Tennessee Board of Regents

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.

A Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) search advisory committee has selected three finalists for the next president of Walters State Community College. The finalists will participate in open forums with the campus community and the public July 21, 22, and 23, the next step in the selection process.

The finalists are:

During its quarterly meeting June 12-13, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) approved building project proposals for its colleges, five new and revised policies, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, and other measures.

Meeting at Northeast State Community College, the board heard presentations by Northeast President Jeff McCord and partnering host TCAT Elizabethton President Heath McMillian highlighting activities on their respective campuses focusing on student success.  The board governs Tennessee’s public community colleges and colleges of applied technology.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next regular quarterly meeting June 12-13, 2025, at Northeast State Community College near Blountville, TN. The agenda includes, but is not limited to, consideration of proposed new and revised policies, compensation plans, faculty promotion and tenure recommendations, and various reports and updates.

Fifteen Tennessee community and technical colleges across the state are receiving nearly $28.8 million to expand access to education and career pathways in high-demand health care fields through the state’s rural health initiative, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) announced May 21.

The Search Advisory Committee leading the Tennessee Board of Regents' search for the next president of Walters State Community College has been appointed, and a public forum on the search will be held April 22.

Board of Regents Member Miles Burdine is chair of the 16-member committee. Board Members Cayden Keltgen, Ross Roberts and Danni Varlan also are serving as committee members, along with representatives of the college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, and business and civic leaders from the community. The full membership is listed below.

The College System of Tennessee today announced the 10 members of the inaugural Chancellor’s Fellowship Class of 2025-26, representing faculty and staff from community and technical colleges across the state.

The Chancellor’s Fellowship is a new cornerstone initiative of the Maxine Smith Leadership Series, designed to cultivate leadership talent among senior administrators across the college system. 

Members of the Chancellor’s Fellowship Class of 2025-26 are:

Two Tennessee Board of Regents staff members were honored by the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) during its 2025 annual conference.

In a special called meeting today, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved tuition and fees for Academic Year 2025-26, search criteria for the next president of Walters State Community College, and a new associate degree program at Roane State Community College.