The state’s Senate Education Committee approved a bill Wednesday that would vacate the board of trustees of the historically Black Tennessee State University by June 30. Should the legislation ultimately pass in both chambers, Gov. Bill Lee will appoint eight of the board’s 10 members, with the other two spots filled by a student and a faculty representative. The legislation comes amid tense debates about the future of TSU that have been ongoing since last year’s legislative session, focused on problems at the university but also a history of underfunding from the state.
Last year, the university’s board of trustees was threatened with similar actions after a report from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury highlighted issues at the school and recommended a change in leadership, among other measures. TSU President Glenda Glover has since announced that she will retire at the end of the current school year.
Board members ask lawmakers for more time to address issues and find a new president
“TSU is the most amazing university there is, and how about we talk about TSU in the same breath that we talk about UT Knoxville?” said Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) on Wednesday. Roberts co-sponsors the bill along with Education Committee Chair Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) and Finance, Ways and Means Committee Chair Bo Watson (R-Hixson).
“I think some folks already mention TSU in the same voice that they mention UT,” said Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), the committee’s sole Democrat and the only member who voted against the bill. “We can't say we want TSU to be spoken of in the same breath as UT if we're not going to fund them appropriately.”
In 2021, state legislators released a report that found TSU was shorted at least $544 million between 1956 and 2006. Last year, national leaders reported that the school has been underfunded more than $2.1 billion over the past 30 years — more than any other historically Black college or university across the country. UT Knoxville, the state’s other land-grant university, has not experienced the same levels of underfunding.
Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville) has been leading efforts to support TSU and recuperate lost funding. Love tells the Scene that vacating the board would mean a loss in institutional knowledge, and that he’s working to find a compromise in the House.
Representatives from TSU offered the below statement.
Glover's announcement follows a critical report regarding financial issues at the school
“If the proposed legislation approved by the Senate Education Committee [Wednesday] ultimately becomes law, TSU students and faculty will be profoundly affected due to the significant and immediate disruption to the university’s academic activities and progress. The proposed legislation, if it becomes law, will also harm TSU’s student and faculty recruitment efforts, erase governance related institutional knowledge, potentially damage TSU’s relationship with grant agencies and current and prospective donors, and jeopardize TSU’s accreditation status.
“The eradication of the Board also comes at a critical time, as the University is currently undergoing a national search for a new TSU president. As noted in [yesterday’s] hearing, rather than vacating the Board, TSU needs infrastructure and operational support from the state to address the decades of underfunding of the state’s only public HBCU and urban based land grant institution.
“We still believe the best course of action, for lawmakers, is to support the original bill as written that would extend the TSU board for one year. This course of action allows for a smooth transition in Presidential leadership and the addition of new board members through new appointments. This approach would serve the best interest of TSU and can still happen. We look forward to continuing to work with members of the House and the Senate to pass legislation authorizing a reasonable extension of the TSU Board.”
Update, March 19: On Monday, members of the House Government Operations Committee passed an amended version of the bill that differs from the Senate's version. An amendment from Rep. Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) would vacate just three of the board's 10 members and extend the term of the board to June 2026.
