TBR - College System of Tennessee

Regina Watkins has been appointed director of veteran enrollment and benefits at TBR – The College System of Tennessee. In this new role, Watkins will work directly with the System’s 13 community colleges and 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology across the state to support their School Certifying Officers (SCOs) in administering veteran education benefits. 

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) will hold its next quarterly meeting Dec. 1. The agenda includes consideration of the chancellor’s recommendations for the next presidents of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) at Athens and Murfreesboro, proposed new career and technical education programs, financial reporting, and an update on construction of the new TCAT campus at Ford’s Blue Oval City project.

As Tennessee’s community and technical colleges honor veterans in their campus communities this week, they’re also celebrating the news that all 13 community colleges are now certified as VETS Campuses, a state program that recognizes their commitment to services that help veterans succeed as they pursue their education.

Tennessee’s community and technical colleges are honoring veterans on their campuses – students, faculty, staff and alumni – in Veterans Day activities this week. One veteran at each college will be awarded the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans, a special recognition launched three years ago by Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.

The Tennessee Board of Regents today appointed Nathan Garrett president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville, effective Jan. 5. He is currently TBR assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs and workforce alignment, and was interim president of TCAT McMinnville from July 2020 through September 2021.

Garrett succeeds the late Mark Lenz, TCAT Nashville’s president for 12 years who passed away Sept. 8.

Students, faculty and staff at Tennessee’s public community and technical colleges collected 132,701 food items, including cash donations, for food pantries on their campuses, and food banks and other organizations in their communities, during the College System of Tennessee’s 23nd Annual Food Drive Challenge.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will consider the appointment of Dr. Scott Cook as the next president of Dyersburg State Community College in a special called meeting tomorrow, Nov. 16.

Nashville State Community College and Southwest Tennessee Community College have earned certification as Veterans Education Transition Support (VETS) Campuses, designating their supportive environment and services to help veterans successfully transition from military service to college.

Career and technical education students from across Tennessee demonstrated excellence and brought home medals and honors at the 2021 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference last week.

The annual SkillsUSA conference and its national championship competitions showcased the nation’s best career and technical education (CTE) students, who competed in 106different trade, technical and leadership events. The 2021 SkillsUSA Championships were held virtually due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The Search Advisory Committee leading the search for the next president of Volunteer State Community College has scheduled its first meeting and a public forum on Wednesday, April 28.

The forum is scheduled for 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. CT, with the committee’s meeting immediately following at 9:30 a.m. – both by teleconferencing due to health and safety precautions for the Covid-19 pandemic.