1415 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 350
Nashville, TN 37127
Phone (615) 366-4400 Fax (615) 366-4464
How the Board Works
The work of the Tennessee Board of Regents is carried out through eight standing committees and two ad hoc committees. Committee meetings are held as needed, but most of the standing committees meet quarterly on the day before the Tennessee Board of Regents meeting. The committees take formal action at their meetings, then forward committee-approved proposals to the full Board of Regents for final decision. In addition to board members, each standing committee except the compensation committee includes at least one faculty and student representative. The ad hoc committees may, at the discretion of the board, include presidents or directors as well as board members.
Standing Committees
Ø Academic Policies and Programs Committee
The academics committee is responsible for setting degree and admissions requirements at TBR universities and community colleges and for approving new programs, modifications to existing programs, and eliminating programs at those institutions. Major items that affect universities and community colleges system wide are considered by the appropriate sub-council, composed of campus representatives, and by the presidents council before presentation to the academics committee.
Ø Business, Community and Public Affairs Committee
The business, community and public affairs committee oversees legislative relations and other matters related to the interface between the TBR system and the public at large, including business, industry, and community leaders.
Ø Finance and Business Operations Committee
The finance committee approves the budget requests of all TBR institutions, as well as the TBR appropriations request, and forwards them to THEC for consideration. It also sets tuition and fees, approves property acquisitions, and oversees the naming of buildings and facilities.
Ø Personnel Committee
The personnel committee oversees all personnel policies and human resource matters except those related to compensation. Its duties include award of tenure, promotion, and other matters related to employees system wide.
Ø Compensation Committee
As required by the General Assembly, the compensation committee approves all campus and central office pay plans, sets the compensation of presidents and directors, and approves all salary increases throughout the system.
Ø Student Life Committee
The student life committee deals with student affairs including the conduct of students, discipline, student housing, parking, safety, and special activities of students of the institutions and schools that are part of the TBR system.
Ø Tennessee Technology Centers Committee
The TTC committee plays the same role regarding technology centers that the academics committee plays vis-à-vis universities and community colleges. Thus, the committee approves all new credentials, new programs, modifications to existing programs, and program elimination at the TTC’s.
Ø Audit Committee
The audit committee oversees the work of the system's independent auditors.
Ad Hoc Committees
Ø Capital Outlay Committee
The Ad-Hoc Committee was originally formed to revisit the capital outlay prioritization formula and recommend appropriate revisions. Among the revisions enacted, one has been an adaptation to equitably consider projects for the technology centers. The committee also oversees capital maintenance prioritization and has played an integral role in previewing and critiquing the annual capital budget request during the transition from technical analysis to formal adoption. In early spring, staff gives the institutions guidelines for their annual submittals, which are due in mid-June. The staff then applies prioritization criteria approved by the committee, and provides technical review and refinement. The committee previews the results in late August and provides comment. A resulting, finished recommendation is presented to the finance and business operations committee, which votes to approve or amend the recommendation and convey it to the full Board of Regents to approve or amend. The capital budget is then recommended to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Ø Geier Committee
The Geier committee oversaw the implementation of the Geier Consent Decree. The state's public higher education system was declared unitary in 2006, and the Geier case came to an end. This committee is being revamped and renamed.
