KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis are set to sign an agreement that paves the way for outstanding students from Southwest to earn degrees from UT Knoxville.
A signing ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT June 14 in the library of Southwest’s Macon Cove campus, 5983 Macon Cove Road, Memphis. The articulation agreement is set to be signed by UT Knoxville Vice Provost Sally McMillan and Southwest President Nathan L. Essex, and will provide a road map for Southwest students, who have completed their associate degrees, to transfer seamlessly to UT Knoxville as juniors.
The program will begin in fall 2010 and initially will include four majors: business, history, sociology and psychology. Additional majors will be added soon.
A variety of financial aid is available to Southwest students transferring to UT Knoxville, including the Promise and Pledge scholarships, which were recently extended to students transferring from community colleges. The Promise scholarship provides tuition and room and board funding for students from high schools whose graduates have not traditionally gone to UT Knoxville or who are the first in their families to attend college. The Pledge scholarship is available to eligible students based on need for financial assistance. Federal Pell grants also are available.
“We’re very pleased to sign this agreement with Southwest,” said McMillan. “Expanding and improving opportunities for West Tennesseans to earn a bachelor’s degree is vital to the state’s future, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
“We are delighted to enter into a transfer agreement with the University of Tennessee,” said Essex. “This agreement will provide incredible opportunities for deserving Southwest graduates to pursue four-year degrees in a stimulating educational environment. We are excited that our students will be provided a wider range of educational opportunities within our state at an outstanding university,” he said.
UT Knoxville is a nationally ranked research university, a partner in the operation of the historic Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the world’s fastest computer, and a leader in international and intercultural education through its Ready for the World international and intercultural initiative.
Southwest Tennessee Community College, the largest two-year college in the state, is a multicultural public college serving the needs of students, employers and communities in Shelby and Fayette counties and the surrounding Mid-South region. It offers learning opportunities in technical, career, general, transfer, developmental, honors and continuing education.
“We offer a unique and exciting learning environment that welcomes and values students from every part of Tennessee. This agreement will make it easier for students from Memphis and West Tennessee to start their education at home and finish in Knoxville,” McMillan said. “UT Knoxville is committed to student success and helping our students earn their degrees and begin rewarding careers,” she said.
For more information on the UT Knoxville transfer process, visit http://admissions.utk.edu/undergraduate/apply/transfer.shtml. Learn more about financial aid options by visiting http://finaid.utk.edu/aid/.
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C O N T A C T :
Rita S. Geier, UT Knoxville (865-974-2246, rgeier@utk.edu)
Robert G. Miller, Southwest Tennessee Community College (901-333-4368, rgmiller1@southwest.tn.edu)