The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump is one of 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and 37 total institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system that are located across the state, serving the citizens of Tennessee. The TBR and the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee System are coordinated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC). THEC was created by the General Assembly in 1967 to achieve coordination and unity in the programs of public higher education in Tennessee. The TBR system was created by legislation enacted by the 1963 General Assembly of Tennessee, Chapter 229 of House Bill 633. Chapter 181, Senate Bill 746-House Bill 697, of the Public Act of 1983 transferred the governance of the state technical institutes and area vocational-technical schools from the State Board of Education to the Tennessee Board of Regents. The transfer became effective on July 1, 1983. By action of the Tennessee Legislature in 1994, the school name changed from Savannah State Area Vocational Technical School to Tennessee Technology Center at Crump. In 2013, the Legislature unanimously approved changing the name of the state’s technology centers to the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.

The Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump, underwent a major shift in 2017 because of the FOCUS Act of 2016 and the appointment of a new Chancellor, Dr. Flora Tydings. The FOCUS Act seeks to ensure the state’s Community Colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology are organized, supported, and empowered in efforts to increase the percentage of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential. Largely this involved the development of local governing boards for each of the six universities thus allowing TBR a greater focus on the 13 community Colleges and 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. Additional TBR efforts under the leadership of Dr. Tydings included the retitling of the chief administrative officers of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology from Director to President; the movement towards all 37 campuses in the TBR system operating with shared services; and, the restructuring of the TBR organization uniting the community and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology through common offices and services.

Campus History

Located on an 18-acre tract of land at 3070 Highway 64 between Savannah and Adamsville in Crump, the contract for the first building was awarded in February 1964 with operations beginning in 1965. The college is designed to serve citizens from a broad geographical area and serves a six-county area including Hardin, McNairy, Decatur, Chester, Wayne, and Henderson Counties.

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump is a modern training facility designed to simulate the occupational environment found in potential places of employment.  The controlling purpose of the training offered is to prepare individuals for useful and gainful occupations, thereby enhancing their potential for employment.  The main administration building is comprised of administrative offices, classrooms, and laboratory space for a total of 16, 232 ft. There are two shop wings of 21,280 ft. combined, which contains seven instructional programs.  In 1991, the Otis L. Floyd building totaling 7,751 sq. ft. was completed.  Each program utilizes the latest in training equipment and available technology.  Between 1999 and 2002, the entire campus benefited from a large renovation and expansion of the administrative building and two shop wings.  In 2020, the administration building was named the James D. King Administration building honoring former TCAT Vice-Chancellor, James D. King. In 2022, the Transportation Building totaling 10,808 square feet was completed and houses the Collision Repair Technology program.

The technical college, also, offers training at several instructional service centers (ISC). The first ISC is located at 1449 White Avenue, Henderson, Tennessee with three programs, Electrical & Plumbing Construction Technology, Health Information Management Technology, and. This center is called the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump Henderson-Chester Technology Center Instructional Service Center and began enrolling students on January 3, 2012.

A second center is now located at the Clifton Instructional Service Center on 795 Main Street, Clifton, Tennessee offering one full-time program, Health Information Management Technology.  The third center is the Henderson Instructional Service Center at 552 East Main Street, Henderson, Tennessee offering a part-time evening Welding program.

In fall 2020, TCAT Crump opened a new location, the Parsons Extension Campus. Located at 256 West 9th Street in Parsons, Tennessee, the new building is 10,000 sq. feet and houses four programs, administrative offices, computer lab, and a large shop for both programs to utilize. More programs are planned for this campus in the future.