ARLINGTON, Texas — Tarrant County College today cut the ribbon on a $193 million reimagining of TCC Southeast, unveiling 100,000 square feet of new space and 234,000 square feet of renovations as the campus celebrates 30 years of serving Arlington, Mansfield and Southeast Tarrant County.
Students, employees, elected officials and community members joined College leaders for the milestone occasion marking the completion of the Southeast Renovation and Expansion Project. Funded through TCC’s voter-approved 2019 bond program, the project adds two buildings and repurposes much of the campus for a new generation of Trailblazers.
“We listen to the heartbeat of our neighbors. We grow alongside them,” TCC Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said. “Yes, we’re cutting a ribbon on extraordinary new and modernized spaces. But this transformation is about what happens inside those spaces and the people who make it happen.”
The story began in 1996, when Southeast opened in a community on the grow.
New neighborhoods were taking shape across the Arlington-Mansfield corridor. Businesses were flourishing. Families were arriving in search of opportunity and a bright future. Southeast was built to meet that moment — and students responded. Designed for 5,000, the campus opened nearly full.
Southeast has served more than a quarter-million Trailblazers, with current enrollment approaching 10,000. As the campus has grown, so has the need to rethink how it’s used.
“This project was designed around the entire student journey — from someone’s first interest in TCC through completion and whatever comes next,” TCC Southeast President Andy Bowne said. “Our goal is simple: help every Trailblazer who comes here take bold steps toward a better future.”
For TCC’s Board of Trustees, the ribbon cutting fulfills a promise made when voters approved the bond program seven years ago.
“With that vote came something every bit as important as the dollars — trust,” TCC Board President Jeannie Deakyne said. “Trust that TCC would invest wisely, plan for growth and build with purpose. Today, we can see that trust at work.”
Board Vice President Leonard Hornsby brought a personal perspective. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he earned his associate degree from TCC in 1978 and later returned to serve as an instructor, advisor and counselor before becoming a trustee representing South Arlington and Mansfield.
“Growth takes people,” he said. “People with knowledge and skills. People prepared to work, to lead, to solve problems. That’s why TCC Southeast matters so much to this community.”
The celebration brought together elected officials whose constituencies have grown with Southeast and who see firsthand the role the College plays in the region.
“The city of Arlington and Tarrant County College share a commitment to creating opportunities,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, a TCC alumnus. “TCC is not only educating students, it is helping prepare the workforce that supports Arlington’s businesses, industries and continued growth.”
Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans, who previously served TCC as an administrator and trustee, has seen the College’s impact from multiple vantage points.
“The Southeast Campus is vital to the education journey of many Mansfield students,” he said. “It’s been a symbol of pride to share data that our MISD students outnumbered all other districts as enrollees in TCC’s dual credit program,”
Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons emphasized the project’s impact on students and families.
“TCC serves neighborhoods, rich in different cultures, experiences and talents,” she said. “Every student who walks through these doors deserves to feel that they belong here, that their goals are worth the investment.”
Students also had a voice in the celebration. Alumna and current UT Arlington student Leslie Zacarias, a former regional Phi Theta Kappa and Student Government Association president, and Southeast SGA Vice President Katelyn Quenichet represented the Trailblazers at the heart of TCC’s mission.
Other guests included elected officials and leaders from education, business and workforce development, along with former TCC Southeast President Bill Coppola, who led the campus for 12 years and was at the helm when voters approved funding for the project.
For three decades, Southeast has prepared Trailblazers for universities, careers and opportunities that scarcely could have been imagined when the campus opened in 1996. Through it all, its purpose — provide an accessible, affordable education that opens doors — has endured.
“Thirty years ago, Southeast rose to meet the future,” LeBlanc said. “Today, in many respects, we are that future. I cannot wait to see where our Trailblazers go from here.”
About Tarrant County College
Tarrant County College serves nearly 100,000 students each year, offering accessible, affordable pathways to in-demand careers and university transfer. Across its campuses and TCC Connect, its fully online learning option, the College works with more than 1,200 employers to help build the workforce that drives North Texas forward. Bold Steps. Better Futures.