As most of you know, 2016 is our 50th anniversary as a college. Over the course of those 50 years we have grown and changed, sometimes in response to changing needs and often as a result of inspired leaders whose vision and leadership guided the college through periods of great challenge.

As we moved into our 50th anniversary year, I learned things that have been especially moving for me. In the past three months, I’ve heard stories from our rich history​ that I had never heard and established many new relationships with people who have all been impacted by TCC in one way or another throughout the years.

I’ve gotten to talk personally with some amazing people like Helen Harvey, Dot Binger and Judy Jolly, all of whom helped found TCC and educated some of our first students, as well as Sam Cunningham and Charlie Macon, who were leading this College as trustees as far back as 1966. What a humbling experience to learn their stories and how they shaped our college over the past decades.

Our milestone year presents us with an excellent opportunity for everyone to rally around the College and help us lay the groundwork for the next 50 years. So after months of thorough planning and hard work our Vice President for Resource Development and Executive Director of the Foundation Heather Mitchell officially announced our comprehensive campaign for the College, “TCC. We Rise.”, at the Foundation’s First Annual Cleaver and Cork Event on March 4. The campaign includes six areas of focus:

1. TCC Downtown Center – to create a unique education hub in the heart of Tallahassee that links the for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors in ways that stimulate innovation
2. TCC Gadsden Center – to provide access for Gadsden County students and residents to degrees and workforce programs that lead to jobs with family sustaining wages
3. TCC Wakulla Environmental Institute – to make Wakulla County a world class destination that brings together education, conservation, and recreation in an environmentally sensitive way
4. Teaching and Learning Environments – to transform classrooms into spaces that leverage the use of furniture and technology to promote collaboration and encourage critical thinking
5. Bridging the Gap Scholarships – to expand access for students in strategic academic and workforce programs that meet the demands of our region’s employers
6. TCC Endowment – to secure TCC’s ability to react to future opportunities with the resources to help guide our direction and destiny

I’m thrilled to say today that our campaign has already reached $5.3 million of our $10 million goal. I attribute much of that success to Heather’s skilled leadership with an amazing team behind her, as well as the leadership of two other power women – the unstoppable Pam Butler, president of the Foundation Board of Directors, and the dynamic and passionate Karen Moore, TCC trustee and campaign chair, a pillar in our community and one of the most gracious and accomplished people I’ve ever known. I commend these three for their leadership.

As our campaign continues to develop, I have had the opportunity to meet with alumni, donors, and potential donors. Every single person I have spoken with made it clear that this community believes in what we’re doing at TCC. They all have family or friends of employees who went here, or they went here themselves. Theirs is a deep and universal gratitude for our College. They want to invest in the future of the College because of their past with the College, and they are as delighted to give recognition as they are to receive it. Their philanthropy is about their personal connection.

TCC is not just a community college, it’s a community institution. I know that, the students know that and everyone who works here knows that. Please join us this year because together we rise!