(NOTE: Click on image for a hi-res version of the photo) Pictured from left to right: President of Southeastern Louisiana University Dr. John Crain, Superintendent of St. Helena Parish Schools Dr. Kelli Joseph, NTCC Director William Wainwright, LCTCS Board Member Stephen Smith, LCTCS Board Member Helen Bridges-Carter, LCTCS Board Member Edwards Barham, Campus Dean Sharon Hornsby, LCTCS Board Chair Michael Murphy, LCTCS President Dr. Joe May, Senator Ben Nevers, Greensburg Mayor Burke Jones, and Robert J. Carter.

BATON ROUGE, La. - Today, officials from Northshore Technical Community College, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), distinguished guests and other community leaders gathered in Greensburg to cut the ribbon on the new facility of the Florida Parishes campus.

Approximately 300 individuals from the community attended and witnessed the long-awaited grand opening for the campus. Also included in the ceremony and providing remarks was local legislator Sen. Ben Nevers as well as local community leaders and LCTCS Board Members Helen Bridges Carter and Stephen Smith.

"This is truly a momentous occasion for the Northshore community and we're grateful to be able to provide this new state of the art facility. With every new building, I think about the lives and communities we are impacting here and across Louisiana. It means more training opportunities for the citizens of the Florida Parishes region and a skilled workforce to support local business and industry," said LCTCS President Joe D. May. "We appreciate everything Gov. Bobby Jindal, the members of the Louisiana Legislature, and citizens of this community did to make this campus a reality."

The new Florida Parishes Campus is 46,000 square-feet and sits on 58.3-acres of land on Highway 1042. Construction began in February 2011. The new campus is a part of the first phase of the Act 391 facilities project, which was passed during the 2007 Legislative Session and includes 23 projects for 14 community and technical colleges throughout the state and a total bond package of $173.7 million.

"Today's Ribbon Cutting ceremony marks a significant event for the Greater Northshore and Florida Parishes region as a new campus will expand student success and access to higher education opportunities. I would like to thank our Governor, System President and Board, and the Northshore Delegation for their vision and leadership in building a stronger Louisiana by advancing workforce training and higher education opportunities for citizens of our great state," said William Wainwright, Director of Northshore Technical Community College.

Northshore Technical Community College has experienced continued growth over the past several years. In Fall 2011, the college enrolled 3,349 students. Expanded online course offerings, new program development, and extensive efforts to align programs with labor market demand have been contributors to growth. Criminal Justice, nursing, welding, and business are among the most popular programs. Additional non-credit training supporting Louisiana's mining industry is also provided by the campus.