Southwest Tennessee Community College to hold Informational Session for Vatterott and LECole Culinaire students this week

December 20, 2018

For more information, contact:
Diana Fedinec, Director Public Relations and Media
(901) 333-4247
dfedinec@southwest.tn.edu

Vatterott and L’ECole Culinaire students are invited to attend an information session this Thursday, Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. on the Macon Cove Campus to learn how to continue their studies at Southwest.

Southwest Tennessee Community College is reaching out to students of two proprietary colleges whose parent company announced are discontinuing operations. Vatterott Educational Centers Inc. said Monday that all of its locations, including its campus at Appling Farms and its culinary school L’ECole Culinaire, are closing, effectively immediately.

Southwest Tennessee Community College offers business programs, as well as a culinary arts program, and is opening its doors to the Vatterott and L’ECole Culinaire students so they may continue their studies. Students will learn the next steps in their academic journey at an information session Thursday, Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. in the Bornblum Library Auditorium on the Macon Cove Campus.

“We are here to let the students know that all is not lost and that Southwest is committed to doing all we can to help them fulfill their academic goals,” Southwest President Dr. Tracy D. Hall said. “We have outstanding programs, including our culinary program that features one of Memphis’ highest regarded chefs and catering professionals at the helm, Chef Steven Leake,” she added. “Southwest is an outstanding choice for them, especially with our Tennessee Reconnect Program that will allow them to attend tuition-free, if they qualify.”

Southwest not only offers a culinary arts program, but also has similar academic offerings to Vatterott, including automotive technology, criminal justice, paralegal, computer technology and network technology,” Southwest’s Dean of Business and Technology Dr. Robin Cole says. “We are committed to doing all we can to help the students seamlessly transition to Southwest and continue their studies without interruption,” Cole said.

Southwest enrollment and financial aid specialists, along with academic advisors and representatives from the academic programs, will be on hand to counsel students on their transition.

Vatterott and L’ECole Culinaire students are encouraged to take the following steps to jumpstart the transfer process:

Apply for admission to Southwest online at www.southwest.tn.edu/ApplyOnline.htm
Add Southwest to their list of schools on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid application at www.fafsa.gov (Southwest School Code 010439)
Request that high school transcripts be sent to Southwest
Visit the Tennessee Higher Education Commission website at https://www.tn.gov/thec/bureaus/student-aid-and-compliance/postsecondary-state-authorization/institution-closure-information-2/vatterott-career-college-and-l-ecole-culinaire-memphis.html to keep up-to-date on the closure information and transcript availability

For more information, call (901) 333-5000 or visit southwest.tn.edu.

Southwest Tennessee Community College
Southwest Tennessee Community College is a comprehensive, multicultural, public, open-access college that serves more than 13,000 students annually. Southwest awards associate degrees and certifications in more than 120 programs of study to raise educational levels, enhance economic development and enrich quality of life for students and the community at large. Southwest is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.