A new kind of college campus opens its doors in Franklin on August 24, giving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to build job skills, faith, and independence close to home. The Shepherds College Empowered for Life Center will hold classes at the Church of the City - Franklin campus, offering a two-year commuter alternative to the flagship school's residential program in Wisconsin.
The center is a branch campus of Shepherds College, an accredited program based in Union Grove, Wisconsin, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. Shepherds College was established in 2008 as the nation's first fully accredited three-year residential post-secondary program built specifically for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. The college holds national institutional accreditation through the Council on Occupational Education, which requires regular peer review of its educational standards.
Rather than replicate that full residential model, the Franklin Center adapts the curriculum into a non-residential, two-year commuter day school, giving Middle Tennessee families a local alternative to sending students out of state. Classes will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., delivering 32 courses across four nine-to-ten-week terms each year, per program details published by Shepherds College. Students who complete at least 80% of the coursework earn an academic transfer pathway worth a full year of credit toward the three-year residential program in Wisconsin.
A Local Family's Path to College
For Isaac Harvill, who is set to attend the Empowered for Life Center, the program means finally getting to go to college like he'd hoped. His mother, Amy Harvill, wanted Isaac to attend college and has supported his push to grow toward his full potential, per the station's report. She said Isaac will continue growing and learning to become more independent as an adult, News Channel 5 Nashville reported.
Isaac likes talking about music and is considering future work at Target or with animals, according to the same account. The center is designed to help students like him move toward future work and greater independence, with courses in job readiness, life skills, faith journey, and personal growth. Brian Canright described the offerings as covering faith journey, job readiness, life skill, and personal growth courses, and he praised Church of the City - Franklin's community support for adults with special needs, the station reported.
Why the Campus Is Located at The Village
The new branch campus sits at The Village, a 25-acre community outreach site on Church of the City's Franklin property at 828 Murfreesboro Road, according to Church of the City. The site is designed to serve foster families, single parents, and other vulnerable populations, and operates as a hub for community organizations in Williamson County. Stacey Glass said the center will help adults moving into the next phase of their lives, per News Channel 5 Nashville's coverage.
Church of the City already runs City Friends, a special needs ministry that pairs trained volunteer buddies with individuals with disabilities and offers sensory-friendly rooms during church gatherings from infancy through adulthood, according to the church's ministry page. That ministry provides weekly Sunday programming alongside community events, giving the new college center an existing base of support to build on.
Night to Shine Helped Build the Partnership
The relationship between Church of the City and Shepherds College traces back to Night to Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation's annual worldwide prom for individuals with special needs ages 14 and older, launched in 2014. Church of the City - Franklin has hosted Night to Shine events, which helped create the partnership between the church and Shepherds Ministries, per the church's ministry information. The church hosts hundreds of honored guests annually through the program.
Before the inaugural term begins, Shepherds College and Church of the City hosted a three-day summer Preview Experience in Franklin in June, introducing young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to life skills and job training ahead of opening day. The Empowered for Life Center accepts students and focuses on helping them find purpose, with the goal of preparing them for work and greater independence after they leave.
The Employment Gap Driving the Need
The push for more post-secondary options for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities responds to a stark national employment gap. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the employment rate for adults with disabilities stood at 22.5% in 2023, while research from Think College has found that graduates of inclusive post-secondary disability programs achieve employment rates above 80%, according to a report published on ScholarWorks@BGSU.
Separate research from the Institute for Community Inclusion found that young adults with intellectual disabilities who complete post-secondary education programs are 26% more likely to secure integrated employment and earn 73% higher weekly wages than peers who do not attend such programs. Those figures underscore what a program like the Empowered for Life Center is meant to change for its students: a pathway from classroom instruction directly into steadier jobs and higher earnings, built around courses in life skills, job readiness, and personal growth close to home in Franklin.
