(FRANKLIN, Tenn. - July 20, 2012) - - - "There is a moment in every project where is it important that people think outside the box, dream big dreams and dare to talk about it," so says Janet Smith, Ph.D., president of Columbia State Community College.

That moment for the college begins on Thursday, Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m. as the public is invited to share their thoughts with the architect and college officials regarding the new Williamson County Columbia State Campus and higher education needs now and in the future. The informal meeting will take place at the existing Columbia State campus at 104 Claude Yates Drive in Franklin. The college is currently the next door neighbor to Franklin High School, but the state has purchased land for the new campus on Liberty Pike, near the intersection of Carothers.

The state-selected architect for the project is Bauer Askew. Representatives from the firm will be there to listen to the community's ideas about the needs of the community for higher education, now and in the future, as phase one develops and the master plan for the campus is conceived.

Columbia State's Williamson County campus enrolls about 1,600 students and has simply outgrown its current land-locked facility. When phase one of the campus opens in Dec. 2014, enrollment will grow to accommodate 2,000 students. Fully built, enrollment is expected to reach 6,000 students.

"The future of community college education is very bright," Smith said. "We are already partnering with 4-year universities to bring the junior and senior level."

"We are now at a point where business leaders, community folks and citizens interested in securing the best college-level programming for the community's future need to dream with us."

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. The Williamson County Campus has served Williamson County residents for more than 30 years, and currently serves more than 1,400 students in the various program areas of Nursing, EMT/Paramedic, Business Technology, Commercial Entertainment, and more.For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.