Would TSU Lose Power If The Governor’s Higher Education Plan Passes?

Officials from Tennessee State University worry that the governor’s plan to restructure Tennessee’s higher education system would diminish the school’s power, they told lawmakers Tuesday. TSU, the state’s only public historically black university, is the first school in the Tennessee Board of Regents to testify publicly against the plan.

The FOCUS Act, as it’s called, would spin out the six universities in the Board of Regents, giving each school its own governing board. TBR would then primarily oversee the state’s community and technical colleges.

Most Board of Regents schools, including the University of Memphis and Tennessee Tech, say that’s a good thing: It means more autonomy. But TSU  likes being a part of a bigger system, said university president Glenda Glover.

“The Board of Regents ensures balance, and they do all they can to make the playing field fair,” she said.

If given the choice, Glover said, TSU would rather stay under the Board of Regents rather than go off on its own.

Her comments echoed concerns that have been voiced by other opponents of the bill, including former Board of Regents chancellor John Morgan: Primarily, that the plan would force universities to compete with each other for board members and statewide attention. That might weaken smaller schools like TSU.

But the governor’s office says this fear is unfounded. It points out that the state’s higher education commission will have the power to encourage and even force schools to collaborate.

Mike Krause, who testified in favor of the FOCUS Act on behalf of the governor’s office, also argued that it’s not efficient for a single board to oversee 46 colleges and universities, as the Board of Regents does now.