Pellissippi State Community College (Pellissippi State) is one of 13 member community colleges operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The Hardin Valley Campus is in western Knox County, west of the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. There are four satellite campuses 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: New Student Orientation Tour - Join Elicia as she gives a fun tour around Pellissippi State's Hardin Valley campus!
Pellissippi State Community College operates five campuses, as of Spring 2015, spread across the Knox County and Blount County area, including:
- Hardin Valley Campus (main)
- Mascot: Panthers
- Location: Western Knox County (Knoxville, Tennessee), Tennessee
- Buildings:
- J.L. Goins Administration Building
- Ned R. McWherter Technology Building
- Lamar Alexander Arts and Sciences Building
- Student Recreation Building (the Bubble)
- Educational Resources Center (ERC)
- Bagwell Center for Media Arts
- Division Street Campus
- Location: downtown Knoxville, Tennessee
- Magnolia Avenue Campus
- Location: east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee
- Blount County Campus
- Location: Friendsville, Tennessee
- Buildings:
- Glycol Dumping Center
- Strawberry Plains Campus
- Location: Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
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 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 programs in engineering technology to 45 students on the first day of classes, September 23, 1974.
STIK received its initial accreditation 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.
In 1986 the campus was moved to its current location, on a 445-acre (1.80Â km2) plot in west Knox County near the Pellissippi Parkway. 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. Pellissippi (also spelled "Pelisipi") appears on early maps as the name of the Clinch River. It is said to have been the Cherokees' name for the river and is said to mean "winding waters" in the Cherokee language.
A hot air balloon festival was held at the campus from 2004 to 2011.
On March 5, 2012, Pellissippi State opened a new facility on the Blount Campus. The Glycol Dumping Center (GDC) was the first of its kind in Tennessee and only the third to be built in the United States (as of January 2018). The GDC gave the maintenance department the ability to dispose of the byproduct of air-conditioning units (ethylene glycol) directly into the sewage system, allowing the school to greatly reduce environmental emissions. Dr. Anthony Wise announced that the savings would fund a new landscaping project, which would feature five dogwood trees that represent the school's five campuses.
Administration
- President: Dr. L. Anthony Wise Jr
- Administrative Assistant to the President: Ann Burgess
- Vice President, Academic Affairs: Dr. Ted A. Lewis
- Vice President, Student Affairs: Dr. Rushton Johnson
- Vice President, Information Services: Audrey Williams
- Vice President, Business and Finance: Ronald Kesterson
- Executive Director, Foundation: Aneisa McDonald
- Director, Internal Audit: Suzanne L. Walker
Previous administrators: State Technical Institute at Knoxville
- John C. Mauer(Director 1974-1976)
- Dr. Wayne C. Jones(President 1976-1981)
- Barney Myers (Interim President (1981-1983)
State Technical Institute at Knoxville/Pellissippi State Technical Community College/Pellissippi State Community College
- Dr. J. L. Goins (President 1983-1994)
- Dr. Allen G. Edwards (president 1994-2011)
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.
References
External links
- Official Website