The school was founded in 1968, when a local philanthropist, Fred W. Beazley, closed the existing Frederick College and deeded the land to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the creation of Tidewater Community College. With the support of Hampton Roads' municipalities, TCC quickly expanded to Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and in the 1990s, it helped revitalize downtown Norfolk by establishing a campus in former department store buildings. In 2010, the Portsmouth campus relocated to a new site within the city.
In 2003 TCC signed an agreement with Norfolk State University that allows students to transfer from one to another.[3]
In 2017, Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach and Norfolk campuses) entered into an agreement with Virginia Wesleyan University on the "Tidewater Promise," a parallel concurrent enrollment program that permits students to take advantage of most services and resources on the VWU campus while enrolled as associate degree students at TCC. The program enables students to guarantee tuition costs for four years and to complete a four-year bachelor's degree less expensively than attending a state university.[4]
Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani took office as the college's fifth president in July 2012.[5] She succeeded Deborah M. DiCroce, who had served for 14 years. In early 2018, the college's faculty voted "no confidence" in Baehre-Kolovani as enrollments declined and the college announced another round of layoffs (following layoffs in 2017).[6]
Tidewater Community College's mascot is Storm[7] and the school colors are royal blue and white.
Literary festival and journal
Tidewater Community College publishes an annual literary journal called the Channel Marker. Submissions are accepted in the fall semester and the publication is released in the spring (usually April) in conjunction with TCC's Annual Literary Festival.[8]
