Pellissippi State Community College (Pellissippi State) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

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 se ...

based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college's main campus is located in west Knox County. There are four

satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or coun ...

es in the surrounding area. Pellissippi State was named Pellissippi State Technical Community College until July 1, 2009. It is the successor to the former State Technical Institute at Knoxville ("STIK"), founded in 1974.

Campus

Pellissippi State Community College operates five campuses, as of Spring 2021, spread across the Knox County and Blount County area, including: *Main Campus in Hardin Valley *Division Street Campus in downtown

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

*Magnolia Avenue Campus in East Knoxville *Blount County Campus in Maryville *Strawberry Plains Campus in Strawberry Plains

History

The precursor to Pellissippi State, State Technical Institute at Knoxville, was established on September 4, 1974. The original school was added on as a wing to the Knoxville State Regional Vocational-Technical School and intended to simply provide post-educational

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an in ...

to area residents. However, at the backing of the newly seated director Colonel John C. Mauer, the Tennessee State Board of Vocational Education soon took over governance of the school, providing three

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 ...

programs in engineering technology to 45 students on the first day of classes, September 23, 1974. STIK received its initial

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1977, under the leadership of the first school president, Dr. Wayne Jones, and six years later, on July 1, 1983, STIK became a member of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, thereby transferring governance of the school to the Tennessee Board of Regents. Jill Biden visits Pellissippi State Community College in 2015

Jill Biden visits Pellissippi State Community College in 2015

In 1986 the campus was moved to its current location, on a plot in west Knox County near

Pellissippi Parkway The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ridg ...

. Initially, STIK shared the campus with Roane State Community College. In 1988, however, the school's mission was broadened to include that of a technical community college, adding numerous university-parallel associate degree programs, changing its name to Pellissippi State Technical Community College, and absorbing the space occupied by Roane State.College history
, Roane State Community College website (accessed February 29, 2008) A

hot air balloon festival Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons operators to gather- as well as for the general public- to participate in various activities. They can include races; evening "night glows" ...

was held at the campus from 2004 to 2011.

Origin of name

Pellissippi (also spelled "Pelisipi") appears on early maps as the name of the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...

Students and faculty

Pellissippi State employs about 185 full-time faculty, 265 adjunct faculty, 231 staff members, while serving over 10,000 students, between 100 and 150 of whom are classified as international.

Notable alumni

Notable people who attended the college include: * Steve Hall – member of the Tennessee House of Representatives * Demetrice Morley – American football defensive back * Jason Zachary – member of the Tennessee State House of Representatives

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Tennessee Education in Knox County, Tennessee Universities and colleges in Knoxville, Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1974 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Blount County, Tennessee 1974 establishments in Tennessee