Chancellor's Corner
Messages from the Chancellor
Remarkable things are happening at TCC.
My messages in the Chancellor's Corner are a chance for me to talk to you about news and events in our District and community.
Recent messages:
Fall 2026: Welcome to What's Next!
Dear Trailblazers,
Every fall Tarrant County College comes alive, and not just because classes begin again. The College powers up because thousands of Trailblazers arrive with dreams, determination and the courage to build something better.
We always look forward to this moment.
As a former TCC student, I know firsthand that an education here not only prepares you for what’s next — it gives you the confidence to shape it. That’s why our faculty and staff spent the summer anticipating your arrival, enhancing our campuses, expanding student support and creating even more opportunities for you to learn, grow and succeed.
I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the welcome message below as we start another exciting academic year together.
Thank you for choosing Tarrant County College. We are honored to be part of your story and can’t wait to see what you will accomplish this fall.
Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Bold Steps. Better Futures.
Founders Day Message: One Bold Decision
A community college should welcome everyone and equip them all for anything. Tarrant County College does that.
From 10-year-old Emma Howard to alumna Pearl Hunt, 101, TCC Trailblazers span the vibrant life cycle of a pulsing community. They are first-generation college students and lifelong learners. Working parents and recent high school grads. Veterans beginning new chapters and career changers pursuing fresh possibilities.
Different journeys. Different stories. One unshakable belief: Education improves lives.
For 61 years, that belief has defined us. It is why on July 31 we celebrate Founders Day — the moment in 1965 when Tarrant County voters made higher education available for anyone willing to pursue it.
Those voters could not have imagined the North Texas we know now. They could not have predicted the industries that would emerge, the technologies of tomorrow, this spring’s record 9,000-plus degrees and certificates awarded, or the 100,000 learners who choose TCC each year. They did understand a timeless truth, though — where education is accessible, affordable and rooted in community, potential flourishes.
Each Trailblazer preparing to serve our region carries that legacy forward. From healthcare and aviation to education and cybersecurity, the arts, business and public safety, our graduates strengthen every corner of North Texas. Their success, and that of countless alumni before them, contributes an estimated $2.3 billion in annual economic impact to our region.
Yet the greatest measure of that impact is not found in dollars. It is found in the lives we touch, the futures we expand and the opportunities we create. This was true in 1965. It remains true today.
Which is why we proudly call ourselves the community’s college.
As North Texas is ever growing, so is TCC ever evolving. We will continue listening, adapting and investing in programs that tap students for life-changing careers while we remain true to a mission born six decades ago.
To the citizens who voted in 1965 to establish Tarrant County College, thank you for championing the transformative power of learning.
To our Board of Trustees, Foundation board members, faculty and staff, students and alumni, business and educational partners, elected officials, community supporters and
donors, thank you for breathing possibility into every day and seeing promise in every classroom. For cheering joy in every accomplishment.
Founders Day does more than honor this history. It reminds us that we must further our predecessors’ work even as we illuminate the path for the achievers next in line.
Tarrant County voters gave us a college. Every generation since has given it purpose.
Happy Founders Day.
Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Happy 250th: The Promise Renewed
Once upon a time, in a land not at all far away, a bold idea changed the world. Two hundred fifty years later, the idea still resonates.
The idea that freedom matters. Opportunity matters. And that the future invites those willing to build it, again and again until the American promise shines brighter for the next generation, and the next. And the one after that.
For 250 years, Americans have pushed beyond what some thought possible to forge a better life. Progress is not automatic. It takes fearless dreamers and tireless heroes and those who refuse to quit.
Every generation is called to move the promise forward. Not with words alone, but through education, innovation, service and a commitment to something greater than ourselves.
At Tarrant County College, we see that spirit. We live that spirit. Each day. We see it in students who dare pursue their ambitions. In graduates whose talents strengthen our workforce and power our communities. In educators and employers whose partnerships prepare the talent North Texas needs — often before the need is even clear.
Trailblazers understand that a brighter tomorrow does not arrive on its own. It is something we create, built by those willing to challenge assumptions, solve problems, encourage change and open doors.
As the community’s college, we believe all learners should have options. People with access to education gain more than knowledge. They transform lives. They energize neighborhoods. They shape what lies ahead.
As we celebrate America’s birthday, we honor the vision and courage that got us here. We anticipate tomorrow with confidence.
The American promise is not something we inherit. It is something we renew.
In honor of those who came before us.
With those who walk beside us.
For those who follow.
Happy 250th, America. The best is yet to come.
Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Thanksgiving Message from Chancellor Elva LeBlanc
Dear TCC Family and Friends,
As the holidays approach, my heart fills with gratitude for who we are, what we are achieving and the remarkable community that continues to shape the Tarrant County College story.
When our founders dared imagine a community college built on academic excellence, access and opportunity, surely they envisioned a catalyst for change. A launch pad for lives waiting to be transformed. And we delivered.
- This fall — our 60th — we celebrated our largest post-pandemic enrollment — almost 50,000 students who trust us with their future.
- Our tax rate remains one of the lowest in the county — 56th of the 58 major public taxing entities — yet our economic contribution is huge — $2.3 billion annually. That’s $1.30 in taxpayer value for every dollar invested.
- K-12 independent school districts countywide vigorously support our Early College High School, Pathways in Technology and dual credit opportunities, and our first adult high school partnership is growing. Some 70 university partners ensure our graduates the chance to earn bachelor’s, master’s and even doctoral degrees.
- Robust industry collaborations make involvement in the auto industry possible with Autobahn and Toyota; in aviation with Embraer, GE Aerospace, Bell, Bombardier and Gulfstream; in EMS continuing education training on the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base; in law enforcement and fire rescue training for municipalities; and in healthcare by crafting in-demand programs for North Texas hospitals.
- We continue to fast track our film industry certifications as the state invests $1.5 billion over the next decade to boost the Texas film industry.
Together we are a powerhouse of learning and possibility, a place where education opens doors and clear vision uplifts all. This is your win, TCC Trailblazers. This is your triumph, TCC Board of Trustees. Your victory, TCC Foundation. Your accomplishment, faculty and staff. Your impact, business and education partners, elected leaders and community champions.
You did this, and I am profoundly thankful. You are the people who inspire us — each of you — living the shared purpose that unites us. I hope you feel, as I do, an overwhelming sense of pride in the difference we’re making.
Take a breather. You’ve earned it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Veterans Day 2025: Honoring Those Who Serve
Service to others defines the best of who we are. On this Veterans Day, Tarrant County College proudly honors the brave men and women in the uniform of our armed forces. We praise them for their courage and commitment to protect the freedoms we hold dear.
Many have experienced long separations from loved ones, missed milestones with children, faced harsh conditions in distant lands, and borne the physical and emotional scars of combat. Their families sacrifice, too, holding down careers, managing homes and living with the uncertainty of every deployment. To these families: Your resilience inspires. Daily you remind us that freedom only endures because of those who stand for it. We thank you deeply.
This is service at its highest mark, loyalty that defines character, patriotism to swell the heart. How fortunate for our nation — other nations — that these brave men and women answered the call. Their love of country lines the very fabric of our flag, each star a beacon of hope, each stripe a narrative of valor.
Almost 4,000 veterans and military-connected students are enrolled at TCC this fall, and another 130 teach or are on staff. Thousands of alumni have served their country and continue to strengthen our communities as first responders, educators, healthcare professionals, civic leaders, entrepreneurs and hometown volunteers. They embody what it means to be an American.
At Tarrant County College, supporting veterans and military-connected students isn’t a once-a-year gesture. It’s a daily commitment. Veterans Resource Centers at all six TCC campuses stand ready to help with everything from VA educational benefits to degree planning to counseling.
As TCC celebrates six decades of excellence and impact, we reaffirm our promise to educate and empower all who seek a better future. Veterans and military-connected students, know that you have a permanent place in that mission.
With profound respect and gratitude,
Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Updated September 22, 2026