Cleveland State Community College takes center stage in education this week by launching an educational endeavor unlike any other in the Volunteer State. The Honors College at Cleveland State, the first at a state community college, is officially underway. 

A special ceremony on the brand new Plaza at Cleveland State was the site of the announcement on Nov. 5. CSCC President Dr. Bill Seymour and Honors College at Cleveland State Director Dr. Victoria Bryan, along with many of the students who will be taking part in the first year of the new venture, were on hand for the special occasion.

“This is a huge accomplishment…,” said.

Dr. Bryan. “…marked specifically by the wonderful work our students and faculty have done and the spirit of community, leadership, service, and learning that defines our program.” The CSCC Honors “Program” started in the fall of 2015 with just 14 students. Four years later, 125 students are enrolled in five different honors tracks.

Currently, Cleveland State’s new Honors College has articulation agreements in place with Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. A fourth partner in Lee University may be joining CSCC as well in the near future.

“The rapid growth of our program is evidence of our quality people and programs. Top students in our region are choosing Cleveland State to be a part of this experience,” said Dr. Seymour. “I am very proud of Dr. Bryan and our faculty for their vision, as well as their dedication, toward the development of one of the very best honors colleges at a community college in the United States.”

State incentive program such as Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect have been an avenue for many CSCC students to be able to take part in the Honors Program, now Honors College, at Cleveland State. “The Honors College will help ensure that students receive a quality Honors education with personalized instruction without sacrificing the educational opportunities often associated with larger campuses,” added Dr. Seymour.

CSCC Honors College members focus on the following five areas during their studies: academic excellence, in-depth subject exploration, public presentation experience, leadership skills and techniques, and service to the campus and/or community. “If there’s one thing I know about our honors program, we have knocked it out of the park,” Seymour said. “The Honors College at CSCC is a well-deserved honor for Cleveland State and for our honor students of the past, present, and future.”

Scholarships exclusively for qualifying Honors College students are available each year. Registration is now underway for all CSCC classes on-campus and online for Spring 2020. For more information on the event, contact CSCC’s Director of Communications and Marketing Don Foley at 423-473-2341 or dfoley@clevelandstatecc.edu. CSCC is the College System of Tennessee’s College of the Year for 2019. The local institution received the Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition, or SOAR, Award after being named the College of the Year honor during an awards ceremony last March.