With the help of TCC faculty and students, the previous tagline “Tomorrow Starts Here” has changed to “Success Within Reach.”

More than 3,300 students, faculty and staff replied to the surveys emailed Aug. 12, said Suzanne Cottraux, director of public relations and marketing.

An in-house research group was directed to find a new tagline after the college became aware that the present tagline was already in use and trademarked by East Carolina University. The research group did a lot of brainstorming for a slogan that sums up the idea behind the college.

The research group found that the word “tomorrow” was used too frequently, she said. The group engaged in what Cottraux called a facilitated brainstorm session to focus on what a student would think or feel upon reading the new slogan. A list of what was originally 60 one-liner ideas was quickly whittled down to 10 and then six, Cottraux said.

Then students got involved. Most of those who responded to the survey agreed on the same line. “Success Within Reach” was a choice that a majority of the research group chose before they asked for the TCC community’s opinion. Cottraux said this was a “beautiful testament to the employee population” because it showed how well they knew their constituents.

“We’re within reach because we’re affordable,” Cottraux said. “We offer online. We can help you be successful.”

Board of trustees president Louise Appleman agreed.  

“It means that all the constituents understand and focus on the same thing,” Appleman said.

Appleman said the process involved an enormous amount of people and was well orchestrated. The tagline took less than six months to develop.

In May, Reginald Gates, vice chancellor of communications and external affairs, said the tagline should be a type of “call to action” enhancement for the lives of students.

“The tagline serves as an identifier of the institution,” he said. “It serves as a reminder of the difference we can make in the lives of our current and prospective students.”

During the creation process, TCC also consulted outside advertising agency Warren Douglas. The agency was unable to comment on its involvement in the process.