TCC 50 Resolution

Senate of Virginia – SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College, the largest provider of higher education and workforce solutions in Hampton Roads, serving the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and portions of Suffolk, is observing its 50th anniversary during the 2018-2019 academic year; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College was established in 1968 at the confluence of the James and Nansemond rivers in Suffolk on the site of the former Frederick College, when the Beazley Foundation, on behalf of Fred W. Beazley, generously gifted to the Commonwealth more than 700 acres of property and buildings and $1 million for the purpose of establishing a community college in the Tidewater region; and

WHEREAS, since those humble beginnings, Tidewater Community College has grown to encompass four campuses and seven regional academic centers; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College’s regional accreditation was reaffirmed in 2017 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College has awarded degrees and certificates to about 80,000 individuals; and

WHEREAS, many Tidewater Community College alumni live and work in Hampton Roads, contributing to the local economy in fields associated with their areas of study; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College is the second largest public provider of undergraduate education in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College enrolls the greatest number of African-American undergraduates in Virginia, and is tenth nationally for the number of associate degrees awarded to African-American students; and

WHEREAS, three out of five Tidewater Community College graduates have no student debt, thanks to the college’s affordable tuition, scholarships, and financial aid; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College was the first regionally accredited institution of higher learning to offer an entire degree program, the Associate of Science in Business, using open educational resources, which eliminates the need for students to purchase textbooks; and 

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College students have saved more than a million dollars thanks to the college’s innovative no-textbook-cost degrees and courses; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College awarded more than eighty workforce credentials under the General Assembly-funded Workforce Credential Grant Program between August 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College’s Center for Workforce Solutions has served more than 1,500 companies and individuals over the past 18 years; and

WHEREAS, the maritime and ship repair industries in Hampton Roads rely on Tidewater Community College to equip their current and future employees with industry-relevant skills and knowledge; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College is recognized by Virginia’s Congressional delegation as uniquely qualified to become a Domestic Maritime Center of Excellence, which, as outlined under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, would advance the capabilities of community and technical colleges to help secure the talent pipeline for the domestic maritime industry; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College’s programs, faculty, and alumni serve the workforce needs of major Hampton Roads industries, including health care, advanced manufacturing, construction, hospitality, and culinary; and

WHEREAS, nearly two-thirds of Tidewater Community College graduates transfer to four-year colleges, most of them to Virginia’s four-year institutions, thanks to General Articulation Agreements with the Virginia Community College System and program-specific articulation agreements; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College serves more military-related students than any college in Virginia, with one-third of its enrollment made up of active-duty military, veterans, spouses, and dependents, and is consistently ranked “Best for Vets” and “Military Friendly”; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College is dually-certified as a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Employer and Educator; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College continues to increase the number of high school students who are attaining college credits and industry-relevant credentials through dual-enrollment programs, giving them a head start on their college careers; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College is among the few community colleges in the nation to provide on-campus child care, recognizing that lack of child care is a major barrier to college completion; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College demonstrates its commitment to the environment with LEED-certified buildings and recognition of the Chesapeake Campus as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, diversity and inclusion are central to Tidewater Community College’s recruitment, hiring, electronic technology, and instructional policies and practices; and

WHEREAS, Tidewater Community College lives up to its promise, “From Here, Go Anywhere,” providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and career; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED by Senate of Virginia, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Tidewater Community College on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani, president of Tidewater Community College, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the college’s commitment to higher education and longtime service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Susan Clarke Schaar
Clerk of the Senate