NASHVILLE ― An objective by Tennessee State University’s new president to tackle internal issues at the historically Black university may present an opportunity for legislation that could benefit other educational institutions, a Democratic lawmaker says.
The Tennessee Board of Regents on Tuesday unanimously approved Glenda Baskin Glover, who takes over a university that has been plagued with internal problems, including a lack of cohesion among its leadership.
Earlier this year, a vocal faculty member who opposed university leadership was taken away from a campus meeting in handcuffs.
Sen. Reginald Tate of Memphis said he’s considering legislation that would require some type of evaluation of colleges or universities where there are reports of internal disputes to “review the structure and hierarchy” of the institutions. Tate said he wants to prevent turmoil that could detract from the main goal of educating students.
“We need a mechanism that can say to the universities that if you get too close to that kind of framework, you are subject to an evaluation,” he said. “We’re into the education business, we’re not into hierarchy.”
Tate sat on a Senate Higher Education Subcommittee that held a hearing earlier this year to address allegations that TSU officials changed more than 100 students’ grades of “incomplete” for two introductory-level courses into letter grades without instructors’ permission.
State Board of Regents officials told the panel there were mistakes made and that there was a lack of communication, but they said an internal audit found no wrongdoing by university administrators.
