TMCC President Dr. Karin Hilgersom
Greetings, and welcome to Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC).
Since 2016, I have been honored to serve as the 10th president of TMCC, a college rich in diversity, and an upbeat place where outstanding faculty and staff wholeheartedly embrace our purpose and dedicate themselves to helping students cross the finish line. We work with our students to get good jobs and start meaningful careers. We serve our community by producing well-prepared graduates in many fields of study who, with our help, often develop an appetite for learning that enables lifelong progress in their professional and personal endeavors. Our students work hard and learn hard as they navigate the path leading them to a brighter future for themselves and their families.
TMCC is rightfully proud of its wide array of workforce programs, certificates and degrees, as well as transfer prep degrees which allow for seamless continuation to a 4-year degree at the University of Nevada-Reno, UNLV, and many universities outside of Nevada. We are also proud to offer several Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene, a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, as well as a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Through numerous awards and grants, TMCC has been recognized for transformative, cutting-edge programs in student support services, workforce development, community engagement, and more. In 2017, we qualified as a Hispanic Serving Institution and many of our Latinx students are succeeding in STEM fields. Recently, TMCC received its second significant federal TRIO grant that will provide deep support services to 140 students annually. This joined our longstanding Veterans Upward Bound program funded through TRIO. Additionally, TMCC earned the recognition titled “Green Ribbon School Post-Secondary Sustainability Award,” one of only five postsecondary institutions to be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education in 2020.
As president, I constantly reflect on opportunities to improve upon the important work of community colleges. This is particularly true in the context of the digital age that is changing the way that students learn, communicate, and view the world around them. In the new era of COVID-19, the speed of this change has increased exponentially, pushing us to think creatively, innovate quickly, and adapt rapidly. As a highly versatile and responsive learning organization, TMCC is well-positioned for success in this environment. We advocate for quality, affordable education, and create opportunities for accessible education through tools like Open Educational Resources (OER). We work closely with local industry leaders to ensure that our programs align with current industry standards, and we pivot to meet the employment demands of northern Nevada.
We continue to leverage the tremendous resources of the college, listening to our community openly as we ask and respond to the questions, “As educators, what can we do better to improve student success and completion?” and “How do we balance educational excellence in all our actions, while keeping tuition and fees low, so that all who seek training, certification, or a degree at TMCC can readily do so?”
At TMCC, we dedicate ourselves to the great purpose of service to our students and the Reno-Sparks community. We grow stronger by the semester and in challenging times, we reaffirm our commitment to moving forward and seeking new opportunities to provide excellent public higher education. As your president, I continue to work alongside you, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to best lead this marvelous college in a manner that builds upon our community’s great pride and appreciation for TMCC.
Best,
Karin Hilgersom, PhD
President, TMCC
