Georgia Tech to move campus to Athens, GA.

Atlanta, GA (AP) - Today the Georgia Institute of Technology is announcing its intention to move its campus facilities to nearby Athens, Georgia. Classes at the new Athens campus are scheduled to begin August 21, 2000. According to Georgia Tech president Dr. William Cluff, the move is in response to several needs currently facing Tech and Athens area:

• A major university for Athens: the Athens area now will have a major center of higher education within its own community. Until now, students in the Athens area wishing to further their education after high school had to travel to Atlanta in order to pursue a credible college degree program. "Just think of the savings in commuting time and gas," commented Cluff.

• Athens to get a major athletics program: Something the Athens area has been desiring for many decades will finally come true -- the area will have a nationally respected college athletics program, one with a winning tradition. Local Athens residents, in anticipation of the move, are already buying Georgia Tech merchandise at a rapid rate. George P. Burdell, an Athens area sporting goods retailer, relates, "I mean we've always sold a lot of Georgia Tech related goods here in Athens, but now I can't even keep anything in stock. As soon as I get anything in, be it a Buzz hat, toothbrush, or even the popular Buzz twin bed sheet set, Bam! they're sold."

• A huge profit for Tech: Land prices around Georgia Tech's midtown location have skyrocketed in the past year and the Institute stands to make a multibillion dollar profit from the sale of the campus. The most likely bidder for the land is the neighboring Varsity restaurant who intends to convert the campus into additional drive-in parking. Also, developer Tad Anderson has expressed interest in purchasing the land in order to convert it to a giant billboard along side I-75/85.

• Ample parking: A move to Athens will solve the ongoing parking problem that plagues the Tech community. The current plan involves converting about 400 acres of farm land next to the new site into a massive parking lot. "Disney World"-like trams will be employed to shuttle students to and from their cars. According to Dr. Cluff, "It's a great idea, and certainly Disney has had a lot of success with it. At our current location in downtown Atlanta, we just couldn't get the land necessary for the plan. There's plenty of land available in Athens."