SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WGNS News) - The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next regular quarterly meeting Sept. 17-18 at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Shelbyville, with board members scheduled to review a wide range of issues affecting Tennessee’s community colleges and colleges of applied technology. The agenda includes a proposed new academic program, institutional mission profiles, faculty recommendations, workforce development reports and the college system’s legislative priorities for the 2027 session. The Tennessee Board of Regents oversees the state’s public community colleges and colleges of applied technology. Photo above article was captured shortly after the TCAT Smyrna location opened, across from Nissan. Scroll down for more.
Committee meetings will begin Thursday, Sept. 17, at 12:45 p.m. Central Time with the Audit Committee, with additional committees meeting consecutively throughout the day. The full Board of Regents is scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. Central Time Friday, Sept. 18. The meetings will take place at TCAT Shelbyville, 2905 U.S. 231 North in Shelbyville, and will be open to the public. The meetings will also be livestreamed and archived through the Tennessee Board of Regents website.
Among the academic issues scheduled for consideration is a proposal for Southwest Tennessee Community College to establish a new Associate of Applied Science degree in Entertainment Production. The Committee on Academic Policies and Programs and Student Life is expected to review the proposal Thursday, with the full board potentially considering the committee's recommendation Friday. That committee will also receive reports on institutional mission profiles, safeguards against fraudulent college applications and a new articulation agreement with Belmont University aimed at students pursuing teaching careers.
The meeting has a direct connection to Rutherford County because institutions governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents include TCAT Murfreesboro and its Smyrna campus. TCAT Murfreesboro's main campus is located at 1303 Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro, while its Smyrna campus is at 663 Ken Pilkerton Drive. The Smyrna facility operates in partnership with Nissan and offers technical and workforce training programs. Motlow State Community College, another TBR institution, also operates a Smyrna campus at 5002 Motlow College Boulevard. Decisions involving systemwide policies, workforce development and legislative priorities can therefore extend to TBR institutions serving students in Rutherford County.
Other committee business includes consideration of a proposed Conflict of Interest Management Plan, faculty promotion matters, faculty emeritus recommendations and a report on community college athletics. The Committee on Workforce Development is scheduled to review workforce training hours for the 2025-26 academic year, receive a preview of the West Tennessee Nuclear Summit at Jackson State Community College and hear an update on Tennessee's proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus. Legislative priorities for 2027 are expected to be reviewed by both the External Affairs Committee and the Finance and Business Operations Committee.
On Friday, the full board is also expected to hear the chancellor's quarterly report, including an enrollment update, consider proposed 2027 meeting dates and review search criteria for the next president of Pellissippi State Community College. Current Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. plans to retire at the end of the 2026-27 academic year following 30 years of service to the state, including 16 years as the college's president.
Members of the public may request an opportunity to address the Board of Regents, but TBR policy requires a Request to Address the Board form to be submitted no later than three calendar days before the first day of a regular board meeting. The policy allows people to request to speak about agenda items or other matters related to the board's responsibilities, although certain individual grievances, appeals and pending or threatened litigation are excluded. Each approved speaker is generally limited to three minutes, with a maximum of 15 minutes allocated for public comments during a regular meeting.
Below: Video captured shortly after the TCAT Smyrna location opened, across from the Nissan manufacturing plant.
