John Morgan Recommended as Next Chancellor

The Chancellor Search Committee of the Tennessee Board of Regents voted unanimously today to recommend John Morgan to the full board as the system’s seventh chancellor, succeeding Charles Manning, who is retiring effective December 31, 2010. The committee interviewed John Morgan today. A special called meeting of the board will be held via conference call on Friday, August 6, at 10:00 a.m. CDT, at which time the full board will receive and act on the search committee’s recommendation.

According to Regent Agenia Clark, who chairs the search committee, “We are in a very difficult time in the history of our state. Economic pressures are immense. It is more important than ever for Tennessee to have an educated citizenry. We need a chancellor with the vision and leadership skills to guide the system as it works to increase the number of Tennesseans with post secondary credentials. Our committee believes John Morgan has the vision and experience we need to lead the Regents system at this critical time.”

Bob Thomas, vice-chair of the board, said, “Our committee was very impressed with John Morgan’s demonstrated knowledge of our state and his command of the issues facing higher education. Our challenge is to be more productive with limited resources, and I believe Morgan can help us meet that challenge.”

Morgan has been Deputy to the Governor of the State of Tennessee since January 2009; prior to that, he had served as Comptroller of the Treasury for the State of Tennessee for 10 years. His public service career dates back to 1976 except for a brief stint in the late 1980s with Third National Bank. Morgan has had a longtime interest in and commitment to education. Morgan holds a bachelor of science degree in political science and history from Austin Peay State University. His cover letter and resumé are attached.

Friday’s conference call is open to the public and the press as observers. Please contact David Gregory at david.gregory@tbr.edu or by telephone for information on dialing in to Friday’s telephonic meeting.

The Tennessee Board of Regents is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 45 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 26 technology centers, providing programs in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties to over 200,000 students.