Offering educational opportunities to the citizens of the state continues to be one of Gov. Bill Haslam’s prime objectives throughout 2017.
Haslam recently issued his seventh annual State of the State General Assembly and introduced a proposal to make Tennessee the first state in the nation to offer all Tennessee adults without a degree access to community college tuition-free at no cost to taxpayers.
According to the Governor’s Office, Tennessee needs 871,000 postsecondary degrees or certificates to reach 55 percent in part of the “Drive to 55” initiative that launched in 2013 — the state’s effort to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or certificate to 55 percent by 2025. The office added that right now, there’s no way to teach that goal by only serving high school students with 900,000 adults in Tennessee having some college experience, but no degree.
Northeast Tennessee Reconnect Community College Success Lead Advisor McKenzie Todd, who works with Carter, Johnson and Unicoi counties, recently told the Elizabethton Star that roughly 6,100 adults in Carter County have not completed their education at a college, university or technical school.
If passed, the newest addition to the current Reconnect program could prove to be a useful asset for adults within the region with Northeast State Community College having a campus nestled in Carter County.
“I would anticipate an increase of adult students,” Chris Hitechew, director of Northeast State at Elizabethton, said. “Maybe not right off the bat, but once the information starts getting out, especially with the resources available, I could see a lot of adults within the region taking advantage of the governor’s declaration.”
Hitechew added that, from a college’s perspective, the enrollment of adults typically decreases, but different guidelines that would be put in place would allow adults a much easier experience to receive college credit.
“It’s a great thing,” Hitechew added about the state’s initiatives to encourage adults and high school students to receive a degree or certificate. “It took a few years to see an impact from the previous acts, and that was understandable. The first year of the Reconnect was as big as we anticipated but it has steadily grown over the years and we’ve seen enrollment increase since from nontraditional students, from that 24 years old and up range.”
It all comes back to information, Hitechew added. When discussing enrollment opportunities for nontraditional students, the director alluded to the fact adults typically find out they qualified for other scholarship or grant opportunities when looking to either re-enroll or head to postsecondary school at a later date.
“We’re able to serve adults in Carter and Johnson counties,” Hitechew said. “The public is able to attend our campus without having to make the trip to Blountville. It’s all about getting the information out. We’re continually looking at ways to work on the scheduling and be available for questions when needed. The Reconnect Communities are also a great asset when it comes to providing information on how to go back to school.”
Individuals looking for more information about going back to school can either contact Todd with the Reconnect Community at mtodd@ab-t.org or call (423) 547-7515. Hitechew also encouraged the public to either stop by the local campus or call (423) 547-8450 to learn more.
The Reconnect and STRONG acts were the final two pieces of NextTennessee, Haslam’s 2017 legislative agenda aimed at “building and sustaining economic growth and the state’s competitiveness for the next generation of Tennesseans,” according to the Governor’s Office.