Southwest Tennessee Community College (Southwest) was created July 1, 2000, by state legislation that consolidated two public two-year colleges, State Technical Institute at Memphis and Shelby State Community College, under the governance of the Tennessee Board of Regents in the State University and Community College System of Tennessee.

The institutional mission statement defines the principal role and scope of Southwest:

Southwest Tennessee Community College is the comprehensive, multicultural, public, open-access college whose mission is to anticipate and respond to the educational needs of students, employers, and communities in Shelby and Fayette counties and the surrounding Mid-South region. The college provides citizens with an effective teaching and learning environment designed to raise educational levels, enhance economic development, and enrich personal lives.

To fulfill its multipurpose mission, the college:

Offers a broad range of learning opportunities in technical, career, general, transfer, developmental, and continuing education

Offers associate degrees, certificates, and courses to prepare students for employment, career advancement, personal enrichment, and college and university transfer

Increases educational access through technology-assisted instruction, distance learning opportunities, and multiple locations

Initiates partnerships and public service activities for workforce development and lifelong learning throughout the community

Implements articulation agreements and collaborative activities with high schools, technology centers, colleges, and universities

Attracts and retains diverse faculty, staff, and students

Delivers effective academic programs, student support services, and administrative services through quality personnel, current technology, and continuous planning, evaluation, and improvement

Southwest Tennessee Community College is committed to the education of a non-racially identifiable student body and promotes diversity and access without regard to race, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

Southwest Tennessee Community College is a member of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the governance of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Southwest is the largest two-year college in Tennessee with over eleven thousand students enrolled in associate degrees and career certificates in more than one hundred areas. The open-admissions institution serves both urban and rural populations in Shelby and Fayette counties with two main campuses, four off-campus centers and classroom sites in Fayette county. The student body is predominantly female (66%), black (57%), part-time (53%), and adult (average age of 27 years with only 26% younger than 21 years).\