News

Over the past two years, universities and community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents system have been rewriting course schedules, developing mentorships with local school systems, and rethinking the way teachers have traditionally been taught and trained in school.

The initiative is expected to transform education programs across the state and help Tennessee turn the corner on improving teacher and student performance.

The search advisory committee for a new president of East Tennessee State University narrowed the candidate pool to three finalists after wrapping up interviews with the eight round-one candidates today.

The three finalists will visit the ETSU campus next week to meet with a variety of university constituent groups, including faculty and staff, students and the community.

They are

The search advisory committee for a new president of East Tennessee State University has selected 8 candidates from a list of 49 to bring to Johnson City for the first round of interviews.

The round-one interviews will take place with the search advisory committee this Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 19 and 20, in the A and B Ballrooms in the Millennium Centre. Following those interviews, the committee will decide which candidates to invite to return for meetings on the campus with ETSU constituent groups, including faculty, staff and students, during the week of Oct. 24-28.

The presidential search advisory committee at East Tennessee State University will meet Oct. 17 to review applicants for the ETSU president’s post at 10 a.m. EST in the East Tennessee Room of the D.P. Culp University Center.

Committee members will identify leading prospects for consideration, select candidates for the first-round interviews with the search committee, and discuss interview strategies.

The Tennessee Board of Regents met today at Roane State Community College, where it confirmed the hiring of a new vice chancellor for Community Colleges.

The board approved Chancellor John Morgan’s recommendation to appoint Warren Nichols, president of Volunteer State Community College, as the TBR vice chancellor for Community Colleges effective Oct 1.

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan has selected Bruce Scism to serve as interim president of Volunteer State Community College beginning Oct. 1.

Scism, currently the vice president for Academic Affairs at Vol State in Gallatin, will assume the leadership role following the departure of Vol State President Warren Nichols, who is recommended to be appointed vice chancellor for community colleges at the TBR Central Office in Nashville.

Four open committee meetings – Audit, Committee Chairs, Ad-Hoc Capital Outlay & Capital Maintenance, and Personnel & Compensation – will be held at the Tennessee Board of Regents central office in Nashville on Wednesday, Sept. 7.

The Audit Committee meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. CDT. The agenda includes:

I. Informational reporting

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan will recommend to the Board that Warren Nichols be appointed vice chancellor for community colleges at the TBR.

Nichols, who currently serves as president of Volunteer State Community College, was selected after a comprehensive search that included a large group of candidates from across the United States.

AT&T* has announced a $130,000 contribution to the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) to support students enrolled in the new accelerated pathways technical certificate and degree programs in Tennessee community colleges. The AT&T Completion Scholarship Program will fund scholarships to help community college students statewide begin a path toward completing their college degrees. The announcement was made at Nashville State Community College.

AT&T* has announced a $130,000 contribution to the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) to support students enrolled in the new accelerated pathways technical certificate and degree programs in Tennessee community colleges. The AT&T Completion Scholarship Program will fund scholarships to help community college students statewide begin a path toward completing their college degrees. The announcement was made at Nashville State Community College.

A young woman who lost her job, then found a career after attending the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, won a new car after being named the statewide TTC 2011 Outstanding Student of the Year.

Community college students who want to complete a bachelor’s degree now have a guarantee that their credits will transfer to a public university in Tennessee, if they choose one of 50 different majors offering transfer pathways.

The Tennessee Board of Regents and the UT systems have collaborated to create 50 “Tennessee Transfer Pathways” for timely and cost-effective transitioning from a two- to four-year degree. All pathways are effective for the fall 2011 semester.

The Regents Online Degree Program wishes to announce that it will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Master of Science in Nursing program. You are invited to meet the visit team and share your comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, 2011, at 3:30 p.m. in room 204 of the Genesco Building located at 1415 Murfreesboro Road, Nashville, Tennessee, 37217-2833. Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to:

The presidential search advisory committee for a new president of East Tennessee State University has been selected and will meet for the first time Aug. 22.

The advisory committee will meet Monday, Aug. 22, at the ETSU Millennium Centre in Mountain States Health Alliance Meeting Room 237. The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. EST. Campus and community members are also invited to an open forum to discuss the search criteria for the new president from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Millennium Centre.

The Tennessee Board of Regents voted this morning to approve the next step in the process to allow the University of Memphis to establish a satellite campus at the former Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn.

Classes could begin as early as Aug. 27 if approvals and requirements are met.

From Governor Haslam's Newsroom: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that the state has been awarded $1 million to fuel policy innovations and reforms aimed at significantly increasing college completion. The grant is provided by Complete College America as part of its national Completion Innovation Challenge grant competition.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold a special-called meeting via telephone on Friday, July 29, at 9 a.m. CDT.

The meeting will allow the Board to receive and act on a report from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission about the acquisition of the former Lambuth campus for use by the University of Memphis. Other business will be discussed as needed.

The meeting is open to the public and the press as listeners. Those wishing dial-in information for the call should contact Monica Greppin at monica.greppin@tbr.edu or 615-366-4417 before 4:30 p.m. on July 28.

Three Tennessee Technology centers (TTCs) were acknowledged in their outstanding work as volunteers for the Ollie Otter Booster Seat and Seat Belt Safety program at the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) board meeting held on June 24, 2011.

The Tennessee Board of Regents approved increased tuition and fee rates today for the six universities, 13 community colleges and 27 technology centers it governs. The board also approved a plan to provide a 3 percent cost of living increase for TBR employees.

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan has approved and supports Tennessee State University’s academic restructuring plan announced this spring.

The plan discontinued six academic programs that are not productive or mission-essential to the university; reorganized and/or consolidated marginally productive but mission-essential academic programs; realigned a number of academic programs and colleges/schools; and reorganize academic schools and colleges.