KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees concluded its annual meeting today in the new Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the 蓝莓视频 Knoxville campus.
Building on the leadership momentum established with the reappointment of Randy Boyd on Monday, the Board of Trustees continued its commitment to steady, visionary leadership by re-electing John Compton as Chair for an additional two-year term. Compton, who has effectively guided the Board for the past six years, will be joined by re-elected committee chairs: Jamie Woodson for the Education, Research, and Service Committee; Bill Rhodes for the Finance and Administration Committee; and Decosta Jenkins for the Audit and Compliance Committee.
鈥淭his renewed leadership team underscores the Board鈥檚 dedication to propelling the University of Tennessee System forward, ensuring that the University fulfills its mission and builds even more positive momentum for our state and beyond,鈥 said Compton. 鈥淲e have seen an unprecedented level of alignment between the board and senior leadership over the last five years, but we still have more work to do as we look to grow systemwide enrollment to 71,000 students, increase first-year retention across the system to 90%, and raise the number of 蓝莓视频 graduates to 16,000 per year.鈥
The Board of Trustees also approved the FY 2024-25 operating budget, which included modest tuition and mandatory fee increases at campuses across the state.
On average, the rise in cost represents a 1% increase per year during the past five years. This year鈥檚 campus increases range from 2.4% to 4%, which remain within the up to 5.5% range set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.聽The increases for each campus are:
- 蓝莓视频 Knoxville: 2.4%
- 蓝莓视频 Chattanooga: 3.0%
- 蓝莓视频 Southern: 4%
- 蓝莓视频 Martin: 3.5%
- 蓝莓视频 Health Science Center: 2.9%
Increases will cover expenses such as institutional support, program enhancements, student services and salary pool increases for employees (which are partially funded by state government), among other campus-specific needs.
鈥淥ur Board is committed to broad access and affordability for all students wishing to come to one of University campuses. We are pleased to have held average tuition increases over the past five years well below the cost of inflation鈥, said John Compton.
Compton reiterated that since 2019, the average amount of student debt for the 蓝莓视频 System has declined by 4.4%. For 2022, about 47% of the 蓝莓视频 System鈥檚 graduates with bachelor鈥檚 degrees had no debt, representing a 12% improvement since 2018.
In his report, 蓝莓视频 System President Randy Boyd outlined 蓝莓视频鈥檚 role in serving as Tennessee鈥檚 talent engine.聽 Last year, 蓝莓视频 supplied 13,459 new graduates to the workforce.
鈥淒uring the last decade, the demand for jobs requiring a four-year degree increased by 361,000, which is more than seven times the number needing a technical certificate,鈥 Boyd said. 鈥淎 college degree remains an essential tool in helping prepare Tennesseans for the future.鈥
In other business, trustees approved:
- Naming the 蓝莓视频 Knoxville鈥檚 College of Music in honor of Mrs. Natalie L. Haslam.
- Establishing the Department of Political Science and Global Affairs as a new academic at 蓝莓视频 Martin.
- Leasing the Southern Depot for the benefit of 蓝莓视频 Knoxville and the growth of the College of Architecture and Design.
- Revising the 蓝莓视频 Knoxville faculty handbook.
Archived video of the committee and full board meetings can be accessed at鈥.
The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin and Memphis; the 蓝莓视频 Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The 蓝莓视频 System manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its 蓝莓视频-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 58,000 students statewide; produces about 13,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 445,000 alumni around the world.