Tennessee State University board holds what could be last meeting as Republicans push to vacate it

At 4:08 p.m. Thursday, the Tennessee State University Board of Trustees adjourned without any promise of returning.

A Republican-backed bill working its way through the Tennessee legislature seeks to vacate the board entirely and would leave it to Gov. Bill Lee to appoint new members. The move comes amid years of scrutiny over the historically Black university's finances and leadership and as the board searches for a new president. It also comes as the results of a forensic audit, commissioned last year by lawmakers, are still pending.

The bill has stirred intense controversy over $2.1 billion in historic underfunding of TSU by the state and disparities in how TSU has been treated by lawmakers. TSU leaders have pleaded with lawmakers to extend their current board and give them more time to course correct.

Here's what to know about the meeting, the legislation and what's next.

TSU nears end of presidential search

Most of the roughly 45-minute meeting was business as usual.

Board Chair Deborah Cole said the presidential search is still on track and referred to an executive committee earlier that day that detailed the search. A search committee was established and a firm was hired after the board's last regular meeting in November. The team laid out a timeline for the search and has held listening sessions with board members, students, faculty, staff and alumni. Outgoing President Glenda Glover also said she has commissioned her staff to prepare presidential transition documents to make the changeover as smooth as possible.

The committee plans to finalize candidates in April and choose the new president that same month. However, it's not certain if the pending legislation will disrupt that process, or if it will put an entirely new board in charge of it at a late stage.

The presidential search is not the only thing at risk with the Senate version of the bill, according to a statement the university released to The Tennessean after the board meeting.

"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," part of the statement read.

TSU president wants to shift focus back to $2.1 billion in underfunding

Glover said she hopes to get the conversation back on the $2.1 billion in historic underfunding of the university by the state. That number stems from a federal report of underfunding at several historically Black colleges and universities nationwide, with TSU topping the list. Glover revisited her proposal on how the state can pay back the underfunding over the course of five years.

She also said she's hopeful that Democratic Rep. Harold Love and others will succeed in reaching a compromise that will retain at least some of the current board members.

Glover also spoke to the ongoing audit, which some lawmakers have indicated is delayed because TSU had not provided all the documents requested.

"We have not been responsible for any delays pertaining to the forensic audit," Glover said.

In fact, she said, the firm hired by lawmakers to conduct the audit has often complimented the university for how timely it's been in its responses.

"I want to put to bed any inaccurate statements that TSU did not provide information," Glover said. "That is totally ... false and unfair."

Board chair: 'We have made tremendous strides'

Cole, the board chair, read a proclamation honoring Glover's work and years of investment into TSU from 2013 until now. She also declared that April 14 would be "Dr. Glenda Glover Day" at TSU and that there would be a special event to honor her. The announcement was met with applause from the roughly 50 people gathered.

Cole also acknowledged the legislation at hand that may vacate the board sitting around her. She said her colleagues are a hard-working group who helped improve the university's finances, increase its endowment and build up its reserves. She also said they helped the university navigate five audits in the last six months.

“I can say with all honesty that I believe, from the time that this initial board was established until now, we have made tremendous strides, and whenever we leave, I do believe we’re leaving it better than what we found,” she said.

What's next for the TSU board bill

On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee passed the bill that would vacate the board at TSU. Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, expressed his appreciation and love for many of the TSU leaders but said it was time for a change. He also said it was best to make the move expediently to minimize disruptions in the presidential search process and the operations of the university.

Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, the lone Democrat on the committee, was the only one to vote against it, saying the measure was too extreme and harsh. The bill now awaits a full Senate vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

Additionally, the House has not yet discussed its version of the bill. However, the measure is set to be heard by the joint Government Operations Committee on Monday.

On Thursday, Love said he hopes to draft a compromise for the House to consider that would retain four or five board members.

"This is a just a bit too far, to have all 10 members be removed," Love, who is a TSU graduate, said.

In the statement released Thursday, the university said it would like to see the board extended one year to smooth the transition in leadership and the addition of new board members through appointments.

When the measure was first proposed to vacate the TSU board, Love said he worried that talks would not move quickly enough to reach a compromise.

"The truth of the matter is … I don’t think that the board members actually thought that this would happen," Love said. "None of us really did."

Reach children's reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or follow her on Twitter, Threads and Bluesky @RachelAnnWegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee State University board meets as bill to vacate it advances