News

This #GivingTuesday, help change the life of a student attending one of Tennessee's community and technical colleges by considering a donation to The Foundation for the College System of Tennessee.

Books, fees, transportation, and food are just a few of the many expenses our students struggle to afford while pursuing an education. Your donation will help cover expenses not covered by other forms of financial aid.

During this season of giving, please consider giving back and helping students achieve their educational and career goals.

A new report from the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) highlights a decade of transformative progress in student success at the state's community colleges, driven by reforms to academic support known as corequisite learning support.

Each year, two-thirds of incoming students at Tennessee community colleges are identified as academically underprepared in math, reading, or writing. These students often face barriers to success before they even begin credit-bearing coursework, making innovation in academic support a critical priority for the state’s colleges.

Tennessee’s community and technical colleges honored veterans in their campus communities – including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others – during Veterans Day activities across the state.

As part of the ceremonies recognizing and honoring all veterans, one at each college was also awarded the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans, a special recognition launched in 2020 by Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.

The Tennessee Board of Regents committee chairs will meet Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, to receive informational updates in advance of the full board’s next quarterly meeting in December. The board’s Personnel and Compensation Committee and Audit Committee will hold business meetings immediately after the committee chairs meeting.

Cleveland State Community College Volleyball Head Coach Peyton McDaniel surprised her team Thursday night (Oct.

TBR - The College System of Tennessee hosted a Nuclear Workforce Summit on Oct. 28, 2025, on the Oak Ridge Campus of Roane State Community College. This event provided an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the ongoing nuclear renaissance in Tennessee and how our community and technical colleges are helping prepare Tennesseans for a broad range of rewarding careers in this growing industry.

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) congratulates Dr. Jothany Reed, vice chancellor of academic affairs, on receiving national recognition and statewide appointments that highlight her leadership in higher education and workforce development.

On Oct. 6, Dr. Reed received the National Postsecondary Leadership Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education. The award honors her outstanding work in strengthening postsecondary education and workforce pathways across Tennessee and beyond.

TBR - The College System of Tennessee has announced a Nuclear Workforce Summit will be held on Oct. 28, 2025, on the Oak Ridge Campus of Roane State Community College. This event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the ongoing nuclear renaissance in Tennessee.

As the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) rapidly approaches one million certifications across its national network in 17 years of existence, TBR – The College System of Tennessee proudly recognizes the thousands of certifications earned by students at community and technical colleges across the state. All 23 Tennessee colleges of applied technology (TCATs) and three of the system’s community colleges provided NC3 training, leading to 60,262 certifications.

Student enrollment is up 4 percent over fall 2024 at Tennessee’s community colleges and 6 percent at the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), based on preliminary fall 2025 enrollment numbers presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents during its quarterly meeting Thursday and Friday.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next regular quarterly meeting Sept. 18-19, 2025, at the new Knox Regional Health Science Education Center in Knoxville. Agenda highlights include consideration of a new systemwide strategic plan for 2025-35, proposed policy revisions, legislative and budget requests, and a report on student access, enrollment and success trends.

The board governs the College System of Tennessee – the state’s public community colleges and colleges of applied technology.

Today, we pause to remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and honor all those affected by this tragedy. Their memory calls us to serve our communities and support one another.

On this National Day of Service and Remembrance, we encourage our students, faculty and staff to find ways to give back and strengthen the bonds that unite us.

Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Chancellor Flora W. Tydings has appointed Roane State Community College’s Teresa Duncan as nuclear workforce lead strategist. In addition to remaining in her current role as vice president of workforce development at Roane State, Duncan will help lead the College System of Tennessee’s nuclear strategy to continue building a highly-skilled nuclear workforce in Tennessee. 

Seventeen Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology across the state are included in USA Today’s list of America’s Top 250 Vocational Schools for 2025.

The 17 TCATs are the only Tennessee institutions cited on the list. Tennessee had the fourth-highest number of schools among the 32 states with institutions listed in the Top 250, behind only the much larger states of California (35 institutions), Florida (25), and Texas (22).

The Tennessee Board of Regents committee chairs will meet Tuesday, August 26, 2025, to receive informational updates, review proposed revisions to TBR policies, and preview the agenda for the full board’s next quarterly meeting in September. The board’s Audit Committee will also meet immediately after the committee chairs.

When Tennessee’s community colleges open the 2025-26 academic year this month, they’ll also launch the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) General Education Core, a transformative experience designed to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge for success in the 21st Century.

In a special called meeting Aug. 6, 2025, the Tennessee Board of Regents appointed Dr. Saul Reyes as the next president of Walters State Community College. He will assume office as the college’s fifth president effective Sept. 8.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold a special called meeting Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, to consider the appointment of the next president of Walters State Community College and to receive a notice of proposed changes to the TBR Bylaws.

The board will receive and consider approval of Chancellor Flora W. Tydings’ recommendation of Dr. Saul Reyes for the Walters State presidency. Dr. Reyes is currently vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at the College of Central Florida.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) today announced the launch of TN Direct Admissions, a new pilot program that automatically accepts eligible high school seniors into participating in-state public and private universities and the state's community and technical colleges, using existing academic data.

All 23 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and 13 Tennessee community colleges are participating.

Tennessee community and technical college students earned a total of 52 medals across several career and technical education championship competitions at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta.

Representing 24 colleges across Tennessee, 150 students competed in 84 of the 110 competitions and brought 27 gold, 9 silver and 16 bronze medals home to five community colleges and nine Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) across the state. Medalists are listed below.