Tallahassee Community College (commonly referred to as TCC) is an American state college, and is a member of the Florida College System. Tallahassee Community College is accredited by the Florida Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its primary campus is located on a 270-acre (1.1Â km2) campus in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. In 2013, Tallahassee Community College was listed first in the nation in graduating students with A.A. degrees. TCC is also the top transfer school in the nation to Florida State University. As of fall 2015, TCC reported 38,017 students.
History
The institution was founded in 1966 by the Florida Legislature. Prior to the completion of its main campus, classes were held at Godby High School. Tallahassee Community College now has an annual economic impact of $387.7 million.
Locations
Tallahassee Community College serves the Tallahassee area and is located 1.9 miles from Florida State University. The surrounding area is primarily made up of student housing and commercial amenities that cater to college students. Tallahassee is a college town with more than 70,000 students studying at Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College, and Florida A&M University.
Campuses
- Main Campus, located in the West side of Tallahassee next to Florida State University, opened in 1967. The 270-acre (1.1Â km2) campus serves as the main campus for the college.
Centers
- Capitol Center, located in downtown Tallahassee, houses business suites, meeting rooms, exhibit space and classrooms across the street from the Florida Capitol.
- Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education, located in Tallahassee's medical corridor, opened in 2011. The Ghazvini Center offers over 85,000 square feet of space entirely devoted to programs in diagnostic medical sonography, emergency medical services, nursing, radiologic technology, respiratory care, homemaker health companion, medical administrative specialist, medical billing and coding, national health records specialist, nursing assistant, pharmacy technology, surgical technology, and allied health.
- Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy (formerly Florida Public Safety Institute), located in Gadsden County, opened in 1977. The FPSI offers corrections, criminal justice selection center, firefighter, law enforcement, security officer, and telecommunications programs.
- Quincy House, located in nearby Quincy, Florida, opened in 2004.
- Wakulla Center, located in nearby Crawfordville, Florida, opened in 2006. The Center gives the students of Wakulla County opportunities to earn initial credits before continuing their studies on the main campus.
Academics
TCC offers over 90 academic and career programs and more than 600 different courses. Tallahassee Community College is one of the nation’s top community colleges. Many are preparing for transfer to a university (77 percent of TCC's A.A. graduates go on to study at state universities in Florida). TCC currently offers Bachelor's of Science, Associate of Science, Associate of Arts, and Associate of Applied Sciences degrees.
Arts and Sciences Program
Offering an Associate of Arts Degree, the Arts and Sciences Program consists primarily of liberal arts and sciences courses. This program culminates in a two-year liberal arts degree that can be transferred to a university which offers a bachelor's degree. The descriptions, course numbers and content of classes at Tallahassee Community are the same as those in the first two years at Florida's public universities. TCC's liberal arts courses are also transferable to most public and private four-year schools in the US. Many students are preparing for transfer to Florida State University (nearly 75 percent of TCC's A.A. graduates go on to study at state universities in Florida).
Technology and Applied Sciences Program
Offering the Associate of Science degree or certificate, the Associate of Science program consists of technology and applied sciences courses designed to prepare students for careers in skilled professions. Some of these programs enable them to transfer to a four-year college or university. Programs offered are Dental Assisting, Business Management, Dental Hygiene, Engineering Technology, Health Science, Paramedic, Paralegal/Legal Studies, Web Technology, Air Conditioning Repair, Automotive Technology, Child Development, Construction, Public Safety, Zoo Animal Technology, Information Technology, Cardiovascular Technology, Aviation Safety and Nursing.
Bachelor's degrees
Tallahassee Community College offers a bachelor's degree in Nursing. This program allows students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and offers training and research opportunities at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Courses are administered through the Division of Healthcare Professions located at the Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education (GCHE), an 85,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility at TMH. The Ghazvini Center houses an accredited simulation center as well as a dedicated library, a 60-seat computer lab, and three skills labs.
TCC2FSU Golden Guarantee Program
TCC2FSU provides guaranteed admission into Florida State University for Tallahassee Community College Associate in Arts degree graduates as well as:
- Preferential admission into FSU’s limited-access programs
- Personalized advising with transfer-focused TCC and FSU advisors
- Specialized orientations and college success workshops
- With an easier admissions process, personalized advising and excellent faculty and resources, TCC provides a strong foundation for graduates moving on to FSU.
Many activities hosted at FSU are also open to TCC2FSU students like sailing and canoeing at the FSU Reservation, playing golf at Seminole Golf Course, bowling at Crenshaw Lanes, attending a concert at Club Downunder, or watching a movie at the Askew Student Life Center Theater.
In February 2015, Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University announced a new benefit for the TCC2FSU Golden Guarantee Program. Current TCC students participating in the program can now purchase special passes for access to FSU Campus Recreation facilities, programs and services each semester. Current TCC students who are officially accepted into the TCC2FSU program can also purchase special membership passes through FSU Campus Recreation. These passes are good for an entire semester and include either access to FSU recreational facilities, the ability to participate in intramural sports, or both.
TCC2FSU guarantees admission to FSU whereas the 2+2 State Articulation programs guarantees admission to one of Florida’s state universities, but not necessarily to one of the students' choice.
Housing and admissions information can be found on the official TCC2FSU Golden Guarantee Program website.
Administrative services
TCC hosts a multitude of administrative services, most notably the Tallahassee Community College Police Department. The departments of Human Resources, Contracts & Grants, Financial Aid, Facilities, Planning & Construction, Plant Operations, and Budget & General Services are also available to students.
Student life
Student opportunities include "TheatreTCC", the Capital Band of Tallahassee Community College, the TCC Jazz Band, and the Tallahassee Civic Chorale. A Student Government Association is open for student involvement, and the Office of Student Volunteerism encourages students to engage in community service. Students also participate in Forensics(Debate), Model UN, the Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa. A student newspaper, the Talon, is published at least five times a semester by the students of a journalism class, and a literary magazine, The Eyrie, is published yearly. TCC annually hosts the Big Bend Brain Bowl academic tournament sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat.
Fitness and sports
The Lifetime Sports Complex is a 70,000-square-foot (6,500Â m2) complex located on the west side of Tallahassee Community College's main campus. The facility houses the Eagle Fitness Center and Recreation Gym. It contains three full-length basketball courts as well as multipurpose facilities for recreational usage. The recreation gym has open informal recreation time for basketball, volleyball, table tennis and other sports. The recreation gym contains cardio and weight lifting equipment as well as group fitness classes. This facility is free to all students with a valid TCC ID.
Intramurals and club sports
TCC's Intramural Sports program provides all students, staff and faculty the opportunity to participate in recreational sports and activities. These include a variety of team and individual sports and special events, including flag football, basketball, indoor and outdoor soccer, volleyball, dodgeball, spades, dominoes, free throw and bowling.
Campus and area transportation
The TCC campus is served by four bus routes of the StarMetro Bus Service. The StarMetro Bus Service provides transportation to and from campus to the surrounding Tallahassee areas for Faculty, Staff, Students and Visitors. The StarMetro bus also provides transportation to the surrounding student housing complexes around TCC and FSU. The Canopy bus goes straight from campus down West Tennessee Street and stops at Florida State University, restaurants, the Greyhound station, and to Governors Square Mall.
Tallahassee Community College is also served by the Tallahassee International Airport, which is located in the Southwest portion of Tallahassee and has daily services to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Athletics
TCC Athletics include men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, and women's cross country running. The official mascot is the eagle. The school's athletic teams compete in the Panhandle Conference of the Florida College System Activities Association, a body of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.
The softball program, having won three conference championships, won a state and national title in 1994. The baseball team finished 2004 with its fourth conference title. The men's basketball team has three conference titles, and the women's has one. Both basketball teams have each finished third in the NJCAA Tournament within the past eight years.
Currently, Mike McLeod is the baseball coach and is in his seventeenth season at the helm. McLeod has guided the Eagles to Panhandle Conference championships in 1995, 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2009 . His teams have made seven trips to the Florida Community College Activities Association Tournament. McLeod has been named Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year four times (1995, 1999, 2004, 2009). In February 2011, McLeod posted his 700th win as baseball coach of the TCC Eagles.
Awards and recognition
In 2016, Tallahassee Community College was ranked the 15th-best community college in the country by SmartAsset.com, an investment website.
In 2016, Tallahassee Community College was ranked the 16th-best online community college in the nation by OnlineCollegePlan.com for best return on investment.
In 2015, Tallahassee Community College was ranked 8th among the top ten community colleges in the nation by the Huffington Post.
In 2013, Tallahassee Community College was listed first in the nation in graduating students with A.A. degrees by Community College Week.
In 2012, TCC was recognized as the second-safest campus in Florida by StateUniversity.com.
Notable alumni
- Jason Bennett - American basketball player who last played for the Jacksonville Giants of the ABA
- Lorenzo Cain - Major League Baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals who won the 2014 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
- John Crawford - Author of the Iraq War memoir The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell
- Ryan Freel - American professional baseball player
- Clay Harvison - Professional mixed martial artist formerly with Bellator MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Marcus Hatten - American professional basketball player for CSM U Oradea of the Liga Națională
- Cheryl Hines - American actress, comedian, producer and director, known for her role as Larry David's wife Cheryl on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards
- Bernard James - American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
- Michael Saunders - Canadian Major League Baseball center fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays
- Bootsy Thornton - American professional basketball player who last played for Strasbourg IG in France
References
External links
- Official website
- TCC Athletics Website