Dr. James Noseworthy of Hiwassee College and Dr. Thomas Armstrong of Tennessee Wesleyan sign agreement. Click to enlarge.
photo by Hiwassee College
Under the leadership of their new presidents, Tennessee Wesleyan College of Athens and Hiwassee College of Madisonville have entered into a joint articulation agreement to encourage cooperation and collaboration between the two colleges that will benefit students in the areas of academics and student life, officials said.
The agreement was made official during a Feb. 6 signing ceremony, which was attended by officials from both colleges and dignitaries of the United Methodist Holston Conference.
Terms of the new agreement will allow students to transfer easily between each college through curriculum coordination and dual enrollment. It also calls for joint student life programs in the areas of leadership training, international programs and religious life. In addition, presidents from both colleges will hold joint meetings at least twice a year to work together on these common initiatives.
Both presidents said they feel that this gesture of cooperation is important to the success of both colleges due to their proximity to one another and common identities as private, residential United Methodist colleges affiliated with the Holston Conference.
Hiwassee College President Dr. James A. Noseworthy agrees that the move will build on common strengths.
“As sister institutions about 25 miles apart, this new initiative will build on our common mission of church-related higher education in the United Methodist tradition,” said Dr. Noseworthy. “It offers a common benefit to our students by sharing resources in the areas of curriculum, student activities and religious life and can strengthen programs at both colleges through common support. It will also make it easier for Hiwassee students to see Tennessee Wesleyan as the next logical step after they receive their great beginning with us for their first two years of college.”
Tennessee Wesleyan College President Dr. Thomas Armstrong calls this agreement a “step forward” in extending a tradition of shared values.
“Tennessee Wesleyan College and Hiwassee College share a long tradition of providing church-related education to the students of East Tennessee,” said Dr. Armstrong. “It makes sense that we should work more closely together and make it easier for students to transfer from Hiwassee - a two-year college - to Tennessee Wesleyan College. This general agreement between the two institutions is an important step forward in extending that shared history and a shared purpose.”
Hiwassee officials said spring 2004 enrollment increased eight percent from last spring to 391 students, indicating increased success in retaining students from the fall semester.
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Hiwassee College is a coeducational college affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church and is Tennessee’s only residential, private, two-year, liberal arts college. Since 1849, Hiwassee College has been dedicated to providing an educational environment for students to fulfill their intellectual, social and spiritual potentials. Working and learning on Hiwassee’s 400 acres of sprawling hills are approximately 450 students and 125 faculty and staff.
Tennessee Wesleyan College, founded in Athens, Tennessee in 1857, is a four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. The school and its dedicated faculty and staff are committed to quality education in a caring atmosphere.