MARTIN, Tenn. – An articulation agreement that provides agriculture students a seamless pathway to a four-year degree in the field was signed March 10 by leaders at the University of Tennessee at Martin and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Jackson.
UT Martin Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. and TCAT Jackson President Dr. JacQuene Rainey met at Gibson County High School’s equine building to sign the agreement that links dual enrollment opportunities at Gibson County High School and South Gibson High School with TCAT Jackson’s farming operations technology and digital agronomy programs and, ultimately, with bachelor’s degree options in UT Martin’s Department of Agriculture, Geosciences and Natural Resources.
This pathway allows students to begin earning meaningful college credit in high school, gain hands-on technical training at TCAT Jackson and receive up to 30 hours of transfer credit toward a UT Martin agriculture degree, helping reduce the time to completion and the overall cost of a four-year education.
The agreement supports students from Gibson County High School, South Gibson High School and surrounding regional schools by providing a clearly-defined roadmap from high school through technical college to a UT Martin degree.
“For me, it is about partnership, it is about access and student success,” Freeman said. “This is how it starts: You partner with secondary education and postsecondary opportunities to extend opportunities for students across this area.”
Rainey emphasized how the agreement would bolster education and marketable skills in students.
“This pathway will empower students to build valuable skills, earn credentials more quickly and pursue high-demand careers in farming operations technology and agricultural-related fields,” she said. “This agreement demonstrates what can happen when education partners come together with a shared vision for student success.”
Rainey noted that TCAT also signed articulation agreements with UT Martin in 2022 with TCAT Crump – which was the first statewide articulation agreement between a TCAT school and a university – and in 2024 with TCAT Northwest.
Eddie Pruett, director of schools for the Gibson County Special School District, said the agreement will allow students to organize their futures earlier and easier.