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Roane State Community College is a public community college in eastern Tennessee, with its main campus in Harriman in Roane County. It was authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1969, along with two other community colleges, and operates under the authority of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

There were 6,214 students as of fall 2013. The college's student-faculty ratio is 19:1.

Roane State's first permanent branch campus, designated as the Oak Ridge campus, was located in western Knox County near the Pellissippi Parkway and was shared with State Technical Institute at Knoxville, another Board of Regents institution. In the fall of 1988, two years after the campus opened in 1986, State Technical Institute became Pellissippi State Technical Community College and took over the entire campus, while Roane State moved its Oak Ridge classes to leased sites in Oak Ridge. A new permanent Roane State Oak Ridge campus opened in Oak Ridge on August 13, 1999.

Presidents

The college president is Chris Whaley.

The college's first president was Cuyler Dunbar, who served from 1970 until 1988 when he left to become president of Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina. He was succeeded by Sherry L. Hoppe, who served in the position (initially on an interim basis) until 2000, when she became interim president of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. Goff retired in October 2012 and was succeeded by Chris Whaley, who had previously served as vice president of student learning/chief academic officer.

Previous presidents

  • Cuyler Dunbar (president 1970–1988)
  • Sherry L. Hoppe (interim president, president 1988–2000)
  • William S. Fuqua (interim president 2000–2001)
  • Wade B. McCamey (president 2001–2005)
  • Gary Goff (president 2005–2012)

Academics

Roane State offers career-preparation programs and transfer programs. The college's associate of applied science programs (A.A.S) and certificate programs are designed for students who wish to enter the workforce after graduating. The college also offers transfer programs for students who wish to start at Roane State and then transfer to a four-year institution after two years. Roane State also has noncredit courses for professionals in business, healthcare, and other fields.

Athletics

Roane State maintains membership in the Eastern Division of the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association. The school fields teams in men's and women's basketball, men's baseball and women's softball. Roane State's mascot is the Raider.

Andy Landers, coach of the University of Georgia's women's basketball team and a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, got his start coaching at Roane State. Former Roane State player Bernadette Mattox, who played under Landers, was inducted into the induction into the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

In November 2008, 73-year-old Roane State student Ken Mink became the oldest person ever to score in a college basketball game, sinking two free throws against King College. Mink played one semester until being declared academically ineligible after failing a Spanish course.

Campus locations

Roane State has ten satellite campuses and centers, including the main campus.

  • Harriman – main campus (Roane County)
  • Knoxville – Center for Health Sciences
  • Rockwood (Tamke-Allan Observatory)
  • Oak Ridge/Anderson County
  • La Follette/Campbell County
  • Crossville/Cumberland County
  • Jamestown/Fentress County
  • Lenoir City/Loudon County
  • Wartburg/Morgan County
  • Huntsville/Scott County

Notable alumni

  • Bernadette Mattox, college and WNBA basketball coach
  • Ken Mink, college athlete
  • Lowell Russell, politician
  • Barry A. Vann, author and former university dean
  • Morgan Wallen, country singer (briefly attended, did not graduate)

References

  • Official site