News

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.

During its quarterly meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Tennessee Board of Regents heard an informational report on TCAT Murfreesboro’s innovative partnership with Nissan in an Industrial Electrical Maintenance and Mechatronics training program in which students can earn diplomas and industry-ready certificates.

The partnership is in its second trimester with about 100 students currently enrolled. Graduates may work at any industry in need of their new skills.

Pellissippi State Community College has been designated a Leader College by the national nonprofit Achieving the Dream – an organization dedicated to advancing community colleges throughout the country.  

The organization recognizes colleges that have pursued and met challenging student success goals. Pellissippi State’s success in students’ increased course pass rate overall and in English composition in particular were key in bringing this distinction to the college.

Dr. Gwendolyn Sutton, president of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis, has been elected chair of the Council on Occupational Education’s governing Board of Commissioners.

The COE membership also elected Laura Travis, president of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson, to a three-year term on the 20-member Board of Commissioners.

Chattanooga State Community College received the Leah Meyer Austin Award from Achieving the Dream for the college's dedication to improving student success. 

ChattState President Dr. Rebecca Ashford said the award exemplifies the work the college has done to create a student-focused culture, improve student outcomes, and reduce success gaps between student groups. Dr. Ashford accepted the award on behalf of the entire college Feb. 18 during Achieving the Dream's annual DREAM Conference. 

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), which governs the state’s public community colleges and colleges of applied technology, will hold its next regular quarterly meeting Feb. 26, 2025. The agenda includes a presentation of staff recommendations for tuition and fees for Academic Year 2025-26, which the board will consider during a special called meeting March 27.

The Audit Committee of the Tennessee Board of Regents will meet Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, to consider audit items and review informational reports in advance of the next regular quarterly meeting of the Board of Regents scheduled for Feb. 26.

The Board of Regents governs Tennessee's public community colleges and colleges of applied technology.