The new advisory board for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, spearheaded by Gov. Bill Haslam, met for the first time Monday and elected its chairman.
Haslam appointed advisory board members for four University of Tennessee system schools in December. His plan to reduce the size of the UT system's Board of Trustees, the UT Focus Act, was narrowly passed into law last year.
UTC advisory board members
› Board Chairman: Fred Decosimo, certified public accountant and shareholder in the Elliott Davis firm, member of the University of Chattanooga Foundation Board of Trustees, the University of Tennessee System Endowment Advisory Committee, and chairman of the audit committee of the UT System Foundation› William “Muecke” Barker, former Tennessee Supreme Court justice, former trustee of the UC Foundation, 2007 winner of the UTC Distinguished Alumnus award and former UTC adjunct professor› Serina Desai, businesswoman and community leader and co-founder of the real estate company, 3H Group; graduate of UTC› Carole Hoffman, vice president of human resources for Parkridge Health System, member of Tennessee Association of Healthcare Recruiters and the Chattanooga Area Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, graduate of UTC› Scott LeRoy, attorney and is vice president and chief operating officer with 2nds in Building Materials, Inc., corporate parent of SE Salvage and Home Emporium retail stores; graduate of UTC and the UT College of Law› Student member: Jujuan Lewis, UTC Student Government Association president› Faculty member: Gretchen Potts, UC Foundation professor of chemistry, director of the UTC Integrated Studies program, president of the UTC Alpha Society
The seven-member board, includes five members appointed by the governor from a range of professions and industries, university alumni, Chancellor Steve Angle and faculty and student representatives.
"This board will provide a prospective that is very UTC focused," Angle told the Times Free Press. "They'll understand more of the details that are going on with UTC because they are only involved with one campus and they have a diversity of backgrounds that will help us."
Proponents of the UT Focus Act argued that the shrinking of the Board of Trustees system from a 27-member to a 12-member structure would result in a more engaged and active board. The size of the old structure had long been criticized, especially by Republican lawmakers.
But those against the downsizing felt there wasn't enough representation of faculty and senate members.
UTC's advisory board will advise the chancellor on tuition and budget recommendations this year, which Angle submits to the UT President to be considered by the systemwide Board of Trustees. The board includes student representation by UTC's Student Government Association President Jujuan Lewis and faculty representation by Gretchen Potts, president of the university's Faculty Senate.
"These are really critical boards," Haslam said in a video addressing UTC's advisory board. "When we changed the UT system board, I felt like smaller boards could be more efficient. My hope is you'll take ownership of the board."
UTC board members also include two trustees of the University of Chattanooga Foundation, 3 alumni, and business owners.
Fred Decosimo, of the Elliott Davis CPA firm and former chairman of the University of Chattanooga Foundation Board of Trustees, was elected to lead the advisory board Monday. The board also adopted its bylaws, elected a secretary and reviewed Angle's strategic plan, which ends in 2020.
"He has given much time and energy to the system," said Muecke Barker, former Tennessee Supreme Court justice and member of the board. "He's been president of the UC Foundation, and I could think of no one better to serve as chair."
At the board's next meeting on Jan. 30, members will be briefed on tuition and the university's budgeting process before it begins to work on those recommendations. In April, it will work with Angle to make a recommendation to be considered by system President on whether or not to increase tuition, and will submit budget recommendations in May.
Angle added that he felt it was beneficial to have board members from the local community when talking tuition dollars and university funding.
"They'll have an understanding of the position we are in here at UTC," Angle said. "Every public institution is actively working to keep tuition as low as possible and provide all the resources for students to be succeed, and those don't always work together. So I think this board will know more about this campus and what we are trying to do here."
"It's an opportunity to provide input campus by campus to the Board of Trustees that is then going to look at everyone together," he added.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.