NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Senate today took final action on Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to split up the Tennessee Board of Regents and spin off the system's six universities into their own self-governing orbits and separate boards of trustees.
Senators voted 31-1 for the proposal that Haslam maintains will allow TBR officials to focus on the remaining 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology.
But critics, including former TBR Chancellor John Morgan who took early retirement earlier this year in protest of the legislation, say it will create problems and unleash competition and intense lobbying among the public universities for state money and influence.
The University of Memphis and top business leaders in the city have long advocated for the university to become independent with its own board.
Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, defended the legislation, saying it would benefit the six universities, none of them located in Southeast Tennessee, during an era where Regents' increased focus is on trade skills and the two-year schools and other programs and less on traditional four-year liberal arts universities.
Norris said that "in many ways" the universities are "getting the short end of the stick."
But Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, said he was concerned unleashing the universities will spur them to rush out and hire expensive lobbyists and take other measures to press their cases to governors and lawmakers in the future.
Tennessee State University leaders have voiced concerns the historically black university will be left behind.
Norris said the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, which currently coordinates activities of the TBR and the University of Tennessee, would have beefed up responsibilities and resources to oversee the six TBR universities.
The leader also noted he expects university presidents would be listening to the Senate debate.
TBR's two-year community colleges include Chattanooga State and Cleveland State. The bill does not affect the University of Tennessee system which includes UT-Chattanooga.
Former TBR Chancellor Morgan said that if it becomes law, the bill would threaten Haslam's own Drive to 55 program which seeks to boost the percent of Tennesseans with post-secondary degrees to 55 percent by 2025.
Haslam has disagreed.