Ashland Technical College automotive technology students to learn race car mechanics
Ashland Daily Independent
Ashland Technical College automotive technology students to learn race car mechanics
ASHLAND - An aging Buick that student mechanics have poked and prodded for years stands a chance of becoming a hot race car someday.
Ashland Technical College is incorporating racing mechanics into its automotive technology program.
The 1987 Grand National, part of the school's training fleet for 15 years, will be the project car for the new endeavor.
The plan is to continue training students in the basics of fixing cars while teaching them how to work on high performance vehicles, too.
Over the next few months, they'll beef up the engine and transmission, suspension and fuel systems, turning the stodgemobile into a screaming race track demon.
Not that ATC is hoping to turn out a crop of race car mechanics. Dreams of turning wrenches on a NASCAR pit crew are about as likely to come true as those of playing in the NBA, auto mechanics instructors said.
But the market for skilled mechanics is hot, with dealers both locally and around the country clamoring for workers, they said.
And students can use their high-performance skills to build race cars of their own.
``We want to put some fun in the program. A student can learn to make a living and have a hobby, too," said instructor Doug Vanover. ``They'll learn what they're supposed to and have fun doing it," he said.
With the labor market wide open - ``I could put six to eight graduates to work today," Vanover said - ATC hopes to attract more students to the program with the race car. Decision-making will be integral to building the racer, and instructors plan to involve students in making those choices. ``They'll learn why we make changes to systems to make them more effective," he said.
Since most newer cars incorporate features taken from the racing world, students will be getting valuable training, said Al Caproni, a former full-time instructor at the school who continues to teach auto technology part-time.
Besides, race cars are important to most mechanically-inclined young men, said Caproni, who has worked on them all his life. ``I don't know why, but every young boy wants to race," he said.
The ones who learn their craft in school will have the advantage, said Caproni. He learned through a lifetime of experience.
``They'll have one step up on me," he said.
Students are looking forward to getting under the Buick's hood. ``It will be really cool. I'd like some more experience," said J.R. Ishee, 18, of Grayson, who will be starting his second semester in auto mechanics.
``It will give me something to look forward to - to make the car the best," he said.
James ``Smiley" Montgomery, 46, of Wheelersburg, also is returning for his second semester in the program and thinks tinkering with the Buick could help him.
He thinks of auto mechanics as a fall-back profession, but sees definite possibilities for his spare time. ``I'm hoping to learn something that maybe would help me on my own project," he said.
Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville
The West Regional Postsecondary Education Center -- a satellite campus of Murray State University -- is anticipating student enrollment to reach 350 for classes this fall at the new classroom facility on Fort Campbell Boulevard.
Kelly Morse, interim director of the Hopkinsville campus, said she and her staff are scheduled to move into the recently completed building on Tuesday.
Classes start Aug. 21, with students asked to enter the campus through the main entrance. A dedication ceremony is planned for Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow at 3 p.m.
Already, about 300 students have registered for undergraduate and graduate classes at the extended site.
The new facility is designed to accommodate up to 1,200 students and consists of nine classrooms, a learning resource center and a multi–purpose room that can be used for student gatherings or community events.
"We are already getting calls for the multi–purpose room," Morse said.
Previously, classes at the Murray State–Hopkinsville extended site were housed in the Auditorium Building on the campus of Hopkinsville Community College on North Drive.
Undergraduate programs offered this fall include business administration, criminal justice, elementary education, independent studies, nursing and special education. Graduate studies are in education guidance and counseling, nursing, school administration and special education.
According to Morse, those courses are coordinated with the local community college so that HCC graduates can transition smoothly into Murray State's upper division curricula.
To attend classes, potential students first must gain admission. Forms are available at the new campus, as well as financial aid applications and other assistance.
Information also can be obtained by calling the center at 886–2378.
Once admitted, students may schedule classes through Murray State's Racer Touch telephone system at (270) 762–3500.
Instructors will teach classes either in the new classrooms, or some students will be taught from another campus via interactive television.
As for the Duncan House, which has been used for the school's administrative offices, the property will remain standing. Murray State officials are considering several options on how the house would be used.
"Tearing it down is not an option," Morse stressed. "It will be a part of the campus forever."