Flexible Roane State financial services program was good fit for working student

June 4, 2018
Flexible Roane State financial services program was good fit for working student

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

JAMESTOWN, Tenn. — It took determination, and Tiffany Atkins persisted.

Now Atkins is one of the first graduates to obtain Roane State’s associate degree in financial services — a flexible, adult-friendly program designed for those who want to start or advance their career in banking, finance, or insurance.

It wasn’t easy balancing a full-time job as a teller at the Bank of Fentress County with taking classes. To help fit the program into her schedule, Atkins took online classes and courses at Roane State’s nearby Fentress County campus in Jamestown.

“I loved being able to do interactive (live video) classes at Fentress County,” Tiffany said.

Roane State officials were more than helpful as she pursued her degree, she recalled. “Everyone was wonderful and I never had a problem. They knew I worked, and they worked with my schedule. I got help with everything I needed.”

Roane State’s financial services program is now one of the college’s most flexible options. Students have the opportunity to attend classes from their personal computer or mobile device from anywhere. Through Roane State’s new distance education platform (Zoom), students can attend interactive classes with live lectures, or record the classes and take them at their convenience.

Tiffany started her college studies when she was 19 and completed them three years later. Her financial services studies meshed nicely with her training at the bank, where she was being groomed as a loan processor. “I could use what I was learning in class for work, and vice versa.”

Now, Tiffany is 24 and prepares loan documents for the Bank of Fentress County while her husband, Aaron, works at Cumberland Farmers Cooperative in Crossville.

They’re getting ready for the birth in August of their first child, a boy they plan to name Mason.

“She (Atkins) is an excellent example of how you can come back to Roane State as a returning, busy working adult and finish a degree,” said Roane State Vice President of Workforce Development Teresa Duncan.

“Now she is going to soon have her first child, and she can head into motherhood as a college graduate who can provide even more opportunities for her child in the future.”

To learn more about Roane State’s two-year financial services program, visit roanestate.edu/financialservices or contact Mike Farmer, farmerwm@roanestate.edu or (865) 354-3000 ext. 4862.

Remember, eligible adults can now attend Roane State tuition-free with the new Reconnect grant. Learn more at roanestate.edu/reconnect.