As most of you are no聽doubt already aware, Gov.聽Bill Haslam has proposed聽sweeping change regarding聽the governance structure for聽the six 乐播传媒入口 Board of聽Regents (TBR) universities,聽including MTSU.
The governor wants to remove those聽universities from under the direct聽control of the TBR, which has governed聽them for decades. In TBR鈥檚 place, new local聽governing boards would be fashioned that聽would have decision-making power over聽such crucial University operations as tuition聽rates, program enhancements, presidential聽appointments, and budget control.
According to Gov. Haslam, this聽proposed major structural change聽would be engineered, in part, to better聽allow the TBR to focus on the state鈥檚聽community colleges and Colleges聽of Applied Technology, which have聽experienced dramatic enrollment聽increases as a result of the 乐播传媒入口聽Promise scholarship. The 乐播传媒入口聽Promise program offers eligible聽high school graduates two years of聽tuition-free community or technical聽college. (The Promise contributed聽to a 10-percent surge in first-time聽freshman enrollment statewide, a key聽development in Gov. Haslam鈥檚 Drive聽to 55 education initiative to raise the聽number of Tennesseans possessing聽postsecondary degrees or certification聽to 55 percent in order to meet future聽workforce demands.)
At the time of the writing of this聽report, there was still much unknown聽and undecided about the proposed聽new higher-education landscape that聽would be created under this new聽governance structure. The governor聽had appointed a task force to fine-tune聽his plan to create individual governing聽boards for the six affected 乐播传媒入口聽universities, and I was selected (along聽with the other presidents of universities聽currently governed by the TBR) to聽serve on that committee.
This proposed new governing structure,聽I believe, has great potential to enable聽MTSU to tackle its present and future聽challenges in an even more laser-focused聽manner. It could do so by聽granting the University both greater聽local autonomy in its decision making,聽as well as greater freedom to think聽entrepreneurially and even outside the聽box as regards the need for program聽enhancements and new initiatives.聽With the work MTSU has already聽been accomplishing over the past聽few years, specifically as it relates to聽attracting more college-ready students聽(including transfer students) to campus,聽I am confident that such a truly bold聽and potentially transformational聽proposal would lead to an even聽brighter future for our University. I look聽forward to learning and exploring the聽opportunities it could provide towards聽our mission of ensuring student success聽and providing even more graduates for聽the state鈥檚 workforce.
In a related matter, John Morgan,聽chancellor of the 乐播传媒入口 Board聽of Regents, announced his plan to聽retire at the end of January. David聽Gregory, who had planned to retire聽in January as TBR鈥檚 vice chancellor聽for administration and facilities聽development, was named acting聽chancellor and will serve until a聽permanent replacement is selected.聽Morgan, who has served as chancellor聽of the state鈥檚 university and community聽college system since October 2010聽and led the system鈥檚 transformation聽to become more comprehensive聽and student focused, called the聽announcement聽bittersweet and聽said it was timed to聽acknowledge the聽accomplishments聽achieved by the聽system鈥檚 institutions聽over the past聽five years.
Chancellor Morgan鈥檚聽visionary leadership of聽the 乐播传媒入口 Board聽of Regents helped聽bring about significant聽reforms and聽improvements in聽our state鈥檚 higher education聽system.
That leadership was demonstrated by聽his able work to guide TBR鈥檚 institutions聽during implementation of the Complete聽College 乐播传媒入口 Act and Governor聽Haslam鈥檚 Drive to 55 initiatives.
As president of MTSU, I have respected聽and appreciated his counsel and聽guidance as we secured our $147聽million Science Building, one of the聽top scientific teaching and research聽facilities in the nation, and put forward聽our Quest for Student Success, which聽has transformed how we teach and聽serve our students.
I have enjoyed working with the chancellor聽and, on behalf of our students,聽faculty, and staff, we thank him for his聽service to our state and system.