Cleveland State Community College officials say they will offer a “sunny” welcome to both new and returning Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect students arriving on campus this week with a special celebration on Thursday during the college’s Convocation at 12:30 p.m. the L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium.
Under the theme “My Future’s So Bright,” Tennessee Promise and Reconnect students will be invited to participate in a variety of activities during the college’s annual Welcome to Campus celebrations, including writing down their visions of their futures on a special banner and taking a “future selfie” dressed in graduation attire or other gear associated with their future careers.
A limited number of sunglasses will also be given away to attendees.
“As the second class of Tennessee Promise students arrive, and the first class returns, we want to give them a little extra recognition and make their first days on campus exciting,” said Tracey Wright, assistant to the president for Community Relations and Special Programs. “These students have taken a big step toward ensuring their futures are indeed bright. We want to show them that we are dedicated to helping them succeed.”
A number of special guests will join the students to celebrate their arrival on campus and encourage them to reach their full potential. TBR Chancellor David Gregory, TBR Vice Chancellor of Community Colleges Dr. Warren Nichols, and Regents Tom Griscom and Howard Roddy will be in attendance, as well as Senators Mike Bell and Todd Gardenhire, State Representatives Kevin Brooks and Dan Howell, Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland, and Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis.
Dr. Denise King, vice president for Academic Affairs, said, “Our Tennessee Promise and Reconnect students are taking up the challenge that for 50 years students have undergone at Cleveland State, to embark on a journey to gather knowledge and skill, but even more, to hone an ability to continue to learn in order to improve not only their own lives, but the world around them.”
Tennessee Promise, now in its second year, is a state program offering two years of free tuition at one of the state’s 13 community colleges or 27 colleges of applied technology in the state for any student graduating from a Tennessee high school. More than 16,000 students enrolled in the first Tennessee Promise class in fall 2015, contributing to a 10.1 percent increase in overall first-time freshman enrollment in Tennessee public higher education in the fall of 2015 over the previous year. The Tennessee Reconnect program is a newer program for eligible older Tennesseans to return to college.