Chancellor's Corner

By Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley

I hope the new year finds you rested, renewed and rejuvenated for another exciting year! At TCC, we’ve been eagerly anticipating 2015 for some time now. First, it represents the final year of Vision 2015 — the five-year strategic plan that has guided our planning, shaped our priorities and kept us on course to keep student success at the forefront of everything we do. Second, we are blessed to celebrate 50 years since Tarrant County voters approved the creation of (what began as) Tarrant County Junior College as a critical driver of individual opportunity and enhanced economic viability for our community, and beyond.

This year also represents the end of my fifth year as Chancellor and, as we embark on myriad events and activities to commemorate our 50th anniversary, I’m reflective about the 48 years I have served TCC, beginning as an instructor in 1967 at our Northeast campus. I have been fortunate to see just how many lives TCC has touched, shaped and, in some cases, even saved. We have helped people who never believed they were “college material” to find their paths and in doing so, to make measurable differences in our community. Through myriad collaborations, we have created and expanded programs to help people from all walks of life achieve the instruction and credentials they need to support their families, and to undergird the Tarrant County economy. We have created a true “college-going culture” through ongoing programs like Dual Credit, our Early College High Schools (of which, we now have one on each campus), our ever-expanding Distance Learning and our new Weekend College, through which students can earn an associate degree in 18 months or fewer.

And we’ve only just begun. I believe 2015 will represent another milestone year for TCC, particularly as we prepare to open our newest Center of Excellence — the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology — at the South campus. We also have begun preparations for a record number of graduates to participate in TCC’s commencement on May 15, and are adding several new interventions (including Advising By Appointment) to ensure we help every student stay in school and achieve their certificate or degree.

This year is one of sincere gratitude for all of us at TCC as we celebrate 50 years of serving, with great honor, the people of our community through the educational resources we provide, the productive partnerships we have established and sustained, the lives we have touched and the economic growth we have helped to power. Throughout the year, we will exhibit our gratitude by sharing our history of service to Tarrant County (including our 50th Anniversary website and our 50th Anniversary video), as well as a special Tarrant County College Foundation event at the Fort Worth Convention Center on March 23, 2015, and a Tarrant County-wide party and celebration on Saturday, August 1, at Panther Island. Through these resources and events, as well as campus-specific programs, we hope to convey that Tarrant County College attributes our successes to the support and commitment of the Tarrant County community. We have been, are, and will be, because you believed in us every step of the way.

Erma Johnson Hadley
Chancellor