Cleveland State Community College is a public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neig ...

. It is operated by the

Tennessee Board of Regents The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR or The College System of Tennessee) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of two public university systems, the other being the University of Tennessee system. It was auth ...

. Like most community colleges, emphasis is on

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

-level classes, but it also offers some third- and fourth-year college-level courses as well, through arrangements with other institutions.

History

The Tennessee Board of Education authorized the establishment of one of the first three community colleges in Tennessee on June 22, 1965. The name Cleveland State Community College was chosen by the board of education on February 11, 1966. Bids for the first five campus building were announced on July 20, 1966, and the school's campus broke ground on September 11, 1966. David F. Adkisson was named the first president on January 1, 1967. Approximately 700 students enrolled for the school's first classes which began on October 2, 1967, and took place at North Cleveland Baptist Church, due to a delay in the completion of the campus. At this time offices were held at 685 Broad Street N.W. in

Downtown Cleveland Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio. The economic and symbolic center of the city and the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square laid out ...

. The move to the current campus and permanent facilities took place on January 3, 1968. At this time, the campus consisted of the Administration Building, Library, Science Building, Student Center, and Gymnasium. The official dedication ceremonies for the college took place on April 29, 1968. The first graduation ceremonies were conducted on June 1, 1969.

Campus

The sits on the eastern foot of Candies Creek Ridge in northern Cleveland near

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

. The campus has 10 major buildings housing modern classrooms, laboratories, and student activity centers. Additional features include a library, a multi-media center of emphasis, computer laboratories, a 400-seat theatre, a 3,000-seat gymnasium, athletic fields and tennis courts, a large

reflector telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...

, and a satellite downlink receiver which enables the college to serve as a site for many teleconferences. Cleveland State offers classes throughout the service area in southeast Tennessee, which includes Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, and

Polk Polk may refer to: People * James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States * Polk (name), other people with the name Places * Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois * Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Polk, Missour ...

counties. The college also has offices and classrooms in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

and Madisonville.

Organization and administration

Cleveland State Community college operates within the governance of the

. Dr. David F. Adkisson served as founding president of Cleveland State Community College from 1967 to 1978. Dr. L. Quentin Lane was appointed to the presidency in 1978 and served until 1985. A. Ray Coleman served briefly as interim president in 1985. Dr. James W. Ford was then appointed as president of Cleveland State from 1985 to 1992. Dr. Renate G. Basham served as interim president from 1992 to 1996. Dr. Carl M. Hite served as president from 1996 until 2013. The current president is Dr. Ty A. Stone, who was hired in 2022.

Academic profile

Approximately 3,700 credit students and 1,300 non-credit students enroll in Cleveland State Community College in a typical fall semester. The credit student population is split about evenly in the choice of transfer or career-technical programs. The average age of all students is 28 years and the student population is non-racially identifiable. There are over 200 employees at the college including more than 70 full-time faculty members. Eighty-six percent of the faculty hold Master's or Doctor's degrees.

Student life

Sport

The college athletic teams are sports_nicknamed the Cougars.

Noted people

Ryan Casteel Ryan Alexander Casteel (born June 6, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. Career Casteel attended Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee. After graduating, he went unselected in th ...

- baseball player * Jason Davis - baseball player *

Bubba Trammell Thomas Bubba Trammell (born November 6, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and the New York Yankees. During his seven ...

- baseball player

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Bradley County, Tennessee Cleveland, Tennessee Education in Bradley County, Tennessee Education in McMinn County, Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in Tennessee Community colleges in Tennessee Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools NJCAA athletics