Tennessee state legislative officials approved Tuesday a mandated three-year review of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to decide whether to abolish the 27-year-old governing body or to keep it afloat.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission, which governs and serves as functional arbitrator between the state’s two college systems, the Tennessee Board of Regents and University of Tennessee system, has come under fire from Gov. Don Sundquist recently. He has criticized the institution’s effectiveness in addressing some of the turbulent issues facing the state’s higher education institutions.
Sundquist proposed a one-year wind down for the 30-member agency that would ultimately absolve the committee and allow state lawmakers to restructure the body to meet the states proposed efficiency standards.
However, a compromise was reached between the legislative body and Sundquist that will allow the agency to remain functional for an additional three-year term pending further research and review from state officials.
Currently, the THEC directly impacts everything from university budget appropriations to a student’s ability to transfer credit hours.
