Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is the established by the Tennessee General Assembly
in 1900, primarily to achieve coordination between the various public higher education
institutions in the state.
districts, appointed to six-year terms, the three state constitution
al officers (Secretary of State
, State Treasurer
and Comptroller of the Treasury), two student commissioners serving staggered two-year terms (one each from the University of Tennessee system
and the Tennessee Board of Regents
system, with voting rights only during the second year of the term, assuring only one voting student-member at a time), and the executive director of the State Board of Education
, a nonvoting member. With a maximum total vote of 13 at any one time, the majority required for action to be taken is usually seven votes.
such as those available under the G. I. Bill of Rights.
proposed that if reelected in November 2006 he would recommend overhaul of the Tennessee system of higher education in 2007; the three separate boards overseeing it (THEC, The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and the Tennessee Board of Regents) have long been criticized as competing interests that drain resources away from actual higher education to a duplicative system of administration and coordination.
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
in 1900, primarily to achieve coordination between the various public higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institutions in the state.
Composition
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) is composed of one "lay" member from each of the state's nine CongressionalUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
districts, appointed to six-year terms, the three state constitution
Tennessee State Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules of the U.S. State of Tennessee....
al officers (Secretary of State
Tennessee Secretary of State
The Tennessee Secretary of State is the state secretary of state for the State of Tennessee.The office is created by the Tennessee State Constitution. The Secretary of State is responsible for many of the administrative aspects of the operation of state government of Tennessee...
, State Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
and Comptroller of the Treasury), two student commissioners serving staggered two-year terms (one each from the University of Tennessee system
University of Tennessee system
The University of Tennessee system is one of two public university systems in the state of Tennessee. It consists of three primary campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin, a health sciences campus in...
and the Tennessee Board of Regents
Tennessee Board of Regents
The Tennessee Board of Regents is one of the two systems of public higher education in Tennessee. The TBR was authorized by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly passed in 1972...
system, with voting rights only during the second year of the term, assuring only one voting student-member at a time), and the executive director of the State Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, a nonvoting member. With a maximum total vote of 13 at any one time, the majority required for action to be taken is usually seven votes.
Purposes
In recent years, the THEC's major purpose has been to arbitrate between the competing demands of the University of Tennessee system and the Board of Regents system. Neither body can establish entirely new academic programs, for example, without THEC approval. THEC support is also vital for institutions to receive capital allocations for new buildings and other projects requiring major capitalization. THEC also is the official approving agency in Tennessee for any postsecondary institution, public or private, desiring to enroll students receiving veterans' benefits from the United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
such as those available under the G. I. Bill of Rights.
Proposed change
Governor Phil BredesenPhil Bredesen
Philip Norman "Phil" Bredesen Jr. was the 48th Governor of Tennessee, serving from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected Governor in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. He previously served as the fourth mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 1991 to...
proposed that if reelected in November 2006 he would recommend overhaul of the Tennessee system of higher education in 2007; the three separate boards overseeing it (THEC, The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, and the Tennessee Board of Regents) have long been criticized as competing interests that drain resources away from actual higher education to a duplicative system of administration and coordination.