TBR Community Colleges 

The 13 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents system comprise all two-year public institutions in Tennessee.  Each community college has a specific service area as shown in the maps linked here (maps are in Microsoft Powerpoint). The colleges are

Chattanooga State Technical Community College
Cleveland State Community College
Columbia State Community College
Dyersburg State Community College
Jackson State Community College
Motlow State Community College
Nashville State Technical Community College
Northeast State Technical Community College
Pellissippi State Technical Community College
Roane State Community College
Southwest Tennessee Community College
Volunteer State Community College
Walters State Community College

These 13 institutions have unique strengths that serve as their hallmark.  Tennessee Board of Regents’ community colleges have remained flexible and responsive to stakeholders’ needs in order to meet changing demographic, technological, and workforce development needs, including the growing importance of nontraditional pathways through college, commitment to access in order to increase the educational attainment level of the citizens, and the constant and continuous search for new markets and students.  Thus, TBR community colleges serve multiple missions, each directed at addressing the specific needs of varying constituencies.  Programs at TBR community colleges are broad in scope and include basic adult education, remedial and developmental education, career education, transfer to baccalaureate programs, customized training for business, preparation for industry certification, small business development activities, and other types of education initiatives.

TBR community colleges offer access to 357 workforce development programs.  In fact, approximately 93% of the programs offered at TBR 2-year institutions are workforce development programs.  In 2002, TBR community colleges offer 131 technical certificates and 226 associate of applied science programs.  In 2002, these programs graduated 1,260 people with associate of applied science degrees. These programs ensure that students are well prepared to enter the workforce with the requisite skills and knowledge to become immediately employable.  In 2002 alone, TBR community colleges graduated 452 students with associate’s degrees in nursing, helping address the critical statewide shortage of nurses.

One of the functions served by TBR community colleges is to encourage transfer through the associate of arts and associate of science degrees.  In 2002, 5,779 students graduated with either the AA or AS degree.  The transfer rate from the community colleges through the university parallel majors was 47.1% in 1999-2000. 

TBR community colleges often welcome students who are the first in their families to attend a postsecondary institution to obtain a degree.  In fall 2002, Motlow State Community College surveyed new students during orientation.  Of those attending, 38% indicated that their mothers and fathers had not attended college of any type.  TBR community colleges provide accessibility to many first-generation students and, through transfer, create opportunities for those families with no college graduates to enjoy the benefits of having family members graduate with bachelor’s and, perhaps, advanced degrees.