News

The Tennessee Council for Career and Technical Education will host its annual public hearing on Career and Technical Education (CTE) on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 9-11 a.m. CT at the Tennessee Board of Regents System Office, 1 Bridgestone Park, Nashville, TN.

The hearing will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to offer feedback and share perspectives on the current state of CTE programs across Tennessee. Topics will include opportunities, challenges, and strategies for improving CTE outcomes for students and employers.

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.

Gov. Bill Lee, other state and community leaders, and students celebrated the opening of the second phase of TCAT Elizabethton’s Boone’s Creek Extension Campus in Washington County on Tuesday, June 10 – a new building that has enabled expansion of the college’s career and technical education programs for the region.

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.

The Tennessee Board of Regents committee chairs will meet Wednesday, May 28, 2025 to preview proposed revisions to TBR policies, receive informational updates, and preview the agenda for the full board’s next quarterly meeting in June. The board’s Personnel and Compensation Committee and Audit Committee will also meet following the committee chairs.

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:

Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for community college students, presented its Paragon Award for New Presidents to three Tennessee community college presidents during its annual convention last week.

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

We extend our heartfelt condolences on the passing of James W. "Jim" Ayers, founder and chairman of The Ayers Foundation Trust.

An entrepreneur, philanthropist, and friend to many, Mr. Ayers dedicated his life to serving rural Tennessee's young people and communities. His steadfast commitment to removing financial barriers to education has ensured that thousands of students across the state have greater access to higher education -- at our community and technical colleges and universities -- paving the way for their success.

The Tennessee Council for Career & Technical Education will hold its Spring Meeting May 1, 2025. The agenda includes review and approval of the Council’s By-Laws.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has designated March 31 - April 4, 2025, as "Finish the FAFSA Week." This initiative urges all high school seniors and their families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before April 15 to maintain eligibility for up to two years of tuition-free college through the Tennessee Promise program.

A new case study from The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) showcases Tennessee's pioneering work in expanding postsecondary education opportunities for incarcerated students, spotlighting the critical roles played by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT).

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.

Cleveland State Community College recently celebrated the Grand Opening of the new George R. Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on the Cleveland State main campus.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold a special called meeting Thursday, March 27, 2025, to consider tuition and fees for Academic Year 2025-26, search criteria for the next president of Walters State Community College, a new associate degree program at Roane State Community College, and the chancellor’s performance evaluation process.

Fifty high-achieving students at Tennessee’s community and technical colleges were recognized recently at the College System of Tennessee’s annual Student Honors Luncheon.

The students are members of the Phi Theta Kappa All-Tennessee Academic Team, from the community colleges, or inductees into the National Technical Honor Society, representing their Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology campuses.   

Nine Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) community and technical colleges and the TBR system office have been awarded grants to increase healthcare career training opportunities that will expand access to healthcare in rural communities.

The Tennessee Board of Regents honored outstanding students, faculty, staff, philanthropists, volunteers and partners of the year from our community and technical colleges in the Seventh Annual Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) Awards Thursday night (Feb. 27) in Nashville.

In addition to individual SOAR Award winners, Dyersburg State Community College earned Community College of the Year honors and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Nashville took home the Technical College of the Year award.