The newly established College of Arts and Sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan University will be named in honor of esteemed supporter and alumnus the Honorable Carl E. Colloms following a $2.5M charitable commitment announced publicly at the University’s one hundred sixty-seventh commencement exercises on Saturday. Colloms was the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the same ceremony. Colloms career includes Bradley County Judge, Child Support Magistrate Judge and President and CEO of Colloms and Associates, Inc., a property development and management company.

“Dr. Colloms is one of the lead Tennessee Wesleyan philanthropists of all time,” said Dr. Tyler Forrest. “His impact on the campus and students we serve has been immeasurable, and this gift will leave a positive impact in perpetuity. We could thank him 1,000 times and that still not accurately reflect our appreciation and the importance of Dr. Colloms to Tennessee Wesleyan University.”

Colloms’ gift to name the Colloms College of Arts and Sciences will be allocated towards renovations in Banfield-Durham Hall, an endowed classroom renovation fund, an endowed dean’s innovation fund, and a significant addition to the already established Carl E. Colloms Endowed Scholarship.

When asked about the gift, Colloms’ simply replied “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” quoting Acts 20:35. He went on to say “you can never give enough to repay what family and friends have done for you, so this gift is in their honor to benefit the wonderful students at Tennessee Wesleyan University.”

A native of Charleston, Tennessee, Colloms is a 1960 graduate of Charleston High School, a 1964 graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College, and a 1966 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Law, where he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. In 2020 he received the Tennessee Wesleyan University Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and was named an accomplished alumnus by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Law the same year.

Judge Colloms has been a longtime member of the Tennessee Wesleyan University Board of Trustees, and his philanthropic generosity has been “significant” according to Forrest. “His lead gift allowed the construction of the Colloms Campus Center which not only serves our campus but is now a premier site in our community for receptions and events.”

As announced last week, Dr. Augustin Bocco will serve as the inaugural dean of the Colloms College of Arts and Sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan University. The TWU Board of Trustees approved naming the College of Arts and Sciences in Colloms’ honor at its April meeting.

Tennessee Wesleyan University, founded in Athens, Tennessee, in 1857, is a four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church offering more than sixty undergraduate and graduate majors and minors. Through strong academic programs, service-learning opportunities, student organizations, and athletics, Tennessee Wesleyan University is transforming the lives of more than 1,000 students to become enlightened servant leaders who believe in serving others, pursuing knowledge, and leading by example.