Tag Archives: Southwest Tennessee Community College

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Tennessee State University and Southwest Tennessee Community Agree on Seamless Student Transfer

President Glenda Glover, left, and President Nathan Essex, of Southwest Tennessee Community College, sign the Student Transfer Partnership Agreement. Witnessing the ceremony are, standing from left, Dr. John Cade, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Support Services; Karen F. Nippert, Southwest VP for Institutional Advancement; Dr. Sharon Peters, Director of Community College Initiative; Dr. Mark Hardy, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Southwest student Reginald Deon Woods; Barbara Roseborough, Southwest Provost and Executive Vice President; and Dr. Alisa Mosley, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. (photo byJohn Cross, TSU Media Relations)
President Glenda Glover, left, and President Nathan Essex, of Southwest Tennessee Community College, sign the Student Transfer Partnership Agreement. Witnessing the ceremony are, standing from left, Dr. John Cade, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Support Services; Karen F. Nippert, Southwest VP for Institutional Advancement; Dr. Sharon Peters, Director of Community College Initiative; Dr. Mark Hardy, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Southwest student Reginald Deon Woods; Barbara Roseborough, Southwest Provost and Executive Vice President; and Dr. Alisa Mosley, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. (photo byJohn Cross, TSU Media Relations)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With officials from the two institutions watching, Tennessee State University and Southwest Tennessee Community College Thursday signed an agreement that will allow students who complete two years at Southwest to transfer to TSU to complete their baccalaureate degree.

TSU President Glenda Glover and Southwest President Nathan Essex signed the Transfer Partnership Agreement during a ceremony on the Southwest campus in Memphis.

“This agreement is about two institutions taking steps to empower our students to be successful,” said Dr. Glover in an opening statement. “The agreement further strengthens our partnership, and gives Southwest students additional choices for aligning associate degrees with bachelor’s degrees through Tennessee State University.”

Referring to the agreement as “important and significant,” Southwest President Essex agreed with Dr. Glover’s assessment that it provides opportunities for students to be successful.

“We are here to ensure that our students are successful, and this partnership with Tennessee State University strengthens that effort,” Dr. Essex said, commending President Glover for her leadership. “She has done a phenomenal job in just two years, and her vision speaks well to the quality of her leadership.”

The agreement between the two institutions calls for the awarding of 10 two-year full TSU scholarships with preference to STEM majors, beginning fall 2015, The partnership also includes a dual-admission component that builds on the Tennessee Transfer Pathway, which is designed to help community college students plan for transferring to a Tennessee public university to complete their baccalaureate degree.

Two second-year Southwest pre-engineering students who attended the signing ceremony, see the agreement as timely and offers “much needed outlet” to complete their undergraduate degrees.

Reginald Deon Woods, a Computer Engineering major, and Christian Pavas, an Engineering Technology major, who plan to attend TSU at the completion of their associate degrees, said the University has the programs and offerings they need for their baccalaureate degrees.

“The opportunity to seamlessly transfer our credits and the scholarship opportunity the agreement offers are just great,” said Pavas. “I look forward to continuing my program at Tennessee State.”

Following the ceremony, President Glover spoke about the effort that went into bringing the agreement into fruition, giving special recognition to her senior administration including officials of the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and the Dean of the College of Engineering.

“I want to thank all of you for your work in helping us to bring this agreement into reality,” Dr. Glover said. “I want to particularly thank Dr. Sharon Peters (Director of Community College Initiative), and Dr. (S. Keith) Hargrove, the dean of the College of Engineering for working so diligently with Southwest Community College to bring about this agreement.”

The agreement is part of TSU’s on-going effort to reach out to all 13 community colleges around the state to develop long-lasting partnerships and relationships. Currently, there are agreements with Volunteer State, Nashville State, Columbia State, Motlow State Community Colleges, and soon Southwest Tennessee Community College. There are hopes to sign agreements with four additional institutions within the next year.

Among other TSU officials at the signing ceremony were Dr. Mark Hardy, vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. John Cade, interim vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Support Services; Dr. Alisa Mosley, associate vice president for Academic Affairs; and Kelli Sharp, assistant vice president for Public Relations and Communications.

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 42 undergraduate, 24 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Uncategorized

Tennessee State University to Sign Memorandum of Understanding with Southwest Tennessee Community College

Agreement to Build Partnership, Pipeline of Students to TSU

 

UpdatedFullLogoNASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will soon make it easier for West Tennessee community college students to attend the University and transfer all credits when TSU and Southwest Tennessee Community College sign an agreement to provide greater educational opportunities and services for students transferring between institutions.

swLogoThe two institutions will sign a Student Transfer Partnership Agreement Thursday, Sept. 11 that guarantees all the courses Southwest students complete on the Tennessee Transfer Pathways (TTP) will be accepted at TSU and count toward a baccalaureate degree. The agreement also awards 10 two-year full TSU scholarships in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The signing ceremony will take place on Southwest’s Macon Cove Campus in the Bornblum Library as part of TSU’s community outreach during the Annual Southern Heritage Classic celebration.

According to TSU President Glenda Glover, TSU has always had a strong presence in the West Tennessee area. The University, she said, wants to continue to build on the strong partnerships established in West Tennessee, and will now build stronger ties with SWTCC. The agreement strengthens the pipeline of students from the region to the University.

“We are excited to expand our educational opportunities for residents in the western part of the state and beyond,” said Dr. Glover. “They will have additional choices for aligning associate degrees with bachelor degrees through Tennessee State University. The relationship we are establishing is about the two institutions empowering our students to be successful.”

The terms of the agreement include the awarding of 10 two-year full TSU scholarships in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The scholarships begin fall 2015 and include tuition, room and board. The partnership also contains a dual admissions component that builds on the Tennessee Transfer Pathways, which was designed to help community college students plan for transferring to a Tennessee public university, such as TSU, to complete their baccalaureate degree.

According to University officials, TSU is now creating more partnerships and programs with community colleges, such as SWTCC around the state to help students transfer seamlessly to the University to complete a four-year degree. Under the Community College Initiative, students have more options to move them along through their educational career.

Dr. Sharon Peters, director of the Community College Initiative Program, said the new initiative “just makes sense and is truly one of those win-win situations for everyone involved.”

“More and more students are choosing to pursue community college, as opposed to a university, right out of high school or as a nontraditional student because community colleges tuition costs are 50 percent less than four-year institutions,” said Peters. “Once they get their associate degree they will enter TSU as a junior and spend two years here, providing them with an opportunity to get their four-year degree from TSU.”

According to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics, as of fall 2012, 40 percent of all college undergraduates were enrolled in community colleges. TSU, added Peters, is committed to partnering with the Tennessee community colleges to create programs and initiatives focused on increasing the number of students prepared for transfer to the University.

“These programs and initiatives raise student achievement levels, close achievement gaps and successfully prepare a diverse population of students for academic and professional success,” said Peters. “Transfer preparation programs provide services such as regular and sustained advising, mentoring and early identification to improve student outcomes.”

According to Peters, the University is reaching out to all 13 community colleges around the state to develop long-lasting partnerships and relationships. Currently there are agreements with Volunteer State, Nashville State, Columbia State, Motlow State Community Colleges, and soon Southwest Tennessee Community College. There are hopes to sign agreements with four additional institutions within the next year.

These new relationships and initiatives, Peters added, are programs that specifically focus on the Community Colleges and their needs, but also the needs of the larger community. And with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s “Drive to 55” education initiative, TSU is prime to help lead the way for not only higher education, but for workforce and economic development.

“Of course we want to see growth in the number of transfer students that choose TSU, and a growth in the number of partnerships. More importantly we want to see partnerships between community college faculty and university faculty whereby they engage in joint research and curriculum design,” Peters said. “These types of partnerships benefit the students, the community and the state in our effort to insure that the majority of our citizens have a college degree.”

 

 

 

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 42 undergraduate, 24 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.