Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president on left, and Dr. Bill Seymour, Cleveland State president, signed dual admissions / reverse transfer agreements on Tuesday at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The presidents of Cleveland State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University signed agreements Tuesday to make it easier for community college students to transfer and successfully earn an advanced degree at the university.
Cleveland State President Dr. Bill Seymour and MTSU President Dr. Sidney A. McPhee authorized agreements creating dual admissions and reverse transfer options between the community college — with a main campus in Cleveland and two satellite campuses — and MTSU, located in Murfreesboro.
The agreement signing occurred at the Chattanooga Convention Center, where the first leg of MTSU’s nine-city True Blue Tour was held later featuring a reception for prospective students and their guests and luncheon for area high school counselors and community college staff.
The agreement helps establish programs to promote successful experiences for students wanting to complete a degree, said officials. Cleveland State students can now interact with MTSU advisers and have access to faculty and programs within their proposed majors. Students completing an associate degree will be granted access to register early for university classes.
“We are excited about this new partnership with MTSU,” stated Dr. Seymour. “This program really is a win/win for both institutions, but more importantly it is a win/win for our students. They are the ones reaping the benefits from the opportunities that exist at both institutions.”
Dr. McPhee said, “This provides an opportunity to build an even stronger relationship with Cleveland State and our joint mission for student success so more Tennesseans graduate from college and support the state’s objective of producing a more educated workforce. We want there to be a smooth transition for students who transfer to MTSU from Cleveland State.”
Another element of the agreements is reverse transfer.
A student completing MTSU courses can transfer those credits back to Cleveland State to help meet requirements for an associate degree. For more information, visit Cleveland State’s website at www.clevelandstatecc.edu or email transfer@mtsu.edu or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/apply.
MTSU, the largest and oldest institution in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, also has established dual-admission programs with Nashville State, Chattanooga State, Dyersburg State, Motlow State, Jackson State, Roane State and Northeast State community colleges. It offers more than 150 programs including recording industry, Concrete Industry Management, aerospace, business and mechatronics engineering.
Cleveland State is a TBR college offering a wide variety of two-year degrees and one-year certificates. Many associate degrees are part of the Tennessee Transfer Pathways program, which guarantees graduates entry into select college and university programs as a junior. Specific areas of study include the humanities and social sciences, math and science, business and technology and health, wellness and nursing. The college serves Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties with campuses in Cleveland, Athens and Madisonville.