Dr. Bill Seymour and Bradley County Commissioners
Tennessee Board of Regents has chosen two recipients for the 2021 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. Monday, Cleveland City Council and the Bradley County Commission were awarded for their donation and volunteer efforts supporting Cleveland State Community College. The college nominated them after helping secure $25 million for campus improvements.
“We are so fortunate to have the support from both Cleveland City Council and the Bradley County Commission,” said Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC president. “Their gifts helped us leverage another $22.5M from the State of Tennessee for our community. Our new facility is all about workforce development, and it will enable CSCC to produce thousands of healthcare workers for decades to come.”
Mayor Kevin Brooks and County Mayor Gary Davis accepted the award on behalf of the City Council and the Bradley County Commission. They were nominated by CSCC for this award because of their contribution in implementing the vision for a better educational experience for Cleveland State students. With their financial help and community relations, the college was approved by the State of Tennessee to receive $25 million for campus facilities improvements. These funds provided $20 million for a new Health and Science building and $5 million to renovate the Humanities building.
The State process requires the college to provide a ten-percent match to be raised. Due to the state’s required 10-percent match, Cleveland State had the unique opportunity to engage both the city of Cleveland and the Bradley County Commission in its fundraising efforts. The college reached a historic campaign goal from the buy-in from both the county and the city. The Cleveland City Council and Bradley County Commission stepped up to the challenge. They each provided 10-percent of the match goal, $250,000 each.
In March 2001, the Tennessee Board of Regents adopted the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendations, one of which was the need to recognize outstanding accomplishments in fundraising. This recommendation is what led to the creation of TBR’s Excellence in Philanthropy Awards recognition program. This program is comprised of two awards – the Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. The awards were created to honor the individuals, companies, and organizations who continue to donate their resources, finances, and personal time to TBR institutions.
Dr. Bill Seymour and Cleveland City Council