Board of Regents quarterly board meeting Dec. 1 in Nashville

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its regular quarterly meeting on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Nashville, with an agenda that includes a panel discussion on enrollment trends and their impact on student completion, consideration of new legislative proposals for the 2017 session of the General Assembly, and budget revisions for the current academic year.

The board will convene at noon, Dec. 1, in the auditorium of the AT&T Building, 333 Commerce Street, in Nashville.

Board members will also hear an update on Capacity Gants announced last week by Gov. Bill Haslam to build additional capacity at public colleges and universities for enrollment increases due to the Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect programs; consider a proposal by East Tennessee State University to allow out-of-state students who live in counties within 100 miles of ETSU to attend at in-state tuition rates, and consider new academic programs and modifications at TBR institutions.

Other topics on the agenda include:

• An introduction of Complete Tennessee, a new non-profit education advocacy organization focused on increasing postsecondary access and completion in Tennessee, by its executive director, Dr. Kenyatta Lovett.
• An update on TBR Academic Affairs initiatives.
• A report on the latest Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology alumni and employer survey.
• A report on private fundraising efforts.
• Consideration of the minutes of the Sept. 16 TBR quarterly board meeting in Chattanooga and the Nov. 15 meetings of the TBR Audit Committee and Personnel and Compensation Committee.
• A report by TBR Chancellor David Gregory.
• Consideration of out-of-cycle salary increases.
• A finance reporting overview by Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Dale Sims.
• A request by Jackson State Community College to name its new Health Sciences Building in honor of Jim and Janet Ayers.
• Resolutions of appreciation for Jackson State Community College President Bruce Blanding, who is retiring, and Regent Darrell Freeman, whose term on the Board of Regents is expiring. Regent Freeman has been appointed by Gov. Haslam to the new governing board for Middle Tennessee State University, subject to confirmation by the state legislature in early 2017.
• A report on the Regents Award in Excellence in Philanthropy, awarded in May to Pam Wright, founder of Wright Travel and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University.

A full agenda and meeting materials will be available as they are available on the TBR website at https://www.tbr.edu/board/december-2016-quarterly-board-meeting

The meeting is open to the public as observers. Any member of the public or media who plans to attend should contact TBR Interim Communications Director Richard Locker at rick.locker@tbr.edu or 615-366-4417 by 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30, to arrange access. The meeting can also be viewed via live streaming on the meeting website above.

Anyone with a disability who wishes to attend should contact Locker at the above email address or by phone to request services needed to facilitate attendance, by 3 p.m. Nov. 30.