, it has the second largest enrollment of the community and technical colleges that make up the

West Virginia Community and Technical College System West Virginia Community and Technical College System is a statewide system of nine regional community colleges serving the state of West Virginia. It was created to bring uniformity to the state's system of community colleges. Previously some are ...

. The college serves 13 counties in North Central West Virginia (Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Taylor and Upshur) with classes offered at more than 15 locations throughout the region. Its headquarters is located in

. The student/faculty ratio is 17:1. Pierpont is part of the state's growing high technology corridor with a metro area of about 50,000 residents. With an enrollment of more than 3,000, Pierpont offers more than 40 associate degree programs, skill sets and one-year certificates. It specializes in preparing students in two years or less for practical hands-on careers and provides non-credit enrichment courses for individuals and customized workplace trainings for local employers.

History

The college was first formed in 1974 as Fairmont State Community & Technical College; it was originally a component of Fairmont State College. In 2006, it was renamed Pierpont Community & Technical College after Francis H. Pierpont and it became a division of

Fairmont State University Fairmont State University is a public university in Fairmont, West Virginia. History Fairmont State University’s roots reach back to the formation of public education in the state of West Virginia. The first private normal school in West Vir ...

. The following year, it became independent and was placed under the direction of its own board of governors.

Campus

Pierpont is headquartered at the Advanced Technology Center (ATC) main campus at the I-79 Technology Park in

. Fairmont, the seat of government for Marion County, is located approximately 90 miles south of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and has a population of about 19,000. Pierpont offers a variety of courses at more than 15 sites in North Central West Virginia, including the Braxton County Center in

Flatwoods, West Virginia Flatwoods is a town in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, located approximately one mile from exit 67 of Interstate 79. The population of Flatwoods was 264 as of the 2020 census. History Although first incorporated in 1902, maps show ...

and the Lewis County Center in

Weston, West Virginia Weston is a city in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,943 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County, and home to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum ...

. Through its Center for Workforce Education, the college provides workforce training and community education for its 13-county region. Pierpont operates the Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Education Center in

Bridgeport, West Virginia Bridgeport is a city in eastern Harrison County, West Virginia, Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Clarksburg micropolitan area. The town of Bridgeport had its beginning i ...

which offers programs in flight and aviation maintenance. It also offers classes at the Gaston Caperton Center, a satellite campus in

Clarksburg, West Virginia Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,039 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg micro ...

. Pierpont officially opened the ATC on October 31, 2016. The ATC is a 55,000+ square foot facility housing such Pierpont programs as IT/CyberSecurity, Petroleum Technology, Power Plant Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Electrical Utility Technology, Health Information Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Respiratory Care.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Education in Marion County, West Virginia Buildings and structures in Marion County, West Virginia West Virginia Community and Technical College System 1974 establishments in West Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1974