VSCC - Welcome

Profile
Volunteer State Community College is a public two-year community college in Gallatin, Tenn., serving a twelve-county region including the counties of Clay, Davidson, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale and Wilson. The College is committed to the education of a non-racially
identifiable student body.

Volunteer State Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone 404 - 679-4501) to award the Associate Degree and holds membership in the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, and the Southern Association of Junior Colleges and the Tennessee College Association. The College has eligibility certification by the U.S. Office of Education and is approved by the State Department of Education for Veterans Education.

The College is an Equal Opportunity Institution of Higher Learning of the Tennessee State Board of Regents and maintains an “opendoor” policy of accepting any student who desires to improve through education. A Faculty Assembly offers the faculty opportunities to become involved in decision making on an advisory level. The assembly is designed to improve communications between the faculty and administration and to express collective faculty opinion on issues of concern. The assembly is chaired by a speaker who is chosen from the body by the elected divisional representatives.

Brief History
The establishment of a state community college at Gallatin involved the cooperative work of many civic leaders and citizens of Sumner County as well as State officials. A unified proposal for a college was presented to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in Nashville on September 11, 1967. Upon the recommendation of State Education Commissioner J. H. Warf, Governor Buford Ellington presented the college legislation to the 1969 General Assembly, and it was adopted. Following this action,
the Tennessee Higher Education Commission on June 2, 1969 authorized the State Board of Education to establish a community college in Sumner County.

A 100 -acre tract of land on Nashville Pike was chosen for the new campus. The property was deeded to the State on December 4, 1969.

The new college was named Volunteer State Community College, and this was approved by the board on July 2, 1970. Ground breaking ceremonies for the first four buildings were held on November 5, 1970. Pending completion and occupancy of the initial campus facilities in early 1972, temporary operations were located in the
Cordell Hull Hotel building in Gallatin. Utilizing the hotel and the educational facilities of several Gallatin churches, the College began instruction in the fall of 1971 with 581 students. In 1972, the General Assembly established the Tennessee Board of Regents as the governing board for the State University and Community College System, at which time the central control of the College transferred from the State Board of Education to the Regents System.

Volunteer State has experienced phenomenal growth in enrollment, curricula, staff, program, public service, facilities, and quality, into this, the thirty-fourth year of its operation. The main campus of Volunteer State now comprises sixteen buildings, and the Volunteer State campus at Livingston continues to grow in every aspect as well. Numerous off-campus operations extend the College’s instruction and public service roles throughout its multi-county area. Since its 1971 inception through academic year 2002-2003 more than ninety thousand persons have attended the College.

Statement of Mission

Volunteer State Community College was established in 1970 to
satisfy the educational and training needs of the urban, suburban, and rural residents of northern Middle Tennessee. The College is a public, two-year, open-access, comprehensive community college governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The institution's primary focus is on effectively providing quality education relevant
to all. The College grants associate degrees and technical certificates of credit and is committed to excellence in:

• Disseminating knowledge and skills necessary in achieving lifelong goals;
• Providing undergraduate, technical, and continuing education;
• Providing community services and promoting cultural and economic development; and
• Preparing a diverse student population for successful careers, university transfer public service programs, and meaningful civic participation.

Volunteer State Community College provides quality educational offerings and services in a safe, secure, and clean environment that inspires lifelong learning in pursuit of personal and professional goals. The College provides and promotes innovative learning systems to respond to the ever-changing needs and interests of a diverse and dynamic community and developing workforce. Volunteer State maintains articulation, collaboration, and partnerships with educational entities, business and industry, and other agencies to enhance student learning. The College supports equal opportunities, rights, access, and treatment of students, faculty, and staff. Through a mutual, cohesive working environment, Volunteer State fosters the enhancement of teaching and learning through the professional development of its faculty and staff and other educators to achieve institutional and academic excellence.

Volunteer State encourages students to think critically and creatively, communicate clearly, to develop leadership and ethical standards, and compete effectively in the global community. This is