James Nov-Dec 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 32
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a brand new tennis center that was also a joint project
with the city.
“We believe in strong, private colleges, but are very
interested in the public good. Sometimes people have a
hard time understanding private colleges in the context of a state, but we think we bring a lot of value that
compliments what the state universities can do. We do
it through a private framework, but we’re equally about
the public good. I think a strong educational system
involves both great public and private partners. In our
case, we have a lot of land, so we can contribute to the
health and the well-being of the Rome community. We
want it to be a place that’s thriving and we can help
make that happen.”
“It’s why we partnered on the tennis center. We
donated a good chunk of land to the city and through
us they built a 60-court tennis center with more indoor
courts. It has become one of the biggest amateur
tournament sites in the country. And that’s a great
economic development; a boon for the community that
brings in a lot of tourism, a lot of tax dollars. So that’s
one way we contribute to the community and help get
those tourists here.
“After the tennis courts had been open for several years, we began to run short of hotel rooms. So the
college then built a Fairfield Inn and Suites right next to
the tennis center, which we operate and which we use
students to help give them some great experiences,”
Briggs explains.
Then there’s senior living. The Spires, a non-profit
organization that Berry helped develop and get funded,
has 180 independent living units for apartment and
cottage style housing for a senior retirement community. There are also another 105 beds that offer different
kinds of medical support. Everything from assisted
living to skilled care to memory care units. There are
about 40 students that work over at The Spires and everything from fitness center to event planning to some
of Berry’s nursing students are there. Students also help
in the accounting office and human resources.
“We love to give our students real practical experience and we can do that through some of these joint
partnerships we develop,” Briggs says. “On a daily basis
Spires residents come to our basketball and football
games and our concerts and our lectures. As we say,
you get to go to college without any of the tests.”
There is also a preschool on campus, as well as an
elementary and middle school along with a campus
retirement center.
“We’re proud of how all those pieces fit together,”
Briggs concluded. “The education of the head, heart,
and hands. We try to combine great academics with
great work experience, along with a real sense of purpose about why you’re doing things and how it fits into
a bigger picture.”
Baker Owens is a staff writer for James and James Magazine Online.