For students at Tallahassee State College, the Eagle’s Creed states “Eagles rise above the rest by affirming each other's strength and nurturing personal growth as we rise to meet life's challenges.”
Even with a name change, the college's values have stayed the same for almost 60 years.
Formerly Tallahassee Community College, the school officially changed its name to Tallahassee State College on July 1.
TSC has grown and continuously gone through changes to meet the challenges and needs of Florida's higher education system since it was first founded in 1966.
And it's not the first time the school's name has changed, either.
Originally, it was named Tallahassee Junior College, but was renamed shortly after to to TCC.
“Operation of Tallahassee Junior College is based upon the four recognized purposes of an academic community: to teach, to learn, to serve the teacher and the student, and to guard the public interest,” said founding president Fred Turner in 1970, who reassured the community that the name change wouldn't sacrifice the mission of the school.
In November 2023, current TSC President Jim Murdaugh did the same.
“I happen to like the idea of the fact that we were TJC, and now we’re TCC, and we could be TSC,” Murdaugh said to the board of trustees during a November meeting. “It continues to sell the Tallahassee brand no matter where you are. It’s a subtle difference.”
Whatever its name, people most likely know Tallahassee's community college for being a top transfer institution to Florida State University and Florida A&M University. About 15,000 students enroll each year.
Over the years, the school has built a catalog of more than 70 credit degree and certificate programs and recently added bachelor’s degrees in business administration, elementary education and exceptional student education.
In its 57 years, the school has gone through many changes, including at least five different logos, Murdaugh said during his 2023 state of the college address in August.
“(TSC) has generated a tremendous amount of momentum over the past several years. How we stay relevant is how we use it to best serve our students,” he said. “We didn’t arrive where we are by accident.”
Leon County School Board member Laurie Lawson Cox, who graduated in 1983, was the student body president when James Hinson became the school's third president.
Cox, who is running for reelection, told the Tallahassee Democrat it was a great educational path for her after she graduated from Leon High School.
"I loved the small nature of the classroom, the professors were so attentive, and I got an outstanding education," she said.
TSC had 5,000 students when she attended, and there were no intercollegiate sports at the time.
It's such a huge part of Tallahassee's legacy, she said. Her brother, Alan Lawson, a former Supreme Court Justice, also went to the community college, as did Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe (2002)
"Some outstanding leaders of our community have gone to school there," she said.
The college doesn't just create history, it preserves it as well.
The Tallahassee Democrat's black and white photo archives are also housed at TSC. The archives include tens of thousands of photographs in 31 file cabinets. The collection is housed in the college's library in a dedicated and historically decorated space with Democrat front pages from yesteryear. It is open to the public by appointment.
The collection is a veritable treasure trove of Tallahassee history, said notable Democrat writer Gerald Ensley.
TSC also houses the Riley Museum of African American History and Culture Archive, numerous historical documents and art collections, and the school will be the future home of the Dale Mabry Airfield Museum.
"It has provided such a foundation for our community," Cox said.
Tallahassee State College's notable alumni list
- Cheryl Hines, Emmy-winning actress
- John Rivers, Founder of 4Rivers Smokehouse
- Ursula Perano, journalist with Politico
- Reamonn Soto, inventor and Founder of Sensatek
- Lorenzo Cain, MLB player
- Michael Saunders, MLB player
- Elisa Cecchetti, Olympian (softball)
- Alison Tant, Florida House of Representatives
- Greg Tish, local radio host
- Drew McLeod, local restauranteur
- John Dailey, Tallahassee mayor
- Dana Brooks, attorney
- Walt McNeil, Leon County Sherriff
This story is part of TLH 200: the Gerald Ensley Bicentennial Memorial Project. Throughout our city's 200th birthday, we'll be drawing on the Tallahassee Democrat columnist and historian's research as we re-examine Tallahassee history. Read more at tallahassee.com/tlh200. Ana Goñi-Lessan can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.
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