Complete Tennessee kicked off its inaugural Leadership Academy in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday to bring together stakeholders from around the state from around the state to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the state's higher education system.
The Complete Tennessee Leadership Academy will convene five working sessions over the next seven months in Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Sewanee, Tenn., during which participants will meet with state and national higher education experts.
Complete Tennessee is a nonprofit education organization that advocates for students and communities by supporting increased post-secondary access and completion.
In the Leadership Academy, participants will discuss benchmarks for post-secondary and workforce development benchmarks with local leaders to better understand the state's situation.
"Without community education and engagement, Complete Tennessee cannot be successful in its mission to support the Drive to 55 by improving post-secondary access and completion," said Complete Tennessee Executive Director Dr. Kenyatta Lovet in a press release.
"Integral to this work is bringing the right people to the table to examine Tennessee's higher education landscape. We've got to have those tough conversations where we ask, 'how do we best serve our students beyond graduation and into skillful employment?'"
Kacy Murley, director of Engagement and advocacy for Complete Tennessee said, "We've worked very hard to engage a diverse group of CTLA participants who represent different areas of the state and can provide insights on the unique needs of local students and communities."
"This group brings an impressive amount of leadership and experience to the table, and they were chosen because they are true champions of higher education. The solutions we need to improve postsecondary outcomes in Tennessee will not be one-size-fits-all, and will rely on the constructive feedback from stakeholders across the state."