George Drinnon

The Be One UT 2025--2030 Strategic Plan serves as a roadmap to advance the mission of the University of Tennessee System through education, discovery, and outreach. It focuses on strategic priorities including accelerating access, academic excellence, and student success; driving research and innovation; fueling the workforce of Tennessee and beyond; and advancing community engagement. Key enablers for achieving these goals involve developing talent, ensuring administrative excellence, fostering advocacy and investment, and modernizing infrastructure, all aimed at expanding opportunity, strengthening impact, and delivering meaningful results for the people of Tennessee.

This document details The University of Tennessee's Title VI Compliance Report and Implementation Plan for fiscal years 2024-2025. It outlines the university's commitment to non-discrimination by establishing clear policies, identifying responsible officials, and defining discriminatory practices. Key areas include comprehensive data collection and analysis, provisions for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) services, robust complaint procedures, and mandatory Title VI training. The plan also covers subrecipient monitoring, public notice and outreach strategies, and evaluation mechanisms to ensure ongoing compliance and foster an inclusive environment.

The Committee discussed capital projects, including the Neyland Entertainment District public-private partnership, a new parking garage project, and the lease for the National Security Prototype Center in Oak Ridge. Approval was recommended for development agreements, ground leases, and debt financing through the Tennessee State School Bond Authority for these capital initiatives. Additionally, the Committee reviewed agenda items regarding the naming of the Haslam College of Business building, and appointments for a Student Trustee and Faculty Representative.

The meeting covered several key discussions and actions. The Committee approved the Consent Agenda, which included the grant of tenure upon initial appointment. An action item approved the elevation of the School of Nursing at UT Chattanooga to a standalone College of Nursing, following discussion on enrollment growth and workforce needs. The UT System Student Success Indicators Report was presented, focusing on enrollment records, high retention rates, and declining time-to-degree, prompting requests for more granular data disaggregation by trustees. Strategic enrollment plans were presented for UT Chattanooga, UT Southern, and UT Health Science Center, emphasizing alignment between growth, student success capacity, and regional workforce demands. Finally, results from the 2025 COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey were presented, with an emphasis on translating findings into measurable actions and communicating outcomes to faculty.

The meeting addressed several critical financial and administrative matters. The Financial Report provided an overview of Fiscal Year 2025, noting a 5% increase in total revenues versus an 8.3% increase in total expenses, prompting committee concerns about sustained expense growth relative to revenue, particularly concerning staffing levels, and a request for future reporting on headcount growth alignment. The Committee also reviewed the balance sheet strength and directed that campus-level financial summaries be incorporated into future reports. A comprehensive update was provided on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, DASH, detailing post-launch challenges in technology gaps, system misconfigurations, and business process alignment, with expectations for resolution of most deficiencies by year-end. The Committee approved a recommendation for the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operating Budget Appropriations Request supporting an expanded Precision Agriculture initiative at the UT Institute of Agriculture. Three capital project items were approved: the acquisition of property at UT Health Science Center to consolidate property, a proposed lease for UT Knoxville operations, and a budget increase for the broiler facility project at the UT Institute of Agriculture. Additionally, updates were presented on capital policy improvements showing reduced project timelines and cost savings, and a new debt financing option allowing up to 3% of unrestricted E&G revenue for academic facility debt service. Finally, the Committee approved an Affiliation Agreement with Starr Regional Medical Center to establish a new family medicine rural track residency program.