Agenda for Board of Regents special meeting Jan. 27 is amended with two additional items

The limited agenda for Friday’s special called meeting of the Tennessee Board of Regents has been amended to include two additional items, including a proposal that would retain outgoing Chancellor David Gregory as a TBR employee for one month as a transition advisor for his successor, Dr. Flora Tydings.

The board’s conference call meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 27, and was originally called by Gov. Bill Haslam to consider the search criteria for the next president of Chattanooga State Community College. Tydings is the current Chattanooga State president but assumes her new role as chancellor of the Board of Regents system on Feb. 1.

The agenda has been amended to include two more items, in addition to the Chattanooga State search criteria:

• Review and approval of a transition proposal by Tydings for Gregory to remain an employee of the board through Feb. 28, 2017, to serve as a transition advisor and to coordinate introductions to key stakeholders.

• Review and approval of the minutes from special called meetings of the Board of Regents on Dec. 15, 2016, and Dec. 27, 2016. In the Dec. 15 meeting, the board approved the appointment of Dr. Allana Hamilton as the new president of Jackson State Community College. In the Dec. 27 meeting, the board appointed Tydings as the next TBR chancellor.

Gregory, a TBR administrator since 1998, had planned to retire a year ago but was asked to stay on as interim chancellor by the governor until a new chancellor was appointed. After the appointment, he had planned to retire Feb. 1. Tydings has proposed that he remain an employee for one extra month to assist with her transition.

Approval of the search criteria is the first step for the selection of a new president at Chattanooga State. The search criteria will be used to advertise the president’s position in a nationwide search to be launched soon. Debbie Adams, the college’s vice president of student affairs and workforce development, will serve as interim president until a permanent successor is named later this year.

The board meeting is open to the public and media as listeners. Anyone wishing dial-in information for the conference call meeting should contact TBR interim communications director Richard Locker at rick.locker@tbr.edu or 615-366-4417 before 4:30 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 26.