Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed the state legislation that will allow TallahasseeCommunityCollege to be renamed Tallahassee State College. The name change is effective July 1.
“We are so grateful to the governor for taking the time to mark this significant occasion with us,” TCC President Jim Murdaugh said in a prepared statement sent to the Tallahassee Democrat. “We look forward to moving into the future together as Tallahassee State College.”
The Wednesday signing comes after the bill (SB 522) was passed by lawmakers and presented to DeSantis March 19 following the 2024 legislative session’s end.
The name means TCC will now be branded as a state college, falling in line with most of the other colleges in the Florida College System.
It will mark the college’s second renaming in history after it was changed from Tallahassee Junior College to TCC in 1970. A new logo is also underway after the college has already had at least five different logos throughout history.
“This college does an outstanding job preparing students for success, and Florida is proud to be home to the nation’s finest education system,” DeSantis said in an X post Wednesday afternoon, where he announced the signed legislation.
DeSantis is pictured in the social media post holding up the signed bill as he is surrounded by stakeholders including Murdaugh, TCC Vice President for Communications and Chief of Staff Candice Grause, the college’s Board of Trustees members and Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee.
While Simon sponsored the bill in support of TCC’s efforts to officially change the name of the college in state law, Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, sponsored the measure (HB 501) on the House’s side.
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TCC has been working on making the new name a reality to match its increased national recognition, where more than 60% of its students come from outside of the service district of Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties.
In addition, TCC added additional bachelor’s degree programs to its offerings last fall — including a bachelor of applied science in business administration, a bachelor of science in elementary education and a bachelor of science in exceptional student education — that contribute to its evolving status in Florida.
The college will present a resolution about the renaming Monday April 15 during its upcoming Board of Trustees meeting on campus, followed by a reception, according to a TCC spokesperson.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
