TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – During Tallahassee Community College’s January meeting of its District Board of Trustees, TCC President Jim Murdaugh announced articulation agreements with Florida State University Panama City and Florida A&M University.

Through the agreement, students enrolled at TCC will be able to take courses offered by FSU Panama City on the TCC Campus. The agreement establishes initial articulations in two academic degree program areas: the TCC Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree in Criminal Justice Technology will articulate to the FSU Panama City Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Public Safety and Security, Police Science Major; the TCC Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree will articulate in its entirety (60 credit hours) to the FSU Panama City Bachelor of Science in Public Safety and Security, Law Enforcement Operations Major.

“Evidence shows that the sooner students develop their career goals and get started in their course work toward those goals the better their retention and success rates are,” stated Barbara Sloan, TCC Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This agreement gives TCC students a great opportunity to participate in a major as early as their second year of college.”

Degree seeking students who have completed at least 30 semester hours at TCC and are in good academic standing will be eligible to participate in the new program. TCC students may take up to 15 semester hours of junior/senior level courses towards completion of the Public Safety and Security B.S. degree offered by FSU Panama City. After completion of the A.S. or A.A. at TCC, students will be able to transfer to FSU Panama City to complete the Public Safety and Security B.S. degree through online or on campus coursework enrollment.

“This is an exciting new opportunity for TCC students who are ultimately seeking a B.S. degree in this high demand field of study,” stated Ken Shaw, dean of FSU Panama City. “While working towards completion of either their A.S. or A.A. degree at the TCC campus, these students will be able to also make significant progress towards completion of their B.S. degree. This partnership is all about helping students complete their degree as cost-efficiently and conveniently as possible.”

Dr. James Ammons, President of Florida A&M University, was also in attendance as TCC and Florida A&M announced the enhancement of the articulation between community colleges and universities identified in state law. The agreement emphasizes increased communication, sharing of data, student advising, and scholarships for TCC graduates to attend FAMU.

TCC is widely known for being the largest feeder institution for Florida State University and, according to Dr. Ammons, there’s no reason Florida A&M can’t say the same about its neighboring institution.

“TCC is pleased to recognize its special relationship with FAMU through this agreement,” added Sloan. “FAMU offers great programs and resources to TCC students, and we are eager to work more closely with FAMU counselors to provide these options to our graduates.”

Another key component of the agreement is the establishment of a Rattler Room, which will be located in TCC’s Student Union. The Rattler Room will serve as an information hub for TCC students who are interested in transferring to FAMU and will be staffed by FAMU professionals on a regular basis.

“TCC students wishing to transfer to FAMU will be advised about limited access programs and specific prerequisite courses that will prepare our students for highly-competitive programs such as agriculture, engineering and pharmacy,” said Sharon Jefferson, Vice President for Student Affairs. “We are excited about the renewed partnership and the future of TCC students who will transfer to FAMU.”

The agreement also provides increased scholarship opportunities – from $1,500 to $5,000 - for TCC students who transfer to FAMU, based on cumulative GPA.

In addition to the articulation agreements with FSU Panama City and Florida A&M, TCC recently expanded its commitment to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

As a result, TCC will work to improve the pathway from area school districts – primarily those in Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties – to TCC for students interested in STEM. The College will also share data and info in order to encourage students to commit to STEM at an earlier age.

TCC is committing approximately $20,000 in scholarships for STEM students.