Tyler Junior College officials and members of the Perkins family broke ground on a planned community and learning center at a donated property in downtown Rusk, with an opening anticipated in fall 2027. TJC has identified Rusk, Jacksonville and surrounding communities as part of the southernmost area it aims to serve.
The project traces back to a gift from Jim and Margaret Perkins, who donated a building and land in Rusk to the TJC Foundation, which then transferred the property to the Tyler Junior College District, according to tjc.edu. TJC President and CEO Juan E. Mejia has said the donation would accelerate plans for what he called a comprehensive community and learning center focused on workforce and academic programs. Mejia also said the college's broader master plan has long prioritized serving the southernmost part of its region, specifically Rusk, Jacksonville and the surrounding communities, per the same tjc.edu account.
The Rusk site is among TJC's locations, alongside its central campus and TJC West in Tyler, TJC North in Lindale, and TJC Jacksonville.
The Perkins family's ties to TJC extend beyond this gift. The couple received statewide recognition in 2023 through the Texas Higher Education Distinguished Service Award, according to tjc.edu.
Building Size And Address Details Vary Across Records
Building Size And Address Details Vary Across Records Accounts of the project differ on some specifics. TJC describes the Rusk property as a 6,700-square-foot building on S. Henderson Street known locally as “the train building” for its mural of the historic Texas State Railroad. A separate project notice from intelligence360.news said TJC planned to invest $4,500,000 to build out 6,877 square feet of new space in Rusk, though it's unclear whether that figure measures the same space as the other total.
TJC's own locations page lists its downtown Rusk site at 173 S Henderson Street, just a short walk from the Cherokee County Courthouse. The intelligence360.news project notice said TJC planned to occupy the new Rusk space on or about August 1, 2027.
A Rural County Watching Its Education Numbers
Cherokee County's share of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher was below the national figure, according to a UT Tyler Hibbs Institute overview. The report said 16.4% of county residents ages 25 to 64 held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 34.3% nationally, based on American Community Survey data from 2016 to 2020. The same report put the county's population at 52,341 for that period.
TJC already has a presence in Rusk through TJC-Rusk, which the college describes as a credit instructional site offering a 20-student vocational nurse education program, according to tjc.edu. The planned community and learning center is intended to build on that foundation, with workforce and academic programs for Rusk and surrounding communities.
