Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was named in honor of former United States Senator Herbert S. Walters. The college serves ten predominantly rural East Tennessee counties, located in the area of the Clinch and Great Smoky Mountains with five campuses totaling approximately 6,200 degree-seeking, commuting students. The college offers over 100 programs of study, ranging from transfer programs to four-year universities, to two-year associates and technical certificate programs. History In 1957, the Pierce-Albright Report was presented to the Tennessee legislature, detailing situations of higher education in the state. It showed many citizens of the state of Tennessee to be without sufficient access to colleges and universities, and led to the allocation of $200,000 in 1963 to implement the recommendations of the report. The State Board of Education developed a plan to locate community colleges in the underserved regions of Tennessee within a reasonable distance of travel to the majority of residents in each region. In 1965, the Tennessee General Assembly certified the establishment of the first wave of these institutions. In 1970, Walters State Community College became the sixth college created in this process, named for former U.S. Senator Herbert S. Walters who was responsible for the development of a community college in Morristown. Walters State was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges in 1972, and received reaffirmation of accreditation in 1976, 1987 and 1997. In 2017, a hiking-mountain biking trail system would be constructed at the main campus at a natural area surrounding the college's public safety complex. Presidents Dr. James W. Clark, was appointed as the first president of Walters State Community College in 1969 and served in that capacity until 1974. While classes were held in temporary quarters in Morristown during the first year of the college's operation, Dr. Clark oversaw the completion of The College Center, the first building built on the campus and opened in 1971. Dr. Jack E. Campbell, who was hired in 1974 to succeed Clark, was considered one of the youngest college presidents at the time. Under his leadership, the campus expanded from the one campus location in Morristown with a population of 1,736 students to having four campuses, with a total student population of 6,000 credit degree-seeking