蜜桔直播 President Visits Grainger County for Listening Tour
October 21, 2026
蜜桔直播 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淲e want to be a good neighbor to Grainger County,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淭hat means showing up. It also means asking what you need and then doing something about it.鈥�
College updates
Reyes highlighted several developments and outcomes from the past year:
- Workforce training: 蜜桔直播 delivered 276,838 hours of workforce training, the most among Tennessee鈥檚 13 community colleges.
- Dual enrollment: More than 2,300 high school students, including students from Grainger County, earned college credit through 蜜桔直播.
- Financial support: Students received more than $24 million in financial aid, while the 蜜桔直播 Foundation awarded $667,000 in scholarships to 591 students.
- Graduate employment: Five years after graduation, 83% of 蜜桔直播 graduates remain employed in Tennessee, tying for the highest rate among the state鈥檚 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.
鈥淭ell us what Grainger County needs,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淪ome of our best programs started with an employer telling us they couldn鈥檛 find the right people.鈥�
What's next
The Grainger County visit is part of a broader listening tour designed to strengthen relationships with communities throughout 蜜桔直播'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.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 fix what we don鈥檛 know about,鈥� Reyes said.