Dr. Jim Catanzaro is the former president of Chattanooga State Community College.Former Chattanooga State Community College President Jim Catanzaro won’t be returning to campus any time soon.
Members of the Tennessee Board of Regents turned down Catanzaro’s request to become president emeritus of the campus he departed amid scandal in December 2014 after nearly 25 years at the helm.
On Dec. 10, just days after he announced he would step down in the face of mounting criticism, Catanzaro emailed Board of Regents officials asking that he be hired as president emeritus. In the note, he said he and his wife “would consider this to be a proper recognition of the many noteworthy advancements made by the college during my term as president and an affirmation of a legacy of achievement.”
But regents nixed that idea at their quarterly board meeting March 27.
The board’s audit committee had discussed Catanzaro’s request earlier in the month. Catanzaro had originally been told the decision would have to wait until a permanent president took over at Chatt State, which is expected to occur this summer. But members of the audit committee said they didn’t want to wait.