Welcome to the Family - Hiwassee College Closure

Family WELCOME TO THE

In March 2019, Hiwassee College, located in Madisonville, Tennessee, announced they would be closing their doors permanently. The news came as a shock to the roughly 250 students, faculty and staff that made up the Hiwassee family. Tennessee Wesleyan has worked tirelessly throughout the Hiwassee closure to see that many of these students and employees would have an immediate home.

These are direct quotes from faculty and students who have made the transition from Hiwassee College to TWU. We appreciate their honest reflection, as each of them shared that the emotions related to the transition are still very raw.

ROBIN TURNER – ACADEMIC SUPPORT LIBRARIAN

I always swore that they were going to have to pull me out of Hiwassee feet first because I was never going to leave. I loved that school and was devoted to it. I was a graduate there and it was a dream come true to me when I got the job there and then a couple years later…devastation when it was gone.

It came out of the blue. So, for some of us it was, oh my gosh, what are we going to do? And are we going to have to move and am I going to have to maybe change what I was planning on doing for the rest of my life?

I got very lucky in that TWU had an opening at just the right time for just the right position and I was offered the job. I consider Tennessee Wesleyan the saving grace for my career and my job.

GARRETT DALTON – SENIOR SPORT MANAGEMENT MAJOR – MADISONVILLE, TENNESSEE

I was worried to death about when I first got here, I had come from a place that just shut down. Obviously, you're traumatized in a way because I would have graduated this past fall. So it was kind of scary. I didn't know if I was going to be here for another three years.

I feel like I've only excelled here. My GPA is raised almost a half point since I've been here. I’ve had no problems with my classes, my grades have increased steadily. The teachers have made me want to come to class.

MICAH CHASTAIN – SOPHOMORE EDUCATION MAJOR – MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

I was really involved at Hiwassee. I worked in the Admissions office, was a student ambassador, and on SGA. When we found out we were upset. I was considering going back to Memphis, but I realized that I really liked it over here and I came to Tennessee Wesleyan. Everything was a rather smooth transition, with just a lot of hurt, unless you walk through it you probably don't fully understand.

It was nice having people from higher up on the chain come down and get more personal and talk to you about it. I really liked the programs and the people, and it's just been a good fit so far. They did really well about matching my scholarships… they didn't take any of my money away, they just transferred it over to match it. So that was a really big blessing because that was kind of the determining factor between if I would come here or go back home.