The President’s Blog

What’s in a name. Well, apparently, a lot is in a name given the feedback I have received about a possible shortening of the college name to Pellissippi State Community College. Most feedback has been in favor of a change; some think we should not change while others suggest a more significant change to just Pellissippi State College. The one I like best is the name a Pellissippi State student posted on Facebook when he created a group for fellow students called “Harvard on the Highway.” It has a nice ring to it.

For those of you who weren’t around or don’t remember, our College began as the State Technical Institute of Knoxville (STIK) in 1974. We offered only technical programs and the Associate of Applied Science degree at that time. Over the years, our mission changed to include the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees and courses for transfer to upper division universities and our name changed to Pellissippi State Technical Community College to reflect a regional role (Pellissippi) and a broader mission. Our enrollment has eroded some in the technical fields, but real growth has occured in the transfer and general education side of the house. About 20 percent of our enrollment is in technical programs today.

Nationally, you find many models. Historically, our roots are in the “junior college” and the “vocational/technical institute” models which have evolved over the years. The term “community college” was developed to describe the modern day development combining the mission of a “junior college” with that of a “technical institute.”
However, the names have been used and interpreted very differently by states and systems.

In California, you find Pasadena College and Barstow Community College with different names but with essentially the same mission. In Georgia, you will find that most community colleges don’t use the term community at all; they are just called college, as in Atlanta Metropolitan College. In Florida, community colleges are now changing their names as they take on the role of offering select baccalaureate degrees even though 90 percent of their mission is still community college oriented. There is no real consistency throughout the country.

Name changes sometimes make sense; sometimes they don’t. I am very glad, for instance, that we don’t have the initials STIK anymore. Pellissippi State may be difficult to spell for some, but this Cherokee word for “winding river” is a very dignified regional name for our institution. Howeve, I don’t know what the University of Memphis gained when they changed their name from Memphis State University, but I hope it is working for them.

Whatever we will call ourselves in the future will be determined by the legislature, not by me nor by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Whether we are a state “technical” community college or just “community college” we will still market ourselves as Pellissippi State just as we do now. Our mission will not change, and I will still be very proud to be associated with this great institution.