The University of Tennessee at Martin’s Jackson Center is relocating to the Jackson State Community College main campus following almost one year of negotiations.
The move to Jackson State’s Ned R. McWherter Center began today, and will be completed in time for the start of spring semester classes Jan. 11, 2018.
The UT Martin Jackson Center is located at 3031 Highway 45 Bypass, its home since October 2011.
The university has offered classes in Jackson since 1992, and the upcoming move is the center’s second relocation to Jackson State.
The center first moved to the Jackson State campus in January 2008 before eventually relocating in 2011 to the Bypass.
The current move returns the center to a campus setting and is another step in the growing partnership between the university and the Tennessee Board of Regents institution, which is observing its 50th anniversary.
“This partnership is a win-win for both institutions and a win for our students as well,” said Dr. Allana Hamilton, Jackson State president. “It provides JSCC graduates the flexibility they need to balance education, employment and family. Through this partnership, it is possible for a student to begin and graduate at Jackson State Community College and then enroll at UT Martin to complete a baccalaureate degree without leaving the Jackson State campus.”
The most recent data show that Jackson State transfer students enjoy a high rate of success when they transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree at UT Martin. Overall transfer four-year graduation rates are 6.1 percent below UT Martin’s institutional average, but Jackson State four-year graduation rates are 10.9 percent above UTM institutional rates.
UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver said this speaks to the benefit of a Jackson State associate degree to baccalaureate completion.
“The joint goal is to improve the long-term educational experience for students in West Tennessee,” Carver said. “Working together with Jackson State, we can improve transfer pathways and four-year graduation success of students entering Jackson State and completing their four-year degrees at UT Martin. This partnership will also impact the overall educational level of West Tennessee, leading to better employment and economic opportunities.”
The UT Martin Jackson Center is managed by the university’s Office of Educational Outreach. Dr. Brian Donavant is the educational outreach executive director, and Kayce Beam is the Jackson Center director.
(PHOTO: Jackson State Community College’s Ned R. McWherter Center, the new home for the UT Martin Jackson Center – courtesy of Jackson State)
