Dr. Harley Knowles, president of Tennessee Wesleyan College, and Dr. Bill Seymour, president of Cleveland State Community College, signed a Dual Admission agreement between the two colleges on Wednesday, Jan. 28. This agreement allows students to enroll concurrently at Cleveland State and Tennessee Wesleyan, providing students the opportunity to complete an Associate’s degree at Cleveland State and progress directly to a Bachelor’s degree at Tennessee Wesleyan.
Created partly in response to the Tennessee Promise, which guarantees every Tennessee student two free years at a community college, this agreement provides students a seamless pathway from an Associate’s degree to a Bachelor’s degree, while allowing them to experience the benefits of both institutions.
“The Tennessee Promise can really be a win-win for everybody,” Dr. Seymour said. “The ultimate concept is it gets more students in the pipeline of higher education. The more students that get in that pipeline, that’s more students to have available to be educated.”
As students begin their higher education experience, the Dual Admission agreement provides extra opportunities for students to receive advising at both colleges, as well as to take advantage of the resources offered by both schools. This agreement is expected to contribute to the community by providing easier access to higher education for local citizens.
“That whole educational pipeline can be right here and serve this region, and it’s great for economic development,” Dr. Knowles said. “It is two institutions that are teaming up to make a difference in this community. If they can get all of their education needs met, post-secondary, and they can do it through Cleveland State and Tennessee Wesleyan, we want them to hopefully stay right here. It’s great for the quality of life to have these wonderful students live in the community.”
Though this agreement is the first of its kind for Tennessee Wesleyan, several other colleges have made similar agreements in the past. This agreement is exceptional, however, in the two types of schools it links together.
“I think it’s unique that a small, private church-related college like Tennessee Wesleyan and a public community college like Cleveland State can come together and have this kind of agreement,” Dr. Seymour said. “I think it says a lot about our region, and what it says most importantly is that our primary purpose, regardless of different missions, is that we want to put the students first. We want to provide opportunities to the people who live in this region and make a difference in their lives, and also, at the same time, make an impact on our economy and our workforce. That’s what we’re all about.”
Cleveland State and Tennessee Wesleyan have a long history of collaborating to ensure the success of local students, and this agreement is expected to heighten that relationship.
“We are so happy to have this continuing partnership, and an even stronger one,” Dr. Suzanne Hine, Tennessee Wesleyan Vice President of Academic Affairs, said. “I didn’t think that was possible, but this today makes it even better.”
Dr. Hine worked with Dr. Denise King of Cleveland State to determine the details of this agreement and to ensure the seamless implementation of this program.
“We have a long history that we’re building on and this is just the next step in this relationship for the benefit of our students and benefit of our region,” Dr. King said.
Students who are granted admission into this program will receive student ID cards for both campuses, allowing them access to both colleges’ libraries and other resources for the extent of their involvement with the program. This allows students to double their available resources and to begin their relationship with Tennessee Wesleyan College from the time they first enroll at Cleveland State.
“Imagine how exciting this is from a student’s point of view,” Dr. Knowles said. “You can really double your educational value by participating in both institutions, and we get to develop a relationship with some really top students. This just gives us an opportunity to get to know them earlier and inculcate them into our community, so that they can be a part of our family a little bit earlier.”
Tennessee Wesleyan College is a comprehensive liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church.