Board of Regents to meet Sept. 18-19, 2025. Agenda includes new Strategic Plan; report on student access, enrollment and success

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.

Five board committees will meet consecutively on Thursday, Sept. 18, starting at 1 p.m. ET with the Committee on Academic Policies and Programs and Student Life, followed by the Committees on Personnel and Compensation, Workforce Development, External Affairs, and Finance and Business Operations. The full board will meet at 9 a.m. ET, Friday, Sept. 19, starting with presentations by Roane State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville, who are co-hosting the meeting. The board’s official business meeting will follow at 9:30 a.m. or when the presentations conclude.

All meetings will be held in Room 1303 of the Knox Regional Health Science Education Center – a new joint facility of Roane State and TCAT Knoxville, located at 9575 Sherrill Boulevard, Knoxville. The committee and board meetings will be livestreamed and archived on the TBR website at https://www.tbr.edu/board/september-2025-quarterly-board-meeting.

The complete committee and board agendas, an executive summary, and board materials will be posted at the same meeting link above. Many of the agenda items will be discussed in detail in the Thursday committee meetings, and actions approved in the committees will be considered by the full Board on Friday through reports of the committees.

The proposed new TBR Strategic Plan, entitled “TBR 2035: Building Tomorrow’s College,” will be presented in the Academic Policies and Programs and Student Life Committee. The 2025-35 Strategic Plan is the result of eight months of work by a steering committee composed of board members, college presidents and leadership, students, business, industry and K-12 partners, and other stakeholders. It builds on the foundation of the 2015-25 Strategic Plan while sharpening its focus with actionable priorities that channel TBR’s efforts toward what matters most: empowering colleges and students to thrive. 

The committee will also review the student access, enrollment and success report.

Other items on the agendas include, but are not limited to, proposed legislative priorities and budget requests, faculty emeriti designations, executive incentive payments, and various reports and updates on programs and initiatives.

The proposed new policy 3.08.10.00, Development and Operation of Global Studies Programs, would replace existing policy 2.08.10.00, Development and Operation of Campus International Education Programs, reflecting the transition of the Tennessee Center for International Studies at Pellissippi State Community College into the new TBR Office of Global Studies at the system office. Proposed policy revisions involve the following two TBR policies: 2.01.02.00, Technical College Program Review and Approval, to provide greater flexibility and responsiveness, and 1.11.00.00, Development and Approval of Policies, to clarify when a college policy may vary from or supplement a System policy, to reflect current practices, and to condense and simplify the policy. Details are in the board materials, which may be downloaded at the meeting link above.

The meetings are open to the public. Contact Dr. Mariah Perry, Board Secretary, at mariah.perry@tbr.edu or 615-366-3927 for security access or accommodations by 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept 17.

Persons who want to request to address the Board may follow the process authorized by TBR Policy 1.02.12.00 – Requests to Address the Board.