TBR Chancellor to Recommend William Seymour as Cleveland State President; Board to Meet Dec. 5

William Seymour will be recommended as the next president to lead Cleveland State Community College pending approval by the Tennessee Board of Regents on Dec. 5.

TBR Chancellor John Morgan will recommend Seymour’s appointment to the Board during its quarterly meeting in Nashville on Thursday, Dec. 5. If approved, Seymour will become president on Jan. 2, replacing Carl Hite, who will retire at the end of the year after leading Cleveland State for 17 years. Seymour currently serves as vice president for Institutional Advancement at Jackson State Community College in Jackson, Tenn.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Seymour’s extensive leadership experience and expertise available for this opportunity at Cleveland State,” said Morgan. “An innovative educator, accomplished administrator and effective fund raiser, he is expected to provide an expansive overview to the college’s strategic planning. His dedication to student success was a strong reason why he was chosen for this presidency, and I expect to see great things continue to emanate from Cleveland State.”

Seymour was selected after an extensive nationwide search that began this summer.

Before joining Jackson State, Seymour was president of Lambuth University in Jackson for two years until the small church-affiliated university ceased operations in 2011. He was a vice president for administrative services and dean of students during his time at Maryville (Tenn.) College from 1995 until being named president of Lambuth in 2009.

Prior to 1995, Seymour held administrative roles at Wesley College in Delaware, Austin College in Texas, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville in 2004.

During his time at Jackson State, Seymour designed and implemented the college’s new divisions of Student Services and Institutional Advancement as well as a new admissions recruitment program that resulted in the first increase in new student recruitment in three years. He also designed the college’s first comprehensive annual giving campaign and developed Jackson State’s first major complete college initiative.

A member of several national higher education professional organizations, Seymour has also authored numerous publications and presentations. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Oswego, a master’s of education degree in counseling and personnel services from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in higher and adult education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also attended the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management. His full resume is available at http://tinyurl.com/mg7qzay.

Cleveland State, a member of Tennessee’s Community Colleges and governed by the TBR, is located in Cleveland, Tenn., and enrolls almost 5,000 students. The college’s 105-acre campus houses modern classrooms, laboratories and a variety of facilities. Cleveland State also has offices and classrooms in Athens and Madisonville and offers classes throughout its service area of Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties.

The Dec. 5 meeting is open to the public and the press as observers. Those wishing to attend should contact Monica Greppin-Watts at monica.greppin-watts@tbr.edu or 615-366-4417 before 4:30 p.m. CST Dec. 4 so access can be arranged. The meetings are also accessible to view via live streaming video at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tennessee-board-of-regents using the password tbr2011. 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. Dec. 4.

The TBR is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges (including Cleveland State) and 27 colleges of applied technology, providing programs across the state to more than 200,000 students.