CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is not ready to say if he wants to continue state funding for diversity programs in a settlement of the state’s college desegregation case, but a University of Tennessee official says the spending should be extended.
Since 2001, Tennessee has earmarked approximately $78.3 million for the diversity programs, but now a Republican lawmaker says it is time to redirect the money.
“We should steer the money toward programs that benefit all the students, not just one subgroup,” says state Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville.
Higher education officials say that in the next six months they will evaluate the effectiveness of the programs, created by the 2001 Geier Consent Decree, and report the findings to Bredesen.
“I would like to continue the programs and explore tapping into other resources and reaching other [minority] audiences,” says Wendy Thompson of the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The agreement settled a 1968 lawsuit filed by a Tennessee State University instructor who sought to desegregate colleges in the state.
