Board of Regents quarterly meeting is Sept. 17-18 at TCAT Shelbyville

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next regular quarterly meeting Sept. 17-18 at Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Shelbyville. The agenda includes, but is not limited to, consideration of a new academic program proposal, 2027 legislative priorities for the college system, institutional mission profiles, faculty emeritus recommendations, the search criteria for the next president of Pellissippi State Community College, and more.

The board governs Tennessee’s public community colleges and colleges of applied technology. The board’s committees will meet consecutively on Thursday, Sept. 17, starting at 12:45 p.m. CT with the Audit Committee. The full board will convene at 10 a.m. CT Friday, Sept. 18.

All meetings will be held in the main foyer at TCAT Shelbyville, 2905 U.S. 231 North, Shelbyville, TN 37160. The committee and board meetings will be livestreamed and archived on the TBR website at: https://www.tbr.edu/board/september-2026-quarterly-board-meeting.  The full agendas and an executive summary will be posted at the same meeting link.

Most discussion on action items will occur during Thursday’s committee meetings. The committees’ recommendations will be considered for approval by the full board on Friday, through action on the committee reports. For example, a proposal to establish a new Associate of Applied Science degree program in Entertainment Production at Southwest Tennessee Community College will be reviewed in detail Thursday in the Committee on Academic Policies and Programs and Student Life, and if approved by the committee, will be considered by the full board Friday as part of the committee’s report.

The Committee on Academic Policies and Programs and Student Life will also receive reports on institutional mission profiles, a new articulation agreement with Belmont University for aspiring teachers, and fraudulent application safeguards. The system’s legislative priorities for the 2027 state legislative session will be reviewed by both the Committee on External Affairs and the Committee on Finance and Business Operations.

Other major committee agenda items include: the Audit Committee’s consideration of a proposed Conflict of Interest Management Plan; the Committee on Personnel and Compensation’s consideration of a faculty promotion recommendation at Nashville State Community College, faculty promotion increases corrections at Pellissippi State Community College, and recommendations for faculty emeritus designations.

The Committee on External Affairs will also receive a report on community college athletics. The Committee on Workforce Development will receive the workforce hours report for academic year 2025-26, a preview of the West Tennessee Nuclear Summit at Jackson State Community College, and an update on the state’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus proposal.

Friday’s agenda of the full Board of Regents includes – in addition to consideration of the committee reports – the chancellor’s quarterly report on systemwide activities, including an update on student enrollment; a report on recent recipients of the Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy; proposed resolutions of appreciation; 2027 meeting dates, and search criteria for the next president of Pellissippi State Community College.

Pellissippi President L. Anthony Wise Jr. has announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 academic year, after completing 30 years of distinguished service to the state of Tennessee and 16 years as the college’s president.  Dr. Wise began his Pellissippi State career with a one-semester contract teaching history. He later held a series of faculty and administrative positions before his appointment as president by the Board of Regents in 2011.

Board approval of the search criteria is the first step in the selection of his successor, which will later include the appointment of a search advisory committee composed of representatives of the Board of Regents, the college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, and the local civic and business community.

The committee and board meetings are open to the public. Those wishing to attend may contact the board secretary at board.secretary@tbr.edu or 615-366-3927 for accommodations or security access by 3 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.

Persons who want to request to address the Board may do so no later than three days prior to the meeting by following the process authorized by TBR Policy 1.02.12.00 – Requests to Address the Board. (https://tbr.navexone.com/content/dotNet/documents/?docid=33&app=pt&source=unspecified&public=true) The request form is accessible in the attachment tab in the upper right of the policy webpage, or will be provided upon request by emailing board.secretary@tbr.edu.

The meeting may include board members participating by electronic means.