Board of Regents quarterly meeting is Dec. 12. Agenda includes 12 new student training programs at TCATs

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next regular quarterly meeting Dec. 12, with an agenda that includes consideration of budget revisions, 12 new student training programs at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and the annual satisfaction survey of graduates of the technical colleges and their employers.

The board governs Tennessee’s 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology. The agenda also includes an update on a newly launched review of the TBR Strategic Plan, consideration of a new board policy for academic learning support for technical college students, and a status report on ongoing research into student success.

The board will also consider, via approval of minutes of the Nov. 19 Personnel and Compensation Committee, institutional compensation plan proposals from eight colleges. The committee recommended approval of the requests, under a provision in the systemwide compensation plan approved by the board in June that permits colleges to submit proposals for salary adjustments for board approval.

The complete agenda and supporting board material are available on the TBR website at https://www.tbr.edu/board/december-quarterly-board-meeting-1.

The board will convene at 10 a.m. CT, Thursday, Dec. 12, in the boardroom at the Tennessee Board of Regents system office, 1 Bridgestone Park, Nashville, 37214. The meeting is open and anyone wishing to attend may contact Board Secretary Sonja Mason at Sonja.mason@tbr.edu or 615-366-3927 for security access or accommodations. The meeting will be live-streamed and archived at the website above.

The budget revisions update Fiscal Year 2019-20 budgets originally submitted by institutions in May, which included estimates. The revisions recognize more recent information, include fall semester student enrollment.

The 12 new programs proposed by nine different Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs)  will allow the colleges to be more responsive to the needs of students, businesses and industries in their regions. The proposals are:

• Agronomy Operations Technology program at TCAT Covington
• Masonry Technology at TCAT Crossville
• Computer-Aided Design Technology online program at TCAT Crump
• Building Construction Technology at TCAT Dickson
• Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology evening program at TCAT Elizabethton’s Johnson County extension campus and a Welding Technology evening program at the Unicoi County extension campus (both pending site approval by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission)
• Building Construction Technology; Heating Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, and Manufacturing Technology at TCAT Jacksboro
• Nursing Aide at TCAT Knoxville’s Anderson County Career and Technical Center
• Building and Electrical Technology at TCAT Livingston
• Computer Information Technology at TCAT Newbern

The TCATs annually survey recent graduates and employers to assess the effectiveness and relevance of their training programs. The board will hear a report on the newest survey, of the 2017-18 cohort of students.

The board will also receive an update on the launch of a periodic review of the system’s current 2015-25 Strategic Plan. A new TBR Strategic Plan Steering Committee will convene on Dec. 11 to begin the review. The 22-member committee will eventually make recommendations to the board for possible revisions or updates to the existing 10-year plan. The board must approve any revisions or updates to the plan before they can go into effect.

The proposed Technical College Learning Support policy the board will consider adopting reflects the commitment of the College System of Tennessee and the TCATs to the success of all students. The policy presents the parameters for the delivery of academic support to students who may require additional assistance with developing competencies in applied mathematics, graphic literacy and reading for information necessary for success in technical college programs.

Other items on the agenda include an annual report on fundraising, a proposal by Southwest Tennessee Community College to name the Nursing, Natural Sciences and Biotechnology Building on the Union Avenue campus in honor of retired Southwest President Dr. Nathan L. Essex, and a resolution honoring former Regent Tom Griscom of Chattanooga for his years of service.