Some lawmakers expressed concern that leaders of the majority-white state were unfairly naming Tennessee.
“I've seen over and over again that many universities have terrible audits,” state Rep. Beau Mitchell (D-Nashville) said after the House vote. “Have we ever vacated an entire university board? Have we ever done that?”
“We believe this bill would disrupt student education, damage the university's image, and remove a Board of Regents that has been successful in strengthening TSU's governance,” Tennessee officials said in a statement. . The statement also said the school had not mismanaged funds.
Multiple audits conducted over the years, including two announced this week, have revealed that TSU faces challenges in maintaining financial stability. Lawmakers pursuing melt the board of the board of directors.However, a recent forensic audit revealed no evidence of 'fraud or wrongdoing' At university.
However, according to a recent report from the state auditor's office; The school did not meet federal guidelines for various programs, including Pell Grants, the higher education emergency relief fund during the pandemic, and said the school awarded Title IV funds to ineligible students.
tennessee Officials said the situation could have been different with proper funding. The state Legislature previously determined the university was underfunded by $544 million. A federal report last fall on land-grant universities like Tennessee State University said the university was underfunded by the state. $2.1 billion from 1987 to 2022. His two schools, TSU and the University of Tennessee, are the only two in the state to have the land-grant designation.
In the 1860s, Congress authorized programs to improve access to universities across the country.Under this program, land grants Schools receive funding from the federal government, and the state government must match that funding.
State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) told Nashville's local NPR station WPLN, “The majority-white University of Tennessee and other land-grant universities in the state… “The University of Tennessee actually receives full state funding every year.”
“There were years when the University of Tennessee received more funding than it needed,” Pearson said. “But Tennessee State University was denied those resources and the problem arose because they were denied the resources.”
The state Republican Party said Tennessee did not properly use funds allocated to schools and awarded too many scholarships, leaving students homeless and confined to hotel rooms. The university announced in 2022 that it has moved about 900 students to off-campus hotels after enrolling a record number of first-year students for the fall semester.
“Tennessee State University is a great institution, and my administration is committed to working with the General Assembly to ensure our students are well served.” Mr. Lee said.
Tennessee is also searching for its next president. Current president Glenda Glover will retire in June.
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel contributed to this report