Tyler Junior College (TJC) and Texas College (TC) entered into an articulation agreement on Friday, June 15, in McKinney Hall Connector at Texas College.
The agreement was signed by chief executive officers and chief academic officers of the colleges -- Dr. Dwight J. Fennell, Sr., TC president; Dr. Michael Metke, TJC chancellor and CEO; Dr. Stephen Jones, TC provost; and Dr. Juan E. Mejia, TJC president for branch locations & district provost -- to strengthen the collaboration between both institutions.
TJC, celebrating 92 years of service to East Texas, enrolls approximately 11,500 students each semester and offers over 125 degree and certificate options. In addition, TJC is one of four Texas community colleges designated by the Texas Legislature to award specialized baccalaureate degrees. The institution also serves as the higher education partner to the Early College High Schools in collaboration with Tyler Independent School District and Chapel Hill ISD and offers dual-credit programs available for high school students, currently serving more than 2,600 students.
Texas College was founded in 1894 by a group of ministers of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. The College offers 12 baccalaureate degree programs within four divisions: Business and Social Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Education, and Natural and Computational Science. TC also has an Alternative Certification Teacher Education program for persons who have already earned a bachelor’s degree.
“TJC has historically partnered with Texas College for over 50 years. I’m pleased to strengthen those partnerships by providing our students with a completely seamless transfer to TC,” Dr. Metke said. “TJC students can now complete their baccalaureate programs at another well-established college here in Tyler.”
“TJC is a world class, premier and award-winning institution of higher learning, and we remain dedicated to serving the students and communities of East Texas by a commitment to academic excellence, integrity, and scholarship,” shared Dr. Mejia. “The Aspen Institute’s repeat recognition of TJC as one of the top 150 across the nation, challenges us to continue to strive to identify win/wins that will benefit our wonderful communities, and we are honored to do so in partnership with Texas College.”