State policymakers and the public at large have a vested interest in the successful governance of their higher education institutions. The citizens who are appointed or elected to serve as board members of a state's colleges and universities oversee valuable public assets that they hold in trust for the state and for current and future…

This is the executive summary for "Structuring State Policy for Student Success: Applying Incentives in the Volunteer State." For many years, state funding to public colleges and universities in Tennessee and across the nation was distributed based primarily on enrollment, rather than degree production or efficiency. This led or allowed…

Questions of college performance in the United States are inevitably answered in terms of numbers rather than performance. A Tennessee policy links two percent of state funding to outcomes rather than size. The policy has major implications for funding and performance in colleges and other service-oriented institutions. (Author/MLW)

Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) Section 49-7-2 (c) (7) requires the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to "submit a biennial report to the governor and the general assembly, commenting upon major developments, trends, new policies, budgets and financial considerations which in the judgment of the commission will be useful to the governor…

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly to achieve coordination and foster unity with regard to higher education. The Commission coordinates two systems of higher education: the University of Tennessee institutions governed by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and the state…

At the request of governing boards and legislatures, increasing numbers of state colleges and universities are using "value-added" tests and surveys to measure student learning in college. The measures compare academic achievement and student analytical skills before and after certain periods of college study, usually using standardized…

Statistics are presented on higher education in Tennessee for 1982-1983 and previous years. Attention is directed to: enrollment trends, undergraduate transfers, student finances, degrees conferred, faculty salaries, institutional finances, and actions of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Tables include: student headcount enrollment by…

Statistics are presented on higher education in Tennessee for 1984-1985 and previous years. Attention is directed to: enrollment trends, undergraduate transfers, student finances, degrees conferred, faculty salaries, institutional finances, and actions of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Tables include: student headcount enrollment by…

Three key political decisions made in Tennessee higher education that have brought about major changes in structure and have implications for the future are discussed. The decisions are: creation of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) in 1967, the creation of the State Board of Regents (SBR) in 1972, and the establishment of the…

This master plan for higher education in Tennessee sketches a framework for the continued improvement of postsecondary institutions and emphasizes the critical links between higher education and other components of the state. A set of principles and achievement targets undergirding the master plan are outlined. Specific action is called for in…

The ways that the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has sought to recognize the contribution of private higher education in Tennessee are addressed. Specific involvement of the private sector was provided in the preparation of the 1979-84 THEC Master Plan. Many of the planning issues identified in that plan touched on private sector…

Three plans implemented during 1979-80 that addressed the presence of historically black and historically white public universities in the same metropolitan areas are described. Plans were developed in Nashville, Tennessee; Norfolk, Virginia; and Savannah, Georgia. In Nashville, Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at…

A performance funding policy adopted in Tennessee in 1979, which recognizes and rewards instructional performance through the state funding formula, is described. The schedule permits institutions to earn an additional 2 percent of their educational and general appropriations based on an evaluation of institutional instructional performance on…

The State University and Community College System of Tennessee 1977-78 Annual Report provides information about the following: enrollments, graduates, faculties, libraries, academic development, desegregation efforts, public service and continuing education, student affairs, facilities development, business and finance, and planning. Basic…

The 1978-79 profile of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee shows its fall enrollment to be 88,799 (headcount) or 65,683 full-time equivalent students, with 11,358 students graduated. Full-time faculty numbered 2,684. The state appropriation was $137.5 million, with an operating budget of $230.1 million. During the year…