Former CSCC Faculty Leaves Thousands of Dollars in Estate to School

Napierra Alexander
Monday, December 6, 2021 12:00 AM
Press Releases, All, Employees, Community

CLEVELAND, Tenn.- Helen Darcey was an Associate Professor of mathematics at Cleveland State Community College since 1979. She passed away in 2019 leaving The Cleveland State Community College Foundation an estate donation of approximately $60,000. 

“Cleveland State was fortunate to have Helen Darcey as a member of the math department for over 40 years,” stated Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC President. “Her contributions to the college went beyond the classroom, and that continues to be true with her gift to the college's foundation.  Cleveland State has been very fortunate to have a number of highly committed faculty members such as Helen Darcey, and we are thankful for her generosity, which will impact both the college and community.”

Beyond teaching math classes, Helen served on the faculty senate and led the committee that led to the creation of the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning. She was instrumental in the math redesign project, creating videos for the college algebra course.   

“Helen Darcey was a long-time faculty member in the math department who spent her entire career teaching Cleveland State students,” stated John Squires, CSCC Executive Director of Advancement and Planning. “She was a devoted educator who impacted thousands of students, and she was a respected and important member of the Cleveland State family.  Helen's impact in the college and community will continue through her generous gift to the Cleveland State foundation, which will be used to benefit students at the college.”

Helen was active in the community, helping rescue and shelter abandoned dogs. She adopted several of the animals herself, caring for them at her home.  Many Cleveland State students referred to her affectionately as the “lady with the dogs.”

“Cleveland State Community College appreciates the planned gift from the Estate of Helen Darcey,” stated Lee McChesney, Director of Development. “Her legacy will continue to grow through this generous gift and will continue to impact lives for future students attending CSCC. An impactful way to benefit CSCC is through planned giving, designating CSCC as a beneficiary in your estate plan is easy to do and will benefit the college in the future.”

For more information on Cleveland State Community College, visit the website at clevelandstatecc.edu or email clscc_info@clevelandstatecc.edu. If you are interested in applying, visit mycs.cc/applynow. Students are currently enrolled online and on-campus through the CSCC main campus in Cleveland, Tennessee, as well as CSCC’s Athens Center in Athens, Tennessee and Monroe County Center in Vonore, Tennessee.

CSCC earned the Tennessee Board of Regent’s 2019 College of The Year. CSCC directly serves Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk Counties in Tennessee. The College System of Tennessee is the state’s largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus serving more than 140,000 students.