TBR Chancellor Recommends Jerry Faulkner as VSCC’s Next President

Jerry Faulkner is expected to be named the next president to lead Volunteer State Community College pending approval by the Tennessee Board of Regents on March 21.

The Board will meet via telephone at 10:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 21, to consider TBR Chancellor John Morgan’s recommendation of Faulkner, who will replace Bruce Scism, Vol State’s interim president.

If approved, Faulkner will arrange a smooth transition from Cleveland State Community College, where he currently serves as vice president for Academic Affairs. A specific date has not yet been set.

“Dr. Faulkner’s strong academic credentials, distinguished reputation and collaborative nature made him the right person to lead Vol State at this time,” said Morgan. “He has proven his dedication to the students and their success at his previous institutions. His accomplishments and his demonstrated commitment to meeting the goals of the Complete College Tennessee Act predict he will be an effective and engaging president for Vol State.”

Faulkner was selected after an extensive search that began last December. As the chief academic officer for Cleveland State since 2008, he has provided leadership for the school’s academic-related programs and initiated several processes and programs to improve student learning and success. In addition to obtaining a $2 million Title III grant for the college, he piloted an allied health consortium with two other colleges in the state and set up a dual admission agreement to allow students to seamlessly transfer to a university. He has also spearheaded accreditation processes for academic units and assisted with college-wide successful reaccreditation efforts.

Prior to 2008, Faulkner worked his way up through the academic ranks at Chattanooga State Community College, where he began teaching biology in 1994. In 2002 he was selected Department Head for Life Sciences and then Teacher Education Coordinator. He also taught and served two years as associate vice president for Academic Affairs at Tennessee Temple University before joining Chattanooga State.

Faulkner earned his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in botany/ecology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Temple. He has also completed the Future Leaders Institute/Advanced from the American Association of Community Colleges.

Vol State, which is governed by the TBR, is located in Gallatin and operates degree-granting centers in Livingston and Springfield at Highland Crest. Vol State enrolls more than 8,600 students in more than 70 programs of study.

The March 21 meeting is open to the public and press as listeners. Those wishing dial-in information for the call should contact Monica Greppin-Watts at monica.greppin-watts@tbr.edu or 615-366-4417 before 9 a.m. CT on March 21.

The TBR is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions, including Vol State and Cleveland State. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 27 technology centers, providing programs in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties to more than 200,000 students.