Master Automotive, with two dealerships in Augusta, GA, and Aiken, SC, announced it committed $500,000 to Augusta Technical College in Georgia towards the establishment of the new Automotive Institute at the college’s expanded campus. The donation will fund the development of a state-of-the-art facility designed to elevate automotive training to national standards, reported WRDW/WAGT News.

Located at the former Johnson Cadillac site on 1122 Walton Way in Augusta, the institute is set to commence its first classes in the fall of 2025.

Currently, Augusta Tech offers a diploma and various technical certificates in automotive technology. With the addition of the new institute, the college plans to broaden its educational programs to include specialties such as auto body and collision, and light, medium and heavy diesel technologies. Augusta Tech also intends to incorporate automotive industry classes into its associates degrees within the School of Business.

Spanning 65,000 square feet, the new Automotive Institute will significantly expand beyond the current 10,000 square feet dedicated to the automotive program.

In a gesture complementing the corporate donation, Augusta Technical College President Dr. Jermaine Whirl, along with his wife Marqueta, have pledged $10,000 to establish the Dr. Jermaine Whirl Presidential Leadership Scholarship. This scholarship will annually benefit the student elected as president of the college’s Student Government Association. Rashell Tanner has been named as the inaugural recipient.

The institute will also bear the name Jim Hudson Automotive Institute, following a $1 million donation from the Jim Hudson Automotive Group. Additional significant contributions include $1 million each from the Augusta National Golf Club and the Knox Foundation, which have been instrumental in acquiring the facility.

“Together with partners like Will Schafer at Master Automotive, we are building a national model for automotive training,” Whirl said.

“There is a major need for a facility such as this in our community and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Schafer, owner of Master Automotive.

The development of the Automotive Institute is one of the “big 5” projects poised to position Augusta Technical College as a premier educational destination in the realm of automotive training.