A local developer and former Chattanooga mayor was appointed to the state’s top higher education board Tuesday, and officials with Chattanooga State and UTC said they are thrilled about Gov. Phil Bredesen’s pick.
Jon Kinsey, 56, president of Kinsey Probasco Hays, was one of 100 people appointed Tuesday to serve on 34 state boards and commissions.
He replaces former Lyndhurst Foundation leader Jack Murrah on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and will be the only representative from the area.
“We have a unique community in the state,” said Chattanooga State Community College President Jim Catanzaro. “For years, we complained that there weren’t people from here (on those boards) that understood us. I think that is changing.”
Kinsey said he is honored by the appointment, which he accepted because Murrah encouraged him to do it.
While he has never worked in higher education, Kinsey said he did learn a lot about public colleges and universities when he worked as mayor from 1997 to 2001.
“This is a very important board,” he said. “I am fully aware of the responsibilities and the importance that higher education plays.”
In the last few years, the state’s two-year colleges and four-year universities have undergone significant change. Both statewide systems have been forced to make devastating budget cuts and are planning for further cuts once millions of dollars in federal stimulus support are pulled next year.
Both systems also recently have hired new leaders — former Deputy Governor John Morgan for the state Board of Regents and Institute of Agriculture Chancellor Joe DiPietro for the UT System — and are working to improve failing graduation rates. State legislators passed higher education reform legislation earlier this year, linking schools’ performance on graduate rates to state funding levels.
Kinsey said he doesn’t know how to solve the problems facing higher education, but does believe colleges and universities should question their decisions moving forward.
“I do think that it is important that every institution look at how they have operated,” he said. “That is an everyday constant challenge.”
Catanzaro and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Roger Brown said they both respect Kinsey’s work in the city and expect him to have big ideas for higher education.
“I believe Kinsey has a visionary overview of the needs of the state in the economic development and the needs of the citizens,” Brown said. “I am very pleased to hear that Jon will be a leader in higher education in Tennessee.”
Contact staff writer Joan Garrett at jgarrett@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6601.