Berry College in Rome, Ga., and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission have reached a settlement in a legal dispute over the college’s right to advertise in Tennessee.Berry College representatives said Wednesday that even after a settlement it isn’t clear why the Tennessee Higher Education Commission wanted to fine the Rome, Ga., school for advertising on billboards near Nashville.
“We’ve actually had billboards in Tennessee for several years,” said Jeanne Mathews, assistant vice president of public relations and marketing at the school.
Wednesday afternoon, a THEC representative said that because there had been a lawsuit, only a department lawyer could answer questions. No THEC lawyers were available for comment.
THEC rules state that any college seeking to advertise, solicit, recruit, enroll, operate or have a “physical presence” in the state has to fill out authorization papers through THEC, under federal education guidelines.
According to the Berry College news release, the state issued fines because “placing the billboards in Tennessee constituted conducting educational activity” in the state. Berry College does not have a satellite campus in Tennessee or offer distance learning courses.