Tanglewood Mall To Become College Campus

Virginia's State Council of Higher Education has unanimously approved the establishment of a new Miller-Motte Technical College at a renovated Goody’s retail space in the Tanglewood Mall (right). The college will also use space on the lower-level, where both Crystal Cottage and Hayden Music used to reside. Both stores have relocated inside the mall in order to make room for Miller-Motte.

The stated mission of Miller-Motte is to “maximize educational opportunities through fundamental and specialized studies, as well as develop professional attitudes and awareness of contemporary business and technical practices,” according to its literature.

The new campus will be the 40th in Delta Career Education Corporation system and is slated to begin enrolling students in January 2011. At its peak, the new Tanglewood campus is expected to enroll nearly 600 full-time students.

Construction at the former Goody’s location should begin in late August and is expected to be open for operation by early December. The building will have spacious classrooms, well-equipped labs with state of the art technology and a café-style student lounge.

Between the former Crystal Cottage, Hayden Music and Goody’s locations, Miller-Motte will occupy 27,866 square feet of classroom, lab and office space. Says Michael Soloway, Tanglewood Mall Marketing Manager, “Both Crystal Cottage and Hayden Music now have more advantageous spots inside the Mall, and we increase Mall traffic, which benefits all of our retail stores.”

There are already 15 other Miller-Motte campuses located throughout the Southeast. Established in Wilmington, N.C. in 1916, the Miller-Motte campus in Lynchburg has existed since 1929.

The schools are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.