The presidents of Middle Tennessee State University and Cleveland State Community College signed agreements Tuesday (Sept. 29) to make it easier for community college students to transfer and successfully earn an advanced degree at the university.

MTSU's Dr. Sidney A. McPhee and Cleveland State's Dr. Bill Seymour authorized agreements creating dual admissions and reverse transfer options between the community college -- with a main campus in Cleveland, Tennessee, and two satellite campuses -- and MTSU, located in Murfreesboro.

The agreement signing occurred at the Chattanooga Convention Center, where the first leg of MTSU's nine-city True Blue Tour was held later featuring a reception for prospective students and their guests and luncheon for area high school counselors and community college staff.

The agreement helps establish programs to promote successful experiences for students wanting to complete a degree. Cleveland State students can now interact with MTSU advisers and have access to faculty and programs within their proposed majors. Students completing an associate degree will be granted access to register early for university classes.

"This provides an opportunity to build an even stronger relationship with Cleveland State and our joint mission for student success so more Tennesseans graduate from college and support the state's objective of producing a more educated workforce," McPhee said. "We are a No. 1 destination for transfer students in Tennessee. Cleveland State is an outstanding community college. We get lots of students who are successful in the transition from Cleveland State to MTSU."

"We are excited about this new partnership with MTSU," Seymour said. "While it is two schools here today, this is all about the students. This agreement provides a pathway."

"And with the Tennessee Transfer Pathways (advising tools to help students transfer from community colleges to universities), this will help make it as easy as possible for the student to establish a relationship with MTSU," Seymour added. "They are the ones reaping the benefits from the opportunities that exist at both institutions."

Another element of the agreements is reverse transfer.

A student completing MTSU courses can transfer those credits back to Cleveland State to help meet requirements for an associate degree. To learn more, students should email transfer@mtsu.edu or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/apply.

MTSU, the largest and oldest institution in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, also has established dual-admission programs with Nashville State, Chattanooga State, Dyersburg State, Motlow State, Jackson State, Roane State and Northeast State community colleges. It offers more than 150 programs including recording industry, Concrete Industry Management, aerospace, business and mechatronics engineering.

Cleveland State is a TBR college offering a wide variety of two-year degrees and one-year certificates. Many associate degrees are part of the Tennessee Transfer Pathways program, which guarantees graduates entry into select college and university programs as a junior. Specific areas of study include the humanities and social sciences, math and science, business and technology and health, wellness and nursing. The college serves Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties with campuses in Cleveland, Athens and Madisonville.