Chattanooga State Community College is a public, comprehensive community college located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The college is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents System

Tennessee Board of Regents

The Tennessee Board of Regents is one of the two systems of public higher education in Tennessee. The TBR was authorized by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly passed in 1972...

 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

 (SACS). Chattanooga State offers a variety of programs and degrees including 50 career programs; three university parallel degrees (Associate of Science, Associate of Art, and Associate of Science in Teaching) with areas of emphasis in the arts, humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences; 20 technical certificate programs; corporate training; continuing education; adult education, including GED® preparation; Middle College High School; Early College (dual enrollment); and community service programs.

Chattanooga State is the only community college in Tennessee that has a Tennessee Technology Center (TTC) as an integral part of its organization. The TTC offers 21 diploma programs and 7 certificate programs with a combined annual enrollment of over 2,300 students.

Total fall 2010 headcount enrollment, including the TTC, was 12,601.

Chattanooga State serves six counties in Southeast Tennessee and bordering counties of North Georgia and Alabama as an open-entry postsecondary institution. The college offers instruction in a variety of modes including traditional classroom and laboratory instruction; asynchronous online instruction (more than 100 courses entirely online as well as many hybrid courses; synchronous instruction engaging students simultaneously at multiple sites; and one-to-one tutoring.

History

In the early 1960s, the Tennessee State Board of Education began efforts to establish community colleges across the state as a result of post-World War II children entering higher education. In September 1965, Chattanooga State became Tennessee's first technical college and Southeast Tennessee's first public institution of higher education. It was originally known as Chattanooga State Technical Institute and was classified as a two-year, coeducational, college-level institution. The college was founded to offer technical programs with Associate in Science and Associate in Engineering degrees, primarily to meet industry needs and "to bridge the gap between engineers and craftsmen."

In 1973, Chattanooga State Technical Institute became Chattanooga State Technical Community College. Specifics of Senate Bill 1010 mandated that the college provide comprehensive one and two-year occupational, college parallel, continuing education, and community service programs; offer quality technical and scientific occupational programs; and serve as a regional technical school to train engineering technicians or technical workers in the fields of production, distribution, and service.

The college was under the State Board of Education until 1974 when it became part of the State Community College and University System under the Tennessee Board of Regents. With that administrative change the college identified the counties in its service area: Hamilton, Rhea, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, and Grundy counties in Tennessee and border counties in Georgia.

In 1981 the State Area Vocational-Technical School entered into a pilot merger with Chattanooga State Technical Community College. Consequently the college added vocational education to its mission. In July 1983 the Tennessee legislature officially recognized the merger, creating a unique partnership between vocational and career programs. With this merger the college began offering one-year certificates in fields such as industrial electronics, automotive technology, and welding.

In 2009, the college was renamed Chattanooga State Community College when Senate Bill 681 became law.

Over its forty-five year history, the college has collaborated with business and industry to achieve several milestones. In 2006 the college acquired the world headquarters of the portrait photography company, Olan Mills, Inc., which added 59000 square feet (5,481.3 m²) and 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) to the campus, and was renamed the Center for Business, Industry, and Health Professions. Creation of the Volkswagen Academy is a unique partnership between the college and Volkswagen - the only such training partnership in over 60 VW plants worldwide. The establishment of the Business and Community Development Center in downtown Chattanooga provides customized support for start-up companies.

The college has partnered with other cultural and educational organizations to offer collegiate education to particular populations. Hispanic immigrants are prepared for postsecondary study served by the Plaza Communitaria, a program in which the college partnered with the government of Mexico. American displaced workers are served by the AHEAD program. High school students can apply to the Middle College High School, a campus-based school offering both high school and collegiate studies.

Organization

Chattanooga State Community College is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system, consisting of 18 board members. The President of Chattanooga State Community College is the chief executive officer of the college and reports to the Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Academics

Chattanooga State Community College has seven academic departments:

• Business and Information Technologies
• Engineering Technology
• Humanities and Fine Arts
• Math and Sciences
• Nursing and Allied Health
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Tennessee Technology Center

Student Life

The Student Life department provides extra-curricular activities that address various interest groups on campus. Activities, workshops, trips and events provide students with leadersip opportunities, social development, and interaction with various aspects of the campus culture. Students often refer to Chattanooga State as "Chatt State."

Fine Arts

Chattanooga State offers a Fine Arts program with areas of emphasis in art, dance, and music, and a technical certificate in Professional Actors Training.

Athletics

Chattanooga State competes at the Division 1 level in the National Junior College Athletic Association. Intercollegiate athletics include baseball, men's and women's basketball, and fast pitch softball. Teams routinely compete for national championships. Scholarship opportunities enable qualified student athletes to pursue an education while representing Chattanooga State in a variety of sports. During the 2007 season all four head coaches received "Coach of the Year" conference honors.

Baseball

During the 2009-2010 season the team competed in the NJCAA baseball world series. Tiger baseball opened the 2010-2011 season with a Region 7 Tournament win and a trip to Grand Junction Colorado as one of ten teams in the country to compete in the JUCO World Series. Tiger baseball has produced student athletes with awards both on the field and in the classroom.

Basketball

Chattanooga State's men's and women's basketball teams under the direction of Head Coach Jay Price have consistently received national recognition. In 2010 Coach Price was named men's basketball coach of the year by the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association. In 2011 both the men's and women's teams won the NJCAA Region 7 championships. Tiger basketball gives students an avenue for pursuing the education at four-year colleges after two years at Chattanooga State.

Softball

In 2010 eight Tiger softball players earned all conference academic honors and four team members earned All Academic NFCA Scholar honors. The team won the region tournament and went to the national tournament fo the 16th time. Head Coach Beth Keylon-Randolph was former co-head coach of TEAM USA at the World University games. The 2009 team was ranked #1 in April 2009 and finished the year ranked #4 with a 60-9 record. Tiger softball also gives students opportunities to receive athletic scholarships from universities across the country.

Locations

There are seven official sites where classes are offered, four of which are in Chattanooga:

• the Main Campus, including the new Wacker Institute;
• the Center for Education and Human Services (formerly East Campus);
• Eastgate Town Center;
• the Volkswagen Academy at Enterprise South.

Three sites are located in surrounding Tennessee counties:

• Dayton site, located in Rhea County;
• Kimball site, located in Marion County;
• Sequatchie County site, located in Sequatchie County.

Main Campus

The main campus of Chattanooga State is located six miles (10 km) from downtown Chattanooga. The college adjoins the Tennessee Riverwalk, which follows the banks of the Tennessee River from the Chickamauga Dam to Ross's Landing in midtown Chattanooga. The main campus consists of 13 buildings on 150 acre (0.607029 km²). This campus increased by more than 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) when the college officially acquired the Olan Mills facility in June 2011. Sculptures by artists-in-residence (such as John Henry), internationally known sculptors, faculty, and students are displayed throughout the campus and in the Outdoor Museum of Art.

An Amphitheatre is situated in the center of campus and is the hub of student life and informal entertainment. The theatre in the C. C. Bond Humanities Building is the location for many productions by the college’s Professional Actor Training Program and music department.

The Augusta R. Kolwyck Library in the Learning and Resource Center provides services to students at all locations.

The following facilities are introduced both through the Chattanooga State Achievement Book and the Virtual Tour on the college's website :

• C. C. Bond Humanities Building, named for Dr. C. C. Bond, local African-American educator and principal of Howard School, 1956 to 1964;
• Tennessee Technology Center Complex (3 buildings);
• Learning and Resource Center (LRC);
• Center for Business, Industry & Health Professions (CBIH), originally the site of the Olan Mills Portrait Studios corporate headquarters;
• Health Science Center, "103,000-square-foot building with state-of-the-art equipment and labs" opened in 2009;
• Athletic Field House, completed in 2010 with offices, meeting rooms, weight room, and lockers;
• Media Technology Center, formerly the public television station now housing radio and television labs;
• Albright Omniplex, named for Tennessee State Senator Ray Albright, a 17-year veteran of the state legislature who sponsored the bill that changed the college from an area vocational school to a technical community college;
• Charles W. Branch Center for Advanced Technology, named for a former college president and established as a center for automation training;
• Health and Fitness Center, housing the gym, aerobics, weight room, and intramural activities;
• Paul M. Starnes Student Center, named for a Chattanooga educator and Tennessee legislator;
• Center for Engineering Technology, Art and Science (to be opened in summer 2011).

Center for Education and Human Services (Formerly East Campus)

The Center for Education and Human Services (CEHS) is located about eight miles (13 km) southeast of the Amnicola campus. The Center offers associates, bachelors and masters degrees in education through a partnership with Tennessee Technological University (TTU). Alternative certification courses for obtaining teaching credentials are also offered as well as a Human Services associate degree program.

Dayton Site

The Dayton site is located about forty miles north of the Amnicola campus in Dayton, TN. Students at the Dayton location can take the General Education core for most majors as well as selected career courses.

Eastgate Town Center Site

The Eastgate Town Center is located about eight miles (13 km) south of the Amnicola campus. Students at the Eastgate Town Center site can take courses leading to a technical diploma in Cosmetology or certificates in Information Security, Information Systems Technology, Aesthetics, Manicurist, and Massage Therapy. Students needing additional preparation for college level courses can enroll in Transitional Studies at the Eastgate Town Center site.

Kimball Site

The Kimball site is located about 35 miles (56.3 km) west of the Amnicola campus in Kimball, TN. Students at the Kimball location can take courses applicable toward the A.A., A.S., and A.A.S degrees. They can also enroll in two certificate programs - Cosmetology, and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.

Sequatchie / Bledsoe Site (Sequatchie Valley Technical Center)

The Sequatchie Valley site is located about 50 miles (80.5 km) north of the Amnicola campus in Dunlap, TN. Students at the Sequatchie Valley site can take the General Education core for most majors as well as selected career courses.

Volkswagen Academy

The Volkswagen Academy is located about nine miles (14 km) east of the Amnicola campus, adjoining the VW assembly plant.

Wacker Institute

Wacker Chemical has partnered with Chattanooga State to create the Wacker Institute, which will be located on the Amnicola campus. The company has its world headquarters in Germany and has built a number of facilities in the United States, including Bradley County in southeast Tennessee. The new plant will manufacture polysilicone which is used in solar-power cells. The Wacker Institute is under the direction of the Engineering Technology division and will focus on teaching workers the technical skills needed to work at the plant, which is scheduled to begin production in 2013. Four tracks of study are being offered: process technician (Operator), Laboratory Technician (Analytics), Electronics & Instrumentation Technician, and Mechanical Technician.

The Wacker Institute and other engineering technology programs will be located in the Center for Engineering Technology, Art and Science, which will open in summer 2011. The new 149000 square feet (13,842.6 m²) facility will feature a $3 million dollar, 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) state-of-the-art chemical training plant underwritten by Wacker. Additional work force training partnerships have already been developed by the college with companies such as Volkswagen, Alstom, and TVA.

External links

• http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/