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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.

The Tennessee Board of Regents has launched the process of revisiting and potentially revising its Strategic Plan for the statewide system of public community and technical colleges.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee held its first session Jan. 31, led by Dr. Russ Deaton, executive vice chancellor for policy and strategy. Board Vice Chair Emily J. Reynolds and Chancellor Flora W. Tydings addressed the committee, underscoring the importance of the work and thanking members for their time.

Tennessee’s public community and technical colleges delivered more than 1.4 million hours of direct workforce training in Academic Year 2023-24, the Tennessee Board of Regents Center for Workforce Development announced. TBR colleges trained approximately 44,800 students/employees through their broad range of workforce programs.

A groundbreaking partnership between Pellissippi State Community College and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) exemplifies how the Tennessee’s 13 community colleges are meeting critical workforce needs through innovative industry collaborations.

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) has selected 25 college educators from across the state to serve as HIP Ambassadors for 2025. They will share with their campus colleagues information about High Impact Practices (HIPs) – evidence-based teaching and student-experience activities that help students learn, advance and graduate.

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) along with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) announced today a new partnership with Ithaka S+R to expand educational opportunities for adult learners across the state.

The research project will bring together leaders from Tennessee's community colleges to develop innovative strategies supporting degree completion for Tennesseans who have previously earned college credits but did not finish and cannot return due to account holds.

The TBR Center for Workforce Development and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) are proud to announce an exciting, first-of-its-kind program at Nashville State Community College (NSCC). Starting Feb.

Students, faculty and staff at Tennessee’s community and technical colleges donated or collected the equivalent of 110,851 food items during the College System of Tennessee’s 26th Annual Food Drive Challenge. The food and cash donations go to campus food pantries for students in need and to local food programs serving their communities.

Total enrollment in the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) increased to 44,723 during academic year 2023-24 – a 19 percent increase over the previous year – according to a new report presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents during its quarterly meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10.

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 Dec. 10, 2024, at the TBR system office in Nashville.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has announced that the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for all Tennessee students. The U.S. Department of Education has officially released the new form, marking a significant milestone in the financial aid process for prospective college students.

Tennessee’s community and technical colleges honored veterans – including students, faculty, staff and alumni – in Veterans Day activities on campuses statewide on Veterans Day.

As part of those ceremonies, a veteran at each college was also awarded the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans, a special recognition launched in 2020 by Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold a special called meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12, to consider institutional compensation proposals for 10 colleges and faculty emeritus designations for five retired faculty members. The board’s committee chairs and Audit Committee will meet after the full board's session.

The Board of Regents governs Tennessee's Community Colleges and Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs).

Tennessee’s community colleges and TCATs have launched their 26th annual Food Drive Challenge, collecting food and cash donations for campus food pantries and local food bank programs serving their communities.