The Tennessee Board of Regents has a busy agenda for its special meeting set for March 27, announcing they'll be tackling the upcoming academic year's tuition and fees as well as lining up criteria for the search for Walter's State Community College's new president. According to a press release, the meeting is a teleconference planned for 9 a.m. CT and will be accessible to the public via live stream on the TBR website. Board materials are promised to be made available on the same site.
On the docket is President Tony Miksa's upcoming departure. Having helmed Walters State Community College for nine years, he plans to step down on June 30. The board's agenda, made available through a public notice, includes setting criteria for the next president as well as reviewing a potential new associate degree program at Roane State Community College. The new program in question aims to train Speech-Language Pathology Assistants and award them with an Associate of Applied Science degree. The meeting will also see the board review the chancellor's performance evaluation procedures, who operates as the chief executive officer and reports to the board.
In addition to these discussions, the board will present tuition and fees for Academic Year 2025-26. Community and technical college students and their families will be affected by the decisions made, which are directly tied to educational affordability. Anyone desiring more direct participation rather than watching the live stream can request access to the teleconference by contacting Kate Walker at [email protected] or calling at 615-366-4496, ahead of the 3 p.m. March 26 deadline. The Tennessee Board of Regents is the governing body for the state’s public community and technical colleges, which includes 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology.
For individuals wishing to address the board on any of these agenda items, there is a set process to follow, which can be found detailed in the "Requests to Address the Board Policy." This meeting is a consequential one for the academic community, as its outcomes will shape the leadership of Walters State Community College and inform the educational expenses for the next academic year, while also introducing potential new academic pathways for Tennessee students.
