Process for the Selection of a University or Community College President

Tennessee Code Annotated 49-8-203 provides that the Tennessee Board of Regents shall have the power to select the chief executive officers of the institutions upon the recommendation of the chief executive officer of the System. Following is the process for selecting the presidents of the institutions.

Advisory Committee

An Advisory Committee will be appointed to assist the Chancellor in seeking out persons that meet the general criteria established by the Board for the Presidency. The Chancellor, after consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Board, will appoint three to six members of the Board of Regents; two members of the faculty, one being the chairman of the Faculty Assembly or his/her designee; two representatives of the student body, one being the president of the Student Government Association or his/her designee; one representative from the Alumni; one support employee; one administrator; one representative from the institution’s business community; and at least one member from the community at large and/or other representative as deemed appropriate. The membership of the Committee will have other-race representation.

The Advisory Committee will assist the Chancellor in reviewing the applicant pool, interviewing the final candidates, and participating in other campus meetings with the candidates. The Committee will be available for consultation with the Chancellor on his/her recommendations.

Identification of Candidates

Advertisement of the position will be handled by the Office of the Chancellor through the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education and through notification of the position vacancy to national associations and higher education systems. In addition, advisory committee members and others interested in the institution are encouraged to recommend and nominate individuals for the position. If desired, a search firm may be utilized in this process. Contact will be made with potential other-race and women candidates.

Nominations/applications should be submitted to the Office of the Chancellor, and each nomination/application will be acknowledged by letter from the Chancellor’s office. Applicants will be requested, but not required, to identify themselves by race and gender. The TBR will comply with provision of Tennessee Public Chapter No. 956, Acts of 2012 with regard to confidentiality of applicant materials. The search process will remain open until the position is filled.

Screening Process

The Chancellor shall conduct a preliminary review of all applications, eliminating those which do not meet the minimum criteria. Resumes of qualified applicants then will be shared with the Advisory Committee. Resumes will be provided to other members of the Board upon request. The Advisory Committee members will be requested to review the resumes and discuss them with the Chancellor or his designee in a meeting or meetings of the Committee. The Advisory Committee’s role is to provide input to the Chancellor regarding the qualifications of the various applicants as s/he reduces the number of applicants to those that are better qualified. The Advisory Committee only consults with the Chancellor and will not have any authority to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents.

The Chancellor, in consultation with members of the Committee, shall screen the pool of candidates to determine which candidates best meet the needs of the institution. References for applicants will be requested only after the number of candidates has been reduced to the better qualified.

After at least three finalists have been selected by the Chancellor, interviews will be scheduled on campus with the Advisory Committee, and with students, faculty, administration, staff and interested members of the public in accordance with a schedule to be developed by the Office of the Chancellor in consultation with the candidate(s). The Candidates’ resumes and interview schedules shall be provided to all Board members. Prior to his/her interview, the candidate will be provided a set of materials including: the college catalog, faculty handbook, student handbook, fiveyear strategic planning document, campus map, information about the city and region, and other appropriate material.

After the campus interviews and meetings, the Chancellor will consult with the members of the Advisory Committee for the purpose of soliciting input concerning the strengths and weaknesses each member perceives in the candidates.

Recommendation

It will be the responsibility of the Chancellor to make a recommendation for filling the presidency of the institution to the full Board as required by TCA 49-8-203. Timetable An appropriate timetable will be developed for each presidential search. Searches will be conducted as expeditiously as possible.