Walters State President Visits Grainger County for Listening Tour

Walters State Community College President Dr. Saul Reyes met with more than a dozen Grainger County leaders from state and local government, business, education and the community as part of the college’s East Tennessee Strong listening tour.

The visit gave Reyes an opportunity to share updates on the college's work across the region and hear directly from local leaders about Grainger County's needs.

“We want to be a good neighbor to Grainger County,” Reyes said. “That means showing up. It also means asking what you need and then doing something about it.”

College updates

Reyes highlighted several developments and outcomes from the past year:

• Workforce training: Walters State delivered 276,838 hours of workforce training, the most among Tennessee’s 13 community colleges.
• Dual enrollment: More than 2,300 high school students, including students from Grainger County, earned college credit through Walters State.
• Financial support: Students received more than $24 million in financial aid, while the Walters State Foundation awarded $667,000 in scholarships to 591 students.
• Graduate employment: Five years after graduation, 83% of Walters State graduates remain employed in Tennessee, tying for the highest rate among the state’s community colleges.

Reyes said the figures reflect the college's role in preparing students for careers and helping employers find skilled workers.

Grainger County priorities

Much of the gathering focused on local needs, including academic and workforce programs, educational opportunities for Grainger County students and potential partnerships.

Reyes encouraged leaders to identify workforce challenges and areas where Walters State could strengthen its support.

“Tell us what Grainger County needs,” Reyes said. “Some of our best programs started with an employer telling us they couldn’t find the right people.”

What's next

The Grainger County visit is part of a broader listening tour designed to strengthen relationships with communities throughout Walters State's 10-county service area.

The goal is to build relationships, better understand the challenges facing individual communities and identify opportunities for the college to respond.

“We can’t fix what we don’t know about,” Reyes said.