Board Meets to Confirm Tristan Denley as TBR Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Approve Criteria for Cleveland State Presidential Search

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan will recommend the Board appoint Tristan Denley as the next vice chancellor for Academic Affairs during a telephonic meeting called for 3:30 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 16.

Denley currently serves as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of mathematics at Austin Peay State University, where he developed initiatives to improve student learning, most notably for students who need help with math, reading and writing. He earned national recognition for designing and implementing the Degree Compass software program using predictive analytics to increase student retention in college by helping them select courses they need and would most likely complete.

Denley was recommended for the TBR post after a comprehensive national search.

“Dr. Denley has put his mind and his talent where his heart is – helping students achieve their goals,” said TBR Chancellor John Morgan. “He recognizes the support students need and understands how to use tools like technology to enhance learning for students across the higher education spectrum. We expect he will provide the vision and leadership for our system’s academic operations that will benefit our institutions, our faculty and our students. I am excited to recommend him, and I look forward to working with him.”

Denley joined APSU in 2009 after leaving the University of Mississippi as chair of Mathematics and senior fellow of the Residential College Program. Originally from Penzance, England, he earned his PhD in mathematics from Trinity College Cambridge, completed advanced studies in mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and earned his bachelor’s degree in pure and applied mathematics from the University of Exeter.

At Austin Peay he led efforts to increase the numbers of degrees awarded and grants funded, created an office for Undergraduate Research and a center for Teaching and Learning, and introduced a variety of programs to improve support of faculty research and creativity.

His work has been recognized by Educause, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in a host of national media reports. Most recently his efforts at APSU to restructure remediation programs resulted in joint recognition by the Dana Center, Complete College America, Education Commission of the States, and Jobs for the Future as a national model for developmental education.

During the meeting, the Board will also review the position criteria to begin the search for the next president at Cleveland State Community College. Cleveland State President Carl Hite recently announced his retirement at the end of the year.

The Board meeting will be open to the public and the 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 4:30 p.m. CDT July 15. Anyone with a disability who wishes to participate should use the same contact to request services needed to facilitate attendance. Contact may be made in person, by writing, by e-mail, by telephone or otherwise and should be received no later than 4:30 p.m. CDT July 15.

The Tennessee Board of Regents is among the nation’s largest higher education systems, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 community colleges and the 27 colleges of applied technology, providing programs to more than 200,000 students across the state.