Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Administrators at Tennessee’s only publicly funded historically black university were removed Thursday under legislation signed into law by Republican Governor Bill Lee. Black lawmakers and community leaders said state leaders, the majority of whom are white, are unfairly targeting Tennessee State University.
The legislation cleared the Republican-controlled state House on a 66-25 vote on Thursday, and Lee signed off a few hours later without commenting on the controversial decision to leave the board. Instead, he praised TSU as a “remarkable institution” as he revealed he had already selected 10 new replacements.
“I am pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work with administrators and students to further secure TSU’s position as a leading institution,” said Lee.
The new appointees, largely from the business community, now must be confirmed by the Legislature. Their selection will be critical as TSU is already searching for a new leader as President Glenda Glover plans to retire at the end of this school year.
“All we’re talking about is the administration… It’s getting rid of some personalities and bringing in others,” House Majority Leader William Lamberth told reporters. “The goal is to make TSU successful.”
Republican leaders have long grumbled about TSU’s leadership, as multiple state audits have revealed student housing shortages, unsustainable scholarships and persistent financial discrepancies. Audits released Thursday morning ahead of the House vote found 56 “significant procedural deficiencies,” ranging from the school’s failure to follow its own procedures to failing to properly document transactions or identify improvements in the budgetary procedures.
However, one investigation stated that “no evidence was found indicating fraud or malfeasance by executives.”
Democrats and others say Republicans are focusing on the wrong issues, pointing out that the TSU’s problems are largely due to the fact that it has been underfunded by an estimated $2.1 billion over the past three decades. They also claim that the majority of white legislatures distrust a black-controlled university’s ability to govern itself.
Rep. Bo Mitchell, a Democrat whose district includes TSU, also questioned removing the board of a historically black university that the state has not adequately funded. “I’ve seen a lot of audits from a lot of universities that look terrible,” Mitchell said. “Have we ever evicted an entire university board before? Have we ever done that?”
Several Democrats filed last-minute motions and amendments that would have postponed the vote or reduced the number of vacant board seats to five instead of ten. Ultimately, the Republican supermajority rejected each of the proposals.
“Instead of correcting the problems we created through racist policies by underfunding Tennessee State University, we are now calling for the exit of their administration,” said Rep. Justin Pearson, a Democrat from Memphis, as he his voice raised as he criticized his Republican colleagues. .
Last year, the Tennessee Legislature provided TSU with a lump sum of $250 million for infrastructure projects to help address some of the shortfall.
Republican Rep. Ryan Williams said the money was “completely wiped out” after officials gave out too many scholarships, so many that students were placed in hotels because there wasn’t enough housing. Other universities, including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, have also had to temporarily house some students in hotels without the same criticism from state lawmakers.
“The challenges are great,” Williams said. “But we need to be assured that future investments will be properly taken care of, or that a solution to this problem will be found.”
TSU supporters and students watched from the galleries Thursday and cheered as Democrats criticized the bill. Some booed Republicans after the legislation passed, while others complained about the Legislature’s punitive response to the university’s challenges.
“We have people who realize that sometimes it takes a bridge to get where you want to go,” Barry Barlow, a pastor and TSU graduate, said at a news conference after the vote. “But we have people in the Tennessee General Assembly who are going to take your bridge of promise and put dynamite on it.”
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Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report.