Haslam Visits Cleveland State On Monday

Governor Haslam chose to visit Cleveland State Community College campus on Monday to welcome the first class of Tennessee Promise recipients as they begin their college careers.  In addition to speaking at a press conference, he also visited with students enrolled in the First Year Seminar classes during his visit.  

Governor Haslam stated, “We could not be more excited about this day! This is the culmination of first, a dream, and then a vision and a plan to provide a whole different opportunity for a lot of people in Tennessee. What we want to do in Tennessee is make certain that we give everybody an opportunity to fulfill their whole potential. We also want to make certain that all these companies that are coming to Tennessee have the workers they need. This is all motivated by a realization that ten years from now 55 percent of the jobs that will exist out there will require a two year degree or certificate.”  

Dr. Bill Seymour, Cleveland State president, said, “Today is a very special day because this is the first day our students are back on campus for our new academic year, but also because today is the first day that Tennessee Promise students are on campus. It is even more special because we are very fortunate to have Governor Haslam on our campus on this historic occasion to celebrate the official commencement of a program that is changing higher education in our state for the better and leading the nation in a new movement.” 

Governor Haslam established the Tennessee Promise last year as both a scholarship and mentoring program. The goal of this program is to provide high school graduates the opportunity to attend a community or technical college tuition free. It provides students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or state student assistance funds. This has resulted in 55,000 students who have taken the Tennessee Promise and an unprecedented increase in financial aid submissions across the state.  

Dr. Seymour went on to state, “I started here in Jan. of 2014. Two weeks after I started the governor provided his state of the state address where he gave his vision for Tennessee Promise. I knew right then it was a good time to be the president of a community college but since that day, CSCC has been intentionally and strategically planning for this very day. I think that while we’ll all agree that it is important to get students to apply for Tennessee Promise and arrive here at our doors, it is even more important that we do everything possible to make sure that they are successful.”  

In order to ensure success, Tennessee Promise students are given a mentor to assist them in the college application process and meet the requirements in order to receive the scholarship.  

During the press conference, Governor Haslam had the opportunity to hear from a few of the Tennessee Promise recipients first-hand about what the Promise means to them.  

Cleveland High School Graduate Haley Hodgson said, “It was about mid-way through my senior year when I found out about the Tennessee Promise for the first time. It was such a blessing and a relief to know that I could finish my first two years of college debt free. When I transfer to a four-year university, I will be able to complete my elementary education degree at half the cost I would have paid if Tennessee Promise had not been created.” 

Ms. Hodgson concluded her speech by thanking the governor and the legislators for this amazing opportunity. “I am honored to be a member of the first class of Tennessee Promise Scholarship recipients.” 

Another student, Matthew Bryant, graduate of Walker Valley High School, spoke about his experience with his mentor through the Tennessee Promise, Dr. Danny Hayes.  Mr. Bryant is a pre-med major and was coincidentally assigned a doctor as a mentor.  

“Dr. Hayes was very helpful in regards to transitioning from high school to college.  He has kept in touch with me, not only on the important paperwork aspect, but also in furthering my career in the workforce. Dr. Hayes helped me set up an internship with a local physician, Dr. Mazza, at Physician’s First because of my interest in medicine. This opportunity was so great for me because I want to go into medicine, but it gives me a different viewpoint—not just from a patient, but also a doctor’s standpoint.” 

Mr. Bryant added, “The opportunities that Tennessee Promise gives high school graduates is amazing.” 

Dr. Seymour thanked Governor Haslam for his vision, and also state and local officials, the governor’s staff, Mike Krause, executive director of the Drive to 55 and Tennessee Promise, Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves, the rest of the staff of tnAchieves, Chancellor Morgan, the regents, and the thousands of mentors who have supported the students along the way. He also said a special thank you to Allan Jones, who could not be at the ceremony.  

“Allan and his wife, Janey, have single handedly supported the bradleyAchieves program at Cleveland State for the past few years, so we owe them a great deal of gratitude, and their work has really helped promote the whole concept of Tennessee Promise.” 

Governor Haslam concluded the ceremony when he told Dr. Seymour that he would like to be the commencement speaker when the first class of Tennessee Promise students graduate.   

Overall, Cleveland State is up 6.5 percent in full time equivalents for the fall semester. The number of new freshmen coming specifically from the 11 high schools in the Cleveland State service area is up 24 percent.   

For additional information on the Tennessee Promise, visit the website at www.tnpromise.gov.