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T H E H I S T O R Y O F T E N N E S S E E ’ S H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N P O L I C Y S T R U C T U R E

POSTSECONDARY GOVERNANCE AND ATTAINMENT IN TENNESSEE

INTRODUCTION

H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N G O V E R N A N C E

NATIONWIDE

Tennessee is known across the country for the state’s thoughtful and comprehensive higher education policy structure, which has been built on over a decade of successful policy reform efforts at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels. These policy changes have spanned gubernatorial transitions and have allowed Tennessee to see success in increasing the number of adults with a postsecondary degree or certificate, but there is still much work to be done in order to ensure that postsecondary attainment is accessible to all students.

The dynamic facing higher education leaders in Tennessee—an urgent need to continue above-average progress toward ambitious goals—can be seen by looking

at the state’s postsecondary attainment rate data over the last decade. The number of working-age adults in Tennessee who have attained a certificate or degree has grown by an impressive 36.4 percent since 2008—only eight states have higher attainment growth rates over that period. However, despite such growth, Tennessee’s current overall attainment rate is just 42.7 percent—only eight states currently have lower attainment levels.1 For policymakers who want to understand how Tennessee has been able to make such growth in postsecondary attainment, it is important to understand the major milestones of state education policy developments over the last decade.

Higher education governance structures are different across all 50 states, but these systems generally share the same responsibilities, which include distributing funds, ensuring compliance is met for accreditation, and setting goals and priorities for their institutions of higher education (IHE). This work requires close communication with each respective IHE and can, at times, be difficult to manage. The recent nationwide focus on postsecondary attainment has led many states to adapt their governance structures to better meet the needs of all students. The Education Commission of the States sorts higher education governance structures into four groups depicted in the maps to the right.2

Single, Statewide Coordinating Board/Agency

One or More Major, System-Wide Coordinating or Governing Board

Single, Statewide Governing Board

Administrative/Service Agency

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One agency/board responsible for overseeing key aspects of governing public institutions and can coordinate with independent institutions as well.

Multiple agencies and boards that work together within the state to coordinate and govern institutions. Has been used in concert with other structures.

One agency/board manages and governs all institutions in the higher education system and has authority over the institutions.

Multiple agencies oversee programs and services for institutions across the state. Some agencies may be housed within other systems/boards.

Note: governance structures in some states overlap multiple categories.

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POSTSECONDARY GOVERNANCE AND ATTAINMENT IN TENNESSEE

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In 2010, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Complete College Tennessee Act (CCTA), which established the state’s outcomes-based funding formula (OBF) for IHEs. This funding model stands apart from many other states by basing the majority of the state’s IHE funding on student outcome measures and using different sets of outcomes for two-year IHEs and four-year IHEs with weights tailored to reflect the mission of each IHE.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) is the statewide board that governs all aspects of higher education in the state. THEC is responsible for providing guidance to the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and locally governed state universities.

Restructured in 2016, THEC now oversees the independent governing boards at the six, four-year institutions of the University of Tennessee System, as well as the Tennessee Board of Regents which oversees the state’s community and technical colleges.

Tennessee became one of the first states in the country to adopt a postsecondary attainment goal in 2013 by establishing the Drive to 55 initiative, which states that:

g By 2025, at least 55 percent of Tennesseans aged 25-64-years-old will have a postsecondary credential.

In 2014, the state enacted the Tennessee Promise program—a tuition-free community and technical college program that provides scholarship funding and mentorship for students to attend a community or technical college. In 2017, the state enacted the Tennessee Reconnect program, providing tuition-free community and technical college for adult students who do not already have an associate degree or higher and qualify as an independent student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

As part of CCTA’s mandate, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission drafted the 2015-2025 Master Plan. This plan outlined the programming goals, changes, and resources necessary to sustain a robust higher education system. This plan also recognized the populations who, even after changes in funding for colleges, still did not have access to postsecondary opportunities. The plan specifically targets students who are low-income, adult learners, or academically unprepared.

OBF A policy that bases a portion of an institution of higher education’s funding on certain information about its graduates, such as the numbers of associate and bachelor’s degrees earned.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENTSPolicies that govern the number of course credits that IHEs will accept for incoming transfer students.

POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT GOALA policy goal stating that by a certain year, a certain percentage of state residents will have some form of education beyond high school.

TUITION-FREE COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE PROGRAMA policy that allows students to attend a community or technical college without paying tuition.

TENNESSEE

STATEWIDE POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT GOAL

TUITION-FREE TECHNICAL OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAMS

A VISION FOR POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT

The CCTA also laid the groundwork for the development of Tennessee Transfer Pathways, which are articulation agreements among public IHEs in Tennessee that have established common learning goals for certain pre-major courses that are accepted as transfer credits by IHEs across the state.

T H E H I S T O R Y O F T E N N E S S E E ’ S H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N P O L I C Y S T R U C T U R E

HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM LEGISLATION

Attainment 31.9% 32.1% 33.3% 33.8% 39.3* 39.7% 40 .7%Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

* 2014 State and Lumina Foundation begin to include certifications and licenses under postsecondary attainment.

00.205

0.41

Region 1

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THECGovernor’s Investment in Vocational EducationIndustry-relevant technical training and grants

L A N D S C A P E O V E R V I E W O F T E N N E S S E E ’ S K E Y H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N P L A Y E R S & P R O G R A M S

Tennessee’s higher education policy structure involves many key players who share responsibility for different programs:

KEY PLAYERS KEY PROGRAMS

Outcomes-Based Funding Formula Allocation of funding based on student outcome metrics THEC

Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS)Early remediation program

THECTBR

TN Promise Scholarship program for HS graduates TSAC

TN ReconnectScholarship program for adult learners

MentorshipSupport for TN Promise recipients TNACHIEVESAYERS

Early College Opportunities Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, etc.

THEC

TBR TDOE

TN Pathways Support for transfer students TBR TDOE

Gear Up TNCollege-going culture development THEC

Advise TNCollege-advising for high school students THEC

THECApprenticeships and Work-Based Learning Real-world experience for students TLWD

Government Agencies Responsible for administering and executing specific duties, e.g. financial aid, curriculum development, etc.

TDOE TN Department of Education

TNECD TN Department of Economic & Community Development

TLWD TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development

System Boards Responsible for setting policy and governance for member IHEs. Each of the six University of Tennessee campuses has its own Advisory Board in addition to the System Board.

TBR Tennessee Board of Regents

UT University of Tennessee Board of Trustees

Local ly Governed InstitutionsResponsible for governance of six individual IHE campuses.

LGI Locally Governed Institutions

Tennessee Achieves

Nonprofit Partners Responsible for providing support across multiple programs.

SCORE

THEI

TICUA

TEEC

State Collaborative on Reforming Education

TN Higher Education Initiative

TN Independent Colleges & Universities Association

TN Educational Equity Coalition

DRIVETO55

TCASN

TNCHAMBER

Drive to 55 Alliance

TN College Access & Success Network

TN Chamber of Commerce & Industry

TNACHIEVES

AYERS Ayers Foundation

Coordinating Board Responsible for providing guidance to the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and locally governed state universities.

THEC

TSAC

Tennessee Higher Education Commission Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation

LGI

UTTICUA

TDOE

TBR

TBR TSAC

POSTSECONDARY GOVERNANCE AND ATTAINMENT IN TENNESSEE

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Q U E S T I O N S F O R P O L I C Y M A K E R S

C I T A T I O N S

1 Lumina Foundation, “A Stronger Nation: Learning beyond high school builds American talent,” http://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/report/2019/#nation

2 Fulton, M. (2019, October). An Analysis of State Postsecondary Governance Structures. Retrieved from https://www.ecs.org/an-analysis-of-state-postsecondary-governance-structures/

01What challenges or barriers exist that prevent individuals from attaining a postsecondary degree or certification? What can your state do to address these challenges?

02What entities and relationships in your state can be leveraged to foster partnership between the business community and institutions of higher education?

03What funding changes or restructuring, if any, will need to occur in order to increase postsecondary attainment in your state?

04In what ways can data and various state systems be leveraged to track access to and completion of a postsecondary degree or credential? What data already exists in your state? Who has or will have access to these data?