Board of Regents launches comprehensive review of its Strategic Plan for potential revision

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.

“From the Board’s perspective, this is one of our highest priorities,” Vice Chair Reynolds, the Board’s presiding officer, said.

Dr. Tydings said, “What we’re here to do is so important for the next five years – but also for the next moment.”

TBR’s current Strategic Plan was originally drafted in 2015 for the 2015-25 decade and underwent a comprehensive revision in 2021 to reflect major changes in the system’s mission and state higher education policy.

The Steering Committee is charged “with reviewing TBR’s current mission, taking into consideration the current education, economic, and Tennessee context,” said Dr. Deaton. “In meetings through spring 2025, we hope this group will consider the strategic direction of the TBR system and provide feedback to the Chancellor and the Board about potential changes or updates.”

The Steering Committee includes members representing the Board of Regents; TBR colleges, including presidents and other campus leaders; system-level leaders, and TBR partners and stakeholders.

The first session included creative small-group discussions about the future of our Community Colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and how they can best serve students, their communities and Tennessee.