Tennessee Board Of Regents Meeting

The Tennessee Board of Regents held its quarterly board meeting earlier this month at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville. The two-day meeting, was hosted by the college, TCAT McMinnville and Motlow State Community College, featured presentations that included highlights about increased graduation rates, enrollment growth across the system, as well as workforce training and programming updates. 

The System's community colleges awarded 16,240 associate degrees and technical certificates to graduates in the 2025-26 academic year, the highest number ever conferred. These numbers indicate a 9% increase over the previous year and 19% over a decade ago.

Legislative priorities were also presented to the regents during this meeting, including 11 proposed capital projects at community colleges and TCATs across the College System. The proposals will now be submitted to the governor and General Assembly for consideration as part of next year’s state budget process. Another major priority for TBR when lawmakers return in January is a recommendation for targeted faculty compensation increases. 

An $8.8 million recurring investment would fund these targeted adjustments for the highest-priority disciplines identified in the first tier. Focusing initially on the areas of greatest need will help colleges recruit and retain qualified faculty, protect program quality, expand capacity and prepare more Tennesseans for critical, high-wage occupations.