KINGSPORT -- Tusculum College representatives were part of a groundbreaking on Monday that brings a long-standing Northeast Tennessee higher education ambition closer to reality.

Regional leaders in government, business and education broke ground on the new Kingsport Center for Higher Education (KCHE) in a morning ceremony.

The $12.9 million project calls for Northeast State Technical Community College to operate the facility and offer the first two years of core college courses.

Participating universities and colleges, including Tusculum College, would then offer their bachelor's and master's programs, with degrees being in the name of the university or college offering the program.

The city of Kingsport will build a 54,000 square-foot technologically modern higher education center at the corner of Clay and Market streets in its downtown area.

The center will be able to accommodate approximately 800 students and will include a 220-seat auditorium, two 60-seat lecture halls, classrooms, a media center and physical science labs.

Along with Tusculum College, King College, Lincoln Memorial University, Carson-Newman, and the University of Tennessee are also participating. Northeast State is in discussions with other possible participants.

Among those symbolically turning dirt with a shovel was Tusculum College Provost Dr. Kimberly Estep.

Estep said, "Tusculum College is honored to have the opportunity to join the Association of Founding Partners of the Kingsport Center for Higher Education.

"As Tusculum has been offering academic programs to working adults in East Tennessee since 1984, we believe our programs are ideal for the students who will complete their college degrees at this new center. We look forward to the opportunity to work with the other founding partners to provide enhanced educational opportunities for the people living in the Kingsport area."

More than 100 people attended Monday's ceremony for the KCHE -- city and chamber officials, state legislators, college and university representatives and people interested in the future of downtown all gathered to witness the official start of building a higher education center in downtown Kingsport.

"If you have the right people who have passion, you can really accomplish so much more than you ever dream of accomplishing," said former Kingsport Mayor Jeanette Blazier. "This is a very good day."

The facility will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified green higher education building in the state.

The charter colleges and universities plan to offer more than 70 associate degrees, eight baccalaureate degrees, 10 master's degrees and one educational specialist program. The plan is for all coursework to be available in the center.

J.A. Street and Associates, the builder, is almost ready to begin work on the site. Plans call for the KCHE to be open for the fall semester of 2009.